Wellington, Dec 10 : LeBron James has broken the royal protocol by putting arm around Kate Middleton in New York.

After watching an NBA match between the Brooklyn Nets and the 29-year-old basketball player's team, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge posed with James for a photo that shows the player putting his arm around the 32- year-old Duchess, Stuff. co. nz reported.

James' "arm-gate" didn't go unnoticed by the royals or the large media pack following the royal couple's visit to Washington and New York and was compared to the 2009 incident in which the US first lady Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen.

The Times reported that the generally accepted behaviour on meeting royalty, particularly the mother-of-the-future-king kind, is a polite handshake and if one is feeling particularly starstruck, a respectful bow, adding "not to put a paw around the Duchess of Cambridge as you pose for a picture, like she was some random popsy."

The Independent noted that James made the apparently crucial mistake of placing his arm around the Duchess when they posed for photos after his Cleveland Cavaliers, thus breaking royal protocol, which prohibits anyone from touching or kissing members of the royal family.

The independent continued that the Duchess dealt with James' well-meaning move with arguable awkwardness, appearing somewhat awkward as photographers snapped away merrily. (ANI)