Kate, Princess of Wales appeared to suffer a rare awkward moment during a visit to a Muslim centre in London.
The 41-year-old, who was joined by Prince William, visited Hayes Muslim Centre to hear about how the community is raising funds for those affected by the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.
Upon arriving, the royal couple were introduced to a number of leaders, including Iman Sufyan Iqbal. Both Kate and William took in turns greeting each member, with one of the leaders also putting out his hand to greet Kate.
However, when Kate reached Iman Sufyan, she put out her hand and was greeted with a different welcome response. Iman Sufyan greeted the Princess in the form of his hand pressed on his heart and a bow of the head. Kate swiftly then withdraws her hand, before mirroring his gesture.
In some Muslim traditions, it is a common curiosity to greet a woman by placing your hand on your heart and a nod or a slight bow.
During the visit, Kate and William learned the sheer hard-work that had been put into raising funds for Syria and Turkey.
They, through bucket collections and other donations after prayers, have raised more than £25,000 for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.
Speaking during the visit, Kate said: “It’s sad that there’s a need to do funding.”
Praising communities like Hayes Muslim Centre, the Princess added: “It’s amazing there are communities like this here raising [funds]”.
Salah Aboulgasem, who is from Islamic Relief’s Emergency Response Team, said: “I arrived in Turkey to the worst scenes of destruction I’ve ever witnessed.
“I met with so many families whose lives were destroyed in an instant.
“From the onset of the disaster, Islamic Relief teams were on the ground providing instant support, including cash vouchers which are crucial in enabling families to make basic purchases, with dignity.”
