Britain's Prince Charles seemed to give Vice President Mike Pence a royal snub on Thursday, pointedly not shaking Pence's hand during the World Holocaust Forum in Israel — but Pence's spokeswoman pointed out pictures before the event showing the two men smiling and chatting with each other.
Charles, while working his way down a line of dignitaries, shook hands with one man, then glanced at Pence's wife, Karen, and the vice president, and mumbled something while walking in front of them without pausing.
Charles then stopped just past the couple to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pence, whose own hands were clasped in front of his waist as the Prince of Wales breezed by, reached out to give Charles a friendly pat on the back as he moved on to greet the Israeli leader.
But Pence's spokeswoman Katie Waldman afterward tweeted out video of the vice president chatting at length with Charles backstage at the event in Jerusalem.
A Buckingham Palace official denied to the BBC news service that the heir to the British throne had snubbed Pence, saying the two men had a "long and warm conversation" before the ceremony.
The event marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Other world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also attended.
Before the apparently awkward moment — which was noted on Twitter — Pence chatted with Netanyahu and appeared to make a reference to President Donald Trump and his ongoing impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate.
"We're contending," Pence told Netanyahu.
"He's unstoppable, like somebody else I know," Pence added.
Trump was impeached by the House in December in connection with his request that Ukraine's new president announce an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, at the same time Trump was withholding nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine.
Netanyahu has his own problems in Israel.
In November, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announced a criminal indictment against Netanyahu, accusing him of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three corruption cases.
Israel's parliament, the Knesset, is set to vote next week on setting up a panel to consider Netanyahu's request that he receive immunity from charges while in office.