An Iranian Paralympic athlete refused to shake hands with Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William, when she presented him with his silver medal on September 2. The 40-year-old Mehrdad Karam Zadeh did not offer his hand to the Duchess as she presented medals for him, instead, he clutched his hands close to his chest and bowed, and later folded his hands backwards.
Zadeh told the Duchess it was the ruling of Islam which prohibits contact between unrelated man and woman. Middleton was reportedly “happy to accept [Zadeh’s] wishes,” and “considered it an honour to present the medals.”