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The heir to Britain’s throne made a mistake not once, but twice when arriving at a royal engagement. In these days of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it is recommended that people avoiding shaking hands with others. This is in an effort to control the spread of the virus.
Like not touching your face when out in public, avoiding handshakes can be pretty difficult. This is especially so for someone constantly in the public eye, like Prince Charles. The senior royal eventually opted for the Namaste gesture instead of shaking hands.
Prince Charles Almosts Shakes Hands
As can be seen in the video included below, Prince Charles was arriving at the annual Prince’s Trust Awards, held at the London Palladium. Charles climbs out of his car and onto the red carpet, almost immediately going in for a polite handshake as he does so.
He laughs at his gaffe, and then head towards more people arriving at the royal engagement. Of course, shaking hands is built into Prince Charles – it is a polite and automatic gesture he makes at any event. Problem is, seconds later he almost makes the same mistake and is forced to speedily withdraw his hand.
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From that moment on, Prince Charles opts for a polite – and perfectly acceptable – Namaste gesture in place of the traditional handshake. The royal himself said how difficult it is to not stretch out your hand to greet someone as he has done so for the 70 years of his life.
Prince Charles And The Prince’s Trust Awards
At the Prince’s Trust Awards held at the London Palladium, the Prince of Wales could be seen speaking to celebrity supporters, such as Britain’s Got Talent hosts Ant and Dec, world champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith and former James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan.
At the Commonwealth Day service held at Westminster Abbey, Prince Charles continued to use the Namaste gesture, in place of a handshake.
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Namaste Is The Ideal Handshake Alternative
Namaste is an ancient Indian traditional greeting which is ideal as a friendly, but hygienic alternative to shaking hands. The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to spread in the world. This has led to a number of government health professionals worldwide advising the public to avoid handshakes in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
COVID-19 is new, and medical experts are still unsure as to how the coronavirus spreads from person to person. So far, it is believed to spread through coughs and sneezes. The public is being urged to cough or sneeze into the crook of their arm, rather than into their hands. They are also told to wash their hands for 20 seconds, as often as possible, and to avoid touching their faces when out in public.
A report in the Express quotes figures of more than 120,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, with slightly more than 4,500 people dying from the virus. China, where the virus originated, has the highest number of infected people at more than 80,000. Next in line is Italy, with more than 10,000 cases. That country is now in an official lockdown due to the health emergency.