Anna Wintour called 'disrespectful' for not removing sunglasses in Queen Elizabeth's presence

Did Anna Wintour breach royal protocol by wearing sunglasses to meet the queen? (Photo: Getty Images)
Did Anna Wintour breach royal protocol by wearing sunglasses to meet the queen? (Photo: Getty Images)
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Did Anna Wintour make a fashion mistake while meeting Queen Elizabeth? There’s a first time for everything.

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.

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 guidelines: “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. On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is ‘Your Majesty’ and subsequently ‘Ma’am,’ pronounced with a short ‘a,’ as in ‘jam.’”

Anna Wintour and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed London Fashion Week, despite their bumpy greeting. (Photo: Getty Images)
Anna Wintour and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed London Fashion Week, despite their bumpy greeting. (Photo: Getty Images)

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.”

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 NBD, says Lynch. “Anna was likely momentarily distracted and the Queen doesn’t hold grudges.”

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