ACM Awards 2012
Lionel Richie Reuters

Lionel Richie broke royal protocol when he made the first move to shake Queen Consort Camilla's hand during the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, May 3.

The 73-year-old singing sensation and his 32-year-old girlfriend Lisa Parigi were among the special guests at the event held on the grounds of the palace. A video shared online showed the pair conversing with King Charles III before the latter seemingly motioned at his wife.

Richie then reached out his hand to greet Queen Consort Camilla and he even patted her arm when he introduced his girlfriend afterwards. This is a big faux pas in royal etiquette which dictates that people meeting the monarch are not supposed to initiate the handshake but wait for it to happen instead. Likewise, initiating physical contact with a royal family member is prohibited.

Paul Gauger, of VisitBritain, once told Good Morning America, "You shouldn't touch a member of the royal family. You should always wait for them to extend their hand to you and with that handshake, just be nice and gentle.

"If she doesn't extend her hand it's not a sign of disrespect and that's where you might enter into conversation."

But the Duchess of Cornwall did not seem to mind Richie's actions as the group shared a laugh while engaged in a conversation. She took the singer's friendliness in good humour and said, "Lovely to meet you."

Richie met with King Charles III first and he also initiated the handshake as seen in the video below. He also patted His Majesty's elbow before he introduced Parigi, who did a half curtsy in greeting and shook the monarch's hand.

The trio appeared in a good mood, with the King saying something that made the singer and his girlfriend laugh in response. For Richie, it may have been a casual conversation among friends because he has known His Majesty for a very long time.

He shared during an interview with Extra that he has known King Charles III "for a while" having served as the first Global Ambassador and Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group in 2019 for The Prince's Trust, the charity the monarch established in 1976.

The "American Idol" judge shared that His Majesty personally called and asked him to perform at the Coronation Concert on May 7. He revealed, "You never think [that will] translate into a tight 1,800 that will be present, and he calls and says, 'I want you there.' The answer is, 'I'm there. I'm there.' I'm walking in history. This is a moment that he gets to shine. I am very happy for him and the Queen."

But he is tight-lipped on what he will perform at the event which will be aired live from the grounds of Windsor Castle. He is sworn to royal secrecy saying, "They told me, 'Don't reveal.' But I would tell everybody if I could...I am trying my best to contain myself, but it's going to be one in a million times in history to be part of something like this."

Richie also shared his excitement for the Coronation Concert in an interview with Kate Mansey, Assistant Editor of The Mail on Sunday, at the Royal Garden Party. He said, "Once the lights hit, and once the music starts, it's just gonna be fabulous." He also revealed that he will be at King Charles III's coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Richie will join fellow "American Idol" judge Katy Perry at the Coronation Concert, as well as other performers including opera star Andrea Bocelli, singer/songwriter Freya Ridings, classical-soul composer/pianist Alexis Ffrench, Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel, and British pop group Take That. They will sing in front of 20,000 members of the public and invited guests, as well as millions watching and listening at home.

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