American Morning
First lady, queen embrace
We are very amused.
There are a few things in this world that you just don’t touch. A hot stove. The third rail of a subway line. The business end of a bee. Oh yes, and the Queen.
Anyone who has ever met Her Royal Majesty knows that it’s not cricket to lay a mitt on the monarch other than to shake her hand when she extends it. Just ask former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating, who was branded the “Lizard of Oz” in 1992 after he committed the extraordinary faux pas of putting his hand on the Queen’s back.
“All hell broke loose” when that happened, according to royal watcher Charles Mosley, who spoke with us this morning.
So imagine the surprise of the British press and people when a photo flashed around the world of the Queen and Michelle Obama arm-in-arm! According to royal watcher Robert Jobson (who asked Buckingham Palace about it), the hug-fest was initiated by the Queen, “she embraced her”, says Jobson. “She just pulled her close and Michelle responded.”
The moment was as endearing as it was rare. The newly-minted first lady and the British monarch, in a demonstration of enduring friendship between nations, displayed tenderness between individuals. “The Queen is not known for being touchy-feely”, Mosley told us. “Her son, Prince Charles, complained on one occasion he wasn’t given enough affection when he was a child. She’s obviously a late developer.”
She’s obviously enamored of Michelle Obama, as it seems is most of London. “The First Lady can’t do anything wrong as far as London is concerned”, Jobson told us this morning.
And there’s no question the first lady is a hugger. I was surprised to see her freely doling out hugs at a campaign event in Denver last August, an early indication that at some point, an embrace with a monarch might be in the offing.
The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting were reportedly agog at the incident, as was the British press. At first, it wasn’t clear who initiated the contact, but as the story began to unfold and palace officials confirmed the timeline, royal watcher Mosely was left to jokingly consider “For all I know, this is a breach of White House protocol.”
What do you think of the display of affection between Mrs. Obama and the queen?
Michelle Obama mania
There's no denying Michelle Obama is a rockstar in America. But how is her style and personality playing overseas?
The early reviews are good. The apparent love affair with the U.S. first lady is flourishing in Europe.
Thousands protest at Bank of England ahead of G-20
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/01/g20.protests.art.jpg caption="Thousands protest at Bank of England ahead of G-20"]
Happening now on CNN's American Morning:
LONDON, England (CNN) - Thousands of anti-capitalists, anarchists, and environmental campaigners gathered outside the Bank of England on Wednesday to make their voices heard a day before the G-20 summit in London.
Police estimated there were as many as 4,000 people at the scene. Aerial footage showed the streets filled with people, with lines of luorescent-yellow-clad police in the crowd.
Eleven people were arrested for being in possession of police uniforms, a police spokesman said. They had earlier been stopped while riding in an armored personnel carrier near Bishopsgate, near the Bank of England, and the vehicle will now be examined by police, the spokesman said.
Protesters occasionally lunged forward against the police line, and one masked protester hit out at polices with a long black pole. One police officer was whisked to the side after apparently being hit. Police held their line and occasionally pushed protesters back with their hands.
Protesters carried banners that read "Arrest the War Criminals," "One Currency, One Country, One World," and "Capitalism Isn't Working."
Obama: "We are going to get through this"
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/01/obama.g20.conf.art.jpg caption="President Obama holds a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London."]
Happening now on CNN's American Morning:
President Barack Obama holds a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
LONDON, England (CNN) - U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown say the G-20 must agree tough new rules for the banking system to help lift the world out of recession.
Obama and Brown met for more than two hours in London Wednesday, the day before the G-20 summit begins.
At a press conference afterwards the pair pushed for a united front to tackle the economic crisis.
Obama thanked Brown for his leadership during the economic crisis, saying he had showed extraordinary energy setting the foundations for the G-20.
He reiterated yet again that the "special relationship" between the countries continued to be strong.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is in London and you can follow her reporting on Twitter @amFIX
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