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Anna Wintour 'disrespected' Queen at Fashion Week

She's known as fashion royalty, but Anna Wintour might have made a very big mistake when rubbing shoulders with real-life royalty after she was snapped with the Queen at London Fashion Week.

On Tuesday, the Vogue editor-in-chief sat front row at designer Richard Quinn’s show wearing her signature sunglasses when Queen Elizabeth walked into the room, making her London Fashion Week debut.

After taking note of the Queen’s presence, Wintour (along with the rest of the guests) stood up and reached for a handshake without removing her shades.

Anna has been accused of etiquette faux pas when she greeted the Queen. Photo: Getty
Anna has been accused of etiquette faux pas when she greeted the Queen. Photo: Getty
The pair took their seats, and the Queen's face said it all. Photo: Getty
The pair took their seats, and the Queen's face said it all. Photo: Getty

The casual move was slammed on Twitter.

The Queen, who was in attendance to present Quinn with a design award, graciously greeted Wintour and the pair were even pictured laughing while enjoying the show.

However, Wintour may have broken royal protocol. According to the official royal website, there is no formal manner in which to receive the queen but there are traditional guidelined.

“For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy," the website reads.

"Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way. On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is ‘Your Majesty’ and subsequently ‘Ma’am,’ pronounced with a short ‘a,’ as in ‘jam.’”

The Queen made her front row debut yesterday, making headlines around the world. Photo: Getty
The Queen made her front row debut yesterday, making headlines around the world. Photo: Getty

According to royal expert Kelly Lynch, managing editor of DailyBreak, Wintour made three missteps.

“She didn’t curtsy and she didn’t allow the queen to initiate the handshake,” Lynch tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “She also could have removed her sunglasses as a sign of respect — in the same way, people remove baseball hats indoors.”

Anna did remove her glasses when she was made a Dame Commander last year. Photo: Getty
Anna did remove her glasses when she was made a Dame Commander last year. Photo: Getty

The greeting also fell flat because Wintour is British and a Dame (the female equivalent of a knight), the highest order of merit bestowed by Buckingham Palace.

“She knows better,” says Lynch.

However, odds are that the laidback welcome was no big deal, says Lynch. “Anna was likely momentarily distracted and the Queen doesn’t hold grudges.”

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