Kissing the hand (baise-main)

[CountessKate]

My mother, who was in the diplomatic scene in Brussels in the late '60s, where hand-kissing was quite usual amongst the continental diplomats, became something of a connaisseur of various styles.  She said the French tended to go for the sort of 'air kiss' Gerta describes where the lips didn't meet the hand, Germans and Austrians did a faint brush of the lips, but the Belgians went for a hearty smack of the lips! 

[Clemence]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ZqXqjYdky-E

[Clemence]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=hzLN4zOVY_k

[Sunny]

anyone needing translation?

[Ortipo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG2Hec_8Vzc&feature=plcp

I noticed at about the 2:58 mark that Alexandra is wearing only a single glove.  After the train disembarkment the footage transitions to the IF walking down an outdoor flight of stairs; all of the females are wearing only one glove.  Does this have to do with handkissing or is something going on that I know nothing about?

[Duchess Hydrangea]

I noticed at about the 2:58 mark that Alexandra is wearing only a single glove.  After the train disembarkment the footage transitions to the IF walking down an outdoor flight of stairs; all of the females are wearing only one glove.  Does this have to do with handkissing or is something going on that I know nothing about?
[/quote]

I don't if it applies or not but I know that when shaking someone's hand it is common to remove the glove of the joining hands.

[CountessKate]

I noticed at about the 2:58 mark that Alexandra is wearing only a single glove.  After the train disembarkment the footage transitions to the IF walking down an outdoor flight of stairs; all of the females are wearing only one glove.  Does this have to do with handkissing or is something going on that I know nothing about?

I don't if it applies or not but I know that when shaking someone's hand it is common to remove the glove of the joining hands.

This question was responded to in this interesting post:

http://forum.alexanderpalace.org/index.php?topic=715.msg86590#msg86590

[Duchess Hydrangea]

I don't if it applies or not but I know that when shaking someone's hand it is common to remove the glove of the joining hands.

I should probably add that this may have been only in the case of men.