I can't believe that Buckingham Palace doesn't provide some sort of "resource person" (or several) who will assist guests in mastering the protocol -- after all, it's not meant to be some kind of test, and they surely don't want their guests to be embarrassed! Either Barry just didn't listen or -- to my mind, more likely -- he figured he could do it better than the proper protocol; in fact, he likely figured that the "God Save the Queen" was merely an adequate accompaniment to his eloquence! I think he expected to be praised for it.
Anyone know what the British press said?
I can’t understand the thinking, on this site of all places, that seeks to put the onus of OhOh’s breach of protocol on the British.
The State Department has a Chief of Protocol, the White House has a Chief of Protocol, the US Embassy has a Chief of Protocol, all of whom are responsible for planning and coordination of State Visits and consulting with their foreign counterparts.
The British are noted for providing protocol points to anyone granted presentation to the Royals.
So OhOh had a whole regiment or two of staff tasked to make sure things ran smoothly and as per protocol. As a guest to a sovereign nation it is OhOh’s responsibility to represent us as a civilized nation and not as some backwater Kenyan village.
This man can’t muster the discipline to pay more than 45 minutes for staff briefings at the White House so why can he be expecting to remember his briefing unless he has a minder at his elbow whispering into his XL ears, “and next you...”
All of his adlib-no-prompter stuttering speeches prove his inability to focus on the here and now, beyonding uttering content free platitudes.