Michelle Obama famously broke royal protocol during a meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2009, by greeting the monarch with hug.
The former First Lady has now revealed the relatable reason behind her impromptu embrace with the Queen, and detailed Her Majesty's warm response.
In Michelle's memoir Becoming, she discloses that the encounter began when the Queen looked up at her and remarked (via The Telegraph): "You're so tall."
When Michelle commented that her Jimmy Choo heels added a few inches to her height, the Queen 'gestured with some frustration at her own black pumps' and said: "These shoes are unpleasant, are they not?"
Mrs Obama writes: "I confessed then to the Queen that my feet were hurting. She confessed that hers hurt, too. We looked at each other then with identical expressions, like, When is all this standing around with world leaders going to finally wrap up? And with this, she busted out with a fully charming laugh.
"Forget that she sometimes wore a diamond crown and that I'd flown to London on the presidential jet; we were just two tired ladies oppressed by our shoes."
Michelle explained that it came instinctively to her, as she felt a connection to the Queen and wanted to express her warmth.
"I couldn't have known it in the moment, but I was committing what would be deemed an epic faux pas," the lawyer and university administrator added.
Michelle suggested that although royal commentators criticised the hug for going against protocol, she didn't think the Queen minded too much.
"I daresay that the Queen was okay with it, too, because when I touched her, she only pulled closer, resting a gloved hand lightly on the small of my back," she recalled.
Michelle will promote her book with an appearance at London’s Southbank Centre on 3 December.
Buy Now Becoming by Michelle Obama, £12.50, Waterstones
Naomi Gordon is news writer mainly covering entertainment news with a focus on celebrity interviews and television.
