Bros, bathtubs and hugs: the etiquette of friendly world leaders

“Yes, he sometimes calls me ‘bro’,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said this weekend, and he wasn’t referring to Alexander, his brother. He was talking about Barack Obama, the 45^th President of the United States.

So, how common is familiarity among world leaders? And is it always appreciated?

Relations between the US and UK leaders have certainly have been warm in the past. The most extreme example was perhaps wartime leaders President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, the L.A. Times reported in 2011:

“So familiar were President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill that the president once got a glimpse of Churchill climbing out of a White House bathtub.”

For an awkward example in more recent history, the Guardian recalls an encounter between George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth of England.

At a gala dinner in 2007, President Bush accidentally called the Queen over 200 years old. After realizing his mistake, he winked at the Queen, and confided to his audience that in return, he got “a look that only a mother could give to her child.”

Over in Asia, the recent APEC summit showed that even a handshake or a display gallantry can say a lot about how leaders get along, The Australian reported after the November 2014 event.

“Seated next to Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan in an outdoor viewing area, the Russian leader draped a garment over her shoulders… […] when Mr Putin swaggered across the stage, Mr Xi smiled and gestured at their identical purple tunics. ”

But for a historical proof of the friendship between “bros” Cameron and Obama, there was the G8 meeting of 2012. As English team F.C. Chelsea scored the winning goal against German side F.C. Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, British Prime Minister Cameron and his “bro” President Obama cheered together. German Chancellor Angela Merkel looked less enthusiastic, the International Business reported:

“Cameron and Merkel clearly weren’t cheering for the same team — Chelsea, a UK team, beat its German rivals. The two world leaders, however, hug[ged] it out.”    

World leaders and friendship, it’s not just a trend for 2015.

Author: Peter Vanham is Senior Media Manager at World Economic Forum. 

Image: U.S. President Barack Obama smiles as he talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) at the G7 summit in Brussels June 5, 2014. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque