Maybe Queen Elizabeth wants to be touched. The AP debunks the pseudo scandal about Michelle Obama getting too friendly with the queen by citing an unnamed Buckingham Palace spokesman who says there's actually no rule that people shouldn’t touch the queen. In fact, it appears Queen Elizabeth not only didn’t have a problem with it—She started it. Here’s the notable excerpt:

Mrs. Obama clearly made an impression with the 82-year-old monarch — so much that the smiling queen strayed from protocol and put her arm around the first lady in a rare public show of affection. It was the first time Mrs. Obama — who is nearly a foot taller — had met the queen. The first lady also embraced her.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman who asked not to be identified because of palace policy said he could not remember the last time that the queen had displayed such public affection with a first lady or dignitary. "It was a mutual and spontaneous display of affection," he said. "We don't issue instructions on not touching the queen."

Unless you're totally creepy, of course.

Courtesy Glamour

Forget everything else that’s happened this week at the G-20. The most important event of the week is coming up tomorrow. On Friday, President Obama and his wife, Michelle, head to France, where they will meet up with Carla Bruni! Oh, and her husband, French President Nicolas Sarkozy. If your Gaggler were to administer a truth serum to every guy in the White House press corps, we’d more likely than not discover that this is THE event that they have been waiting for all week. (Own up, Scherer.)  And, hey, we aren’t throwing stones. Your Gaggler read Vogue in the 90s. We want to see Carla too—even if we are sort of grossed out about that Donald Trump hook-up a few years ago. But we don’t even have to cover the event to tell you what the story is going to be: The media is already gaming out the Michelle vs. Carla catfight. The big question: Who will be dressed better? Glamour magazine posed the style question a few weeks ago, as did the UK version of Vogue. And the Brits seemed genuinely disappointed that Carla ditched all the G-20 hoopla that would have made it possible to compare her wardrobe with the First Lady’s at Buckingham Palace last night. Will Michelle stick with J.Crew, as she did at daytime events here in London the last two days? Will she go more designer? We’ll just have to wait and see.

...photo courtesy AP

It's so hard to read international diplomacy sometimes, but here's what your Gaggler thinks might going on in this picture:

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (center top): Prom, I mean, the G-20 is going to be sooo bitchin!
President Obama: Yeah dude!
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right): Heeey! Vodka!
Chinese President Hu Jintao (bottom): Uhhhh. I don't know, guys.

Our favorite picks this morning from around the web:

Moneyless in the echo chamber
A handful of Republican governors have publicly refused stimulus money for their state on the grounds of principle. In the case of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, even members of his own party are criticizing the move as stubborn. (NPR)

Madame Secretary
In an administration run by her former campaign opponent, Hillary Clinton's profile and influence ebbs and flows, depending on the day. (NY Times)

Back on defense
The U.S. has lost the first several rounds of diplomacy over North Korea's nuclear program. A more effective next move should be to play defense -- develop (and encourage other states to develop) more advanced and reliable missile defense networks. (National Review)

Anyone but him
Abroad, President Obama's image has benefited for merely representing a change from the Bush Administration. While Obama's in London, other leaders like British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are also cashing in on the not-Bush popularity. (Washington Times)

...

Your Gaggler snapped this photo in the meeting room where Presidnet Obama and his aides met with South Korean leaders.

Another thing you learn from overseas trips: Covering the White House can often be a full contact sport. Upon arrival this morning at the G-20 summit, the press pool was quickly ushered to a photo-op with President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. The way these things work is that reporters and photographers stand outside the room where the president is meeting with a foreign leader, you are led in, and the leaders talk or shake hands or do strange dances for the cameras. (We are talking about you, George W.) Back home, the pool sprays, as they are called, are often pretty orderly events, but that’s hardly the case overseas, where foreign reporters are particularly aggressive about getting into the room. And by aggressive, we mean AGGRESSIVE.

Your Gaggler knew it was a bad sign when during the walk this morning to the Obama/Lee meeting room, the crowd already had the feel of a mosh pit at a Nine Inch Nails show. The South Korean news photographers, who happened to be carrying rather large flashes and other bulky camera equipment, began elbowing other reporters even before the press arrived to where the leaders were meeting. But that was nothing. When the Secret Service opened the door to allow the press in, it was a full on stampede with pushing and shoving and a soundtrack of four-letter words that your Gaggler, though tempted, won’t dare publish here. The crush was so intense it nearly took out Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who stood along the sidelines with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and other Obama aides waiting for the official talks to begin. Afterwards, as the press exited the room, your Gaggler and other members of the pool grabbed a space on the wall and allowed the South Korean press corps to pass before we made our exit. Not surprisingly, they took one set of stairs, and we took another.