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queen letizia diplomatic corps© Photo: Getty Images

Watch Queen Letizia's reaction as royal guest fails to shake her hand

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain hosted a diplomatic meeting

Matthew Moore
Online News Writer & Diversity and Inclusion Lead
January 27, 2023
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Queen Letizia and King Felipe of Spain hosted a diplomatic meeting during the week, but one moment stunned royal watchers.

The royal couple greeted ambassadors individually by shaking their hands, but when it came to the Iranian ambassador, Hassan Ghashghavi, he only offered the courtesy to Felipe. In the video below, you can see how Letizia reacted to what some have been dubbing as a "snub".

WATCH: Queen Letizia reacts as Iranian ambassador doesn't shake her hand

It does appear that there was an innocent explanation for the moment, with Hassan seemingly giving a different gesture to Letizia, as per Iranian custom.

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This dictates that a man should not shake hands with a woman unless she extends the arm first. However, he may still choose to refuse to shake hands at the time.

The Spanish royal looked incredibly glamorous for the event, as she wore a a sweet pussybow blouse in a sumptuous silk fabric. She channelled movie magic with her skirt selection, a flowing blossom pink skirt.

Queen Letizia with a stern look© Photo: Getty Images

What did you make to the moment?

Despite the moment, Letizia is unlikely to be holding a grudge with the Iranian ambassador and earlier this month she put a long-standing feud behind her.

Following the funeral of King Constantine, she was photographed linking arms with Princess Marie-Chantal and gently touching her hand. Both women could be seen smiling as they followed behind the princess' husband, Pavlos of Greece – Constantine's eldest son.

Their disagreement stemmed from a controversial clash between Letizia and Queen Sofia, her mother-in-law, at the Cathedral of Palma de Mallorca after the 2018 Easter Mass.

Queen Letizia shaking hands with female diplomat© Photo: Getty Images

The royal shook hands with many diplomats at the event

Letizia was filmed seemingly blocking photographers from taking photos of Sofia with her granddaughters by standing in front of the trio, and then removing Queen Sofia's hand from Infanta Sofia's shoulder.

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Footage of the moment was quickly shared online – and Marie-Chantal didn't hold back when it came to voicing her opinion on the tense scene.

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"This makes me feel so angry," she commented, before telling another Twitter user: "No grandmother deserves that type of treatment! Wow she's shown her true colours."

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