The faux pas did not ruin the occasion, which had earlier seen the King and Queen greet the French president and his wife warmly as they arrived at the memorial overlooking Gold Beach, one of the five beaches where Allied forces landed on June 6 1944.
The King kissed Mrs Macron’s hand, while her husband squeezed the hand of the Queen, who placed her other hand on his shoulder. The couples were all smiles, despite the Macrons arriving 20 minutes late.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, the two heads of state and their wives chatted to some of those gathered at the memorial, with Mr Macron taking a photograph of the King and Queen and a young girl wearing a poppy.
The British Normandy Memorial memorial records the names of all those under British command who lost their lives in Normandy between June 6 and Aug 31 1944.