Royal snub: Prince Charles avoids Mike Pence in cringe-worthy video

Prince Charles has found himself at the centre of a very awkward moment, after a video of him appearing to snub US Vice President, Mike Pence, went viral this week.

Charles was attending the World Holocaust Forum in Israel on Thursday and while taking his seat alongside world leaders, a very uncomfortable moment was captured on camera.

The Prince was one of the last leaders to arrive at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, which was hosting the memorial event, and made his way down the line of dignitaries, shaking hands and greeting them, with one notable exception.

The Prince can be seen in the above video shaking the hands of German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Moshe Kantor, the forum’s president, before glancing at Pence and his wife Karen, who were next in line, and moving along swiftly, without any apparent greeting.

Pence managed to briefly touch the passing Prince’s shoulder as he moved on to greet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, also shaking the hands of French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Both camps say no snub

The notable snub raised eyebrows worldwide, given the politics surrounding President Trump’s current impeachment trial in the US, though both camps insisted the ‘snub’ was just a misunderstanding.

The vice-president’s press secretary Katie Waldman tweeted that the pair had in fact greeted one another beforehand.

“Vice President Pence and the Second Lady spoke with Prince Charles for five minutes in the pre-program before they entered the hall. Also, they shook hands at the end of his remarks,” she said in a statement.

Buckingham Palace backed up this version of events saying the two had spoken ‘warmly’ beforehand in a statement to the BBC.

Online users react to so-called ‘snub’

Snub or not, online users have had a field day with the toe-curling footage, tweeting their reactions to the moment online.

For many, it’s a welcome distraction from the scandal-ridden 12 months the royal family has weathered.

Between Prince Andrew’s resignation over his friendship with convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein, and Prince Harry and Meghan’s exit from their senior royal positions, active members are thin on the ground.

Prince Charles has garnered praise for his speech on climate change and his public meeting with teen climate activist with Greta Thunberg in what is sure to be welcome positive press for the beleaguered family.

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