The mourner who appeared to be ignored by the guy directing people to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral is the spouse of the Argentine ambassador to the UK.
Alessandra Viggiano Marra, a diplomat by profession, gained notoriety online for her unimpressed response to not receiving a handshake when entering the chapel.
A doorman was seen greeting several attendees to the event by shaking their hands in TV video from the ceremony.
✅ ✅ ✅ ❌ pic.twitter.com/p2CN4KMtFN
— Iain Liddle (@IainLiddle) September 19, 2022
When Ms. Marra, a minister in the embassy, moved closer to the door, she extended her hand in anticipation of receiving a similar nod, but the man appeared to brush her hand away with his left arm.
The ambassador then entered the monastery for the service while appearing to mumble under her breath.
Four billion people will have watched the occurrence, according to social media users, who were expected to watch “the biggest live TV event in history.”
Ms. Marra, who is married to Ambassador Javier Figueroa, went to Buckingham Palace with her husband last year for a visit with the late monarch that was only possible virtually because of Covid limitations at the time.
The couple travelled to London to deliver “letters of credence,” which are the official documents designating an ambassador as the head of a diplomatic mission.
Mr. Figueroa, on the other hand, recently remarked that Argentina still has a “open wound” from the Falklands War.
Speaking in May to commemorate the conflict’s 40th anniversary, he called the debate over the sovereignty of the islands “ridiculous” and compared their relationship with Argentina to that of North and South Korea.
He claimed that the majority of young people in the UK are unaware that Britain and Argentina have a dispute over the South Atlantic.
He claimed that while the sovereignty of the islands is not a “high visibility” issue in the UK, it is “hugely visible in public opinion and the governing elite” in Argentina.
Several users commented on the handshake event on social media, saying things like, “I just received second, third, and fourth hand embarrassment from that.”
Someone more remarked: “If this were me in 20 years, I’d still be waking up in a cold sweat merely from the thought of the shame.”
A third added: ‘We need the back story’.
The Queen’s burial is expected to draw an astounding 4.1 billion viewers, shattering the previous record of 3.5 billion people who reportedly watched boxing legend Muhammad Ali open the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
If they are right, the wedding would break all previous broadcasting records, including those for the Live8 concerts in 2005, Sydney’s 2010 New Year’s Eve fireworks display, and the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.
