Centuries-old gesture could be gone for good
Jenny Morrison
For centuries, it has been the civilised way to greet friends and family, to cement business deals and to mark moments of celebration.
But will the coronavirus kill off the humble handshake for good?
It has existed in some form for hundreds of years.
As early as the fifth century, it was seen as a way of conveying peaceful intentions.
By extending the empty right hand, strangers could demonstrate they were not harbouring weapons – with the up and down motion showing there were no items hidden within sleeves.
The ritual has long since moved on from its original purpose.
Here, etiquette expert and former royal butler Grant
Harrold and business trainers Betsy Williamson and Russell Wardrop offer their views on whether it is time to wash our hands of the handshake.
Grant, 42, who worked as butler to Prince Charles for seven years, said: “When the coronavirus pandemic first started to make its way across the world, I put out what was at the time meant to be a light-hearted tweet suggesting we do away with the handshake and return to the days of bowing and curtseying.
“That tweet ended up with thousands of re-tweets and I think that’s probably because it hit the mark.
“For many hundreds of years, the handshake has been a standard greeting but now I don’t think the handshake will come back – and if it does, not for a long time.
“The coronavirus has taught anyone who didn’t know how easily germs can be spread. of etiquette, the Royal Family always lead.
“Just before the lockdown, Prince Harry was photographed giving an elbow bump to the singer Craig David.
“I can’t see the older generation wanting to do this – or air high-five. But I think Prince Charles may have had the answer.
“He was photographed putting his hands together and greeting others with a namaste gesture. It was a clever thing to do.
“Of course, the Queen has always been ahead of the game – by wearing gloves. It started when she was a teenager, when it was all the fashion for ladies to wear glovesg and hats, but I think she continued to wear them from a health point of view.
“Gloves are an easy way to stop her picking up germs.
“So I think we should all follow the royal lead – of both the Queen and Prince Charles.
“That’s much more likely than us returning to the days of bowing and curtseying.”
Betsy, of Core-Asset Consulting recruitment in Edinburgh, said: “Our rituals will almost certainly have to change off the back of the current pandemic.
“I’m not sure elbow bumping or air high-fiving will catch on in an interviewing scenario or would be professionally acceptable.
“I can, however, envisage the type of situation where we just hold up a hand, facing the other party, to say hello or good morning as the standard sta greeting.”
Russell, R of Glasgow-based businessbus training and development dev company Kissing with wit Confidence, disagrees.
He H said: “Rituals are important and there for a reason, though they could, of course, take a bit of uupdating. I’m not sure the handshake han will disappear. Maybe we wwill all wear snazzy surgical gloves glov in terrific colours.”