It may have been done with the best of intentions, but Brigitte Macron appeared to breach formalities as, alongside Queen Camilla, she laid a wreath to those who sacrificed all on D-Day.

Steading herself after laying the wreath at the British Normandy Memorial at Ver-sur-Mer, Emmanuel Macron’s wife reached out to hold the Queen’s hand, only for Camilla to appear to subtly move away.

The two women have previously been quite tactile – but perhaps, in the Queen’s eyes, the formality of this particular moment required more composure.

Whatever the reason, Mrs Macron appeared to get the subtle message and dropped her hand before the pair stood side by side in quiet contemplation.

The faux pas did not ruin the occasion, which had earlier seen the King and Queen greet the French president and his wife warmly as they arrived at the memorial overlooking Gold Beach, one of the two beaches where allied forces landed on June 6 1944.

King Charles kissed Mrs Macron’s hand, while her husband squeezed the hand of Camilla, who placed her other hand on his shoulder. The couples were all smiles, despite the Macrons arriving 20 minutes late.

Following the wreath-laying ceremony the two heads of state and their wives chatted to some of those gathered at the memorial, with Mr Macron taking a photograph of the King and Queen and young girl wearing a poppy.

The British Normandy Memorial memorial records the names of all those under British command who lost their lives in Normandy between June 6 and Aug 31 1944.