LeBron James breached royal protocol when he embraced the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo / AP
LeBron James breached royal protocol when he embraced the Duchess of Cambridge. Photo / AP
Basketball ace LeBron James breached British royal protocol when he embraced pregnant Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge for a photo backstage at the Barclays Centre in New York.
The Duchess and her husband Prince William were the guests of honour at the Brooklyn Nets home game against James' Cleveland Cavaliers, and the sports icon was formally introduced to the couple after leading his team to a 110-88 victory.
James presented the royals with a box of cupcakes and two personalised Cavaliers jerseys, including one for their 16-month-old son George, and then posed for pictures.
LeBron James' embrace has sparked criticism in the British press. Photo / AP
However, the towering forward clearly broke royal etiquette by casually placing his arm around the Duchess' shoulders as the cameras snapped away - a move which has been heavily criticised in the UK press.
Under traditional protocol, guests are prohibited from touching members of the royal family, except to shake their hand.
But James appeared oblivious to his greeting blunder and later took to his Instagram blog to gush about meeting the royals.
Sharing a collage of images from the rendezvous, he wrote, "This very moment will be forever remembered and put up in my house. It's all good and all smiles on this side."
James wasn't the only celebrity to come face to face with Prince William and Catherine - courtside regulars and hip-hop royalty Jay-Z and Beyonce were also introduced to the couple during the third quarter of the game after being seated opposite each another.
The superstars were filmed shaking hands with the royal couple and exchanging pleasantries.
Watch: Raw: Royals meet Beyonce and Jay-Z
During their backstage meeting, James asked William what size shoes he wore, to which the Prince replied, "Half the size of yours," while pointing at the star's huge feet.
The Duchess promptly burst into a fit of giggles, before brushing her hair back from her face as she attempted to regain her posture.
Embrace a no-no, says etiquette expert
Etiquette expert William Hanson told the Daily Mail online that although the Duchess is unlikely to give James the cold shoulder, he still should have kept his arm away from her.
He said: "Although I am sure the Duchess of Cambridge won't have worried about it, Mr James should not have put his arm around her.
"Americans are much more tactile than we Brits and this is another example of an American being too touchy feely with British royalty. You'd have thought they'd have learned by now."
Rapper Jay-Z, left, talks to LeBron James after the game. Photo / AP
The 2-metre tall basketball star also appeared alongside the royals in a sweaty top, which some may regard as bad form.
Mr Hanson added: "A shower would have been preferable but he had just finished a game - so even more reason for him not have opened his pits by lifting his arm and placing it around Her Royal Highness!"
However, because James put his arm around Catherine for only a second as they posed for a photograph, no offence was intended, none taken and that it was a very relaxed occasion.
Americans on Twitter voiced their opinions about the faux pas, with some coming to Mr James' defence, saying that he was just being friendly.
Felica Devers wrote: "Americans hug, love it or leave it."
Jorden Curren quipped that the basketball player was "showing some alpha male presence" in front of the prince.
And Jeff Todd from Denver disputed whether royal etiquette transfers to a basketball game.
He tweeted: "If you invite me to Buckingham [Palace], I'll follow your rules of etiquette. If you are at a basketball game, I'll use mine."
New Yorker Crystal Hoff, meanwhile, wasn't quite so forgiving. She tweeted: "Who does LeBron James think he is putting his arm around Kate Middleton?"
Show of affection not the first
Eyebrows were also raised in 2009 when centuries-long protocol was broken by US First Lady Michelle Obama putting her arm around the Queen at a Buckingham Palace G20 reception.
Finding herself next to Mrs Obama, the Queen remarked on their height difference. As she did so, her hand edged towards the small of Mrs Obama's back.
Mrs Obama responded - and even rubbed the Queen's shoulder - before both women moved gently apart after about ten seconds.
The sight of the Queen publicly hugging another woman astonished other guests. An onlooker said: "It was a pretty simultaneous gesture. We couldn't believe what we were seeing."
"A mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation," was how a Buckingham Palace spokesman hastened to describe it.
But the protocol concerning the sovereign has been set in stone for generations.
"Whatever you do," courtiers are apt to warn, "don't touch the Queen."
There was furore in 1992 when the then Australian prime minister, Paul Keating, put his arm round the Queen's waist at Canberra's Parliament House, and found himself lampooned as 'the Lizard of Oz' for his faux-pas.
And everyone remembers the expression of frozen distaste on the Queen's face at the opening of the Millennium Dome when Tony Blair seized hold of the royal hand and shook it up and down during the singing of Auld Lang Syne.
He said: "When members of the royal family meet people they want them to feel as comfortable as possible. There's no such thing as royal protocol."
But despite this the Buckingham Palace website offers instructions for greeting members of the royal family.
It says: "There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.
"For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way."
