Mr. and Mrs. Obama attend funeral of ICON Nelson Mandela

[PHILIP SCHNEIDER]

Mrs. Obama VERY somber and humble . . . . .

Obama . . . .  not so much!

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That's David Cameron on the left, Mr.s Helle Thorning in the middle, Obama on the right, and Mrs. Obama on the far far right. Notice how Michelles hands are wringing flesh! I'll bet she wishes her hands held Obama's neck.

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The playful men are VERY intrigued by Helle's new electronic device or maybe it's Helle new irresistible perfume.

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In any event, Mr's Obama's eyes could burn a hole in Helle's Persian wool outfit by the look on her face.

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Obama is telling Helle how really bored he is being president and how he would like to spend more time in her neck of the woods. Mrs.Obama jumped up and cheered when George Bush was announced.

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`Obama hated that the end of the funeral came so soon but it was time to go . . . . for now.

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Twitter fury over Dave's selfie with Obama and a flirty Dane: Backlash over leaders' picture at Mandela memorial service that left Michelle VERY unamused

• Hundreds of world leaders gather in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium for Nelson Mandela's memorial service
• Barack Obama paid tribute to anti-apartheid icon, saying 'We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again'
• Shook hands with Cuba's Raul Castro on his way to the podium in historic gesture of reconciliation
  
• He was joined by ex-Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter at the ceremony
• David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband were there along with every living former Prime Minister of the UK
  
• Ceremony started an hour late in pouring rain as leader said 'the gods are welcoming Mandela to heaven'
• But 95,000-seater stadium was around a third empty as many well-wishers were apparently deterred by weather
• South African president Jacob Zuma repeatedly booed by the crowd while Obama and Robert Mugabe are cheered
• Obama and Cameron face backlash over 'selfie' photograph with Denmark's Helle Thorning-Schmidt
• Photographer who caught world leaders taking a 'selfie' says they were 'simply acting like human beings'

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For the thousands of mourners inside Johannesburg's FNB Stadium it was meant to be a fitting tribute to a 'giant of history'.

But while some reflected on the remarkable life of Nelson Mandela, some world leaders saw it as the perfect opportunity to grab a quick 'selfie' with their peers - prompting a backlash from web users accusing them of undermining the seriousness of the event.

U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister David Cameron and Danish leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt grinned as they cosied up for a quick picture at yesterday's memorial service for the former South African president, prompting an outpouring of criticism.

As the trio posed for the mobile phone snap, Obama's wife Michelle sat alongside her husband looking somewhat stony faced.

Her mood didn't improve as Mr Obama and Ms Thorning-Schmidt talked through the order of service and shared a joke.

And it seems that the frosty faced First Lady was so unimpressed with her husband's behaviour that she eventually put an end to the fun.

A photo sequence which later went viral online appears to show Michelle swapping seats to sit between Barack and Ms Thorning-Schmidt.

Obama had earlier paid an emotional tribute to Nelson Mandela, calling the South African leader a 'giant of history' as he spoke in a stadium where around a third of the seats were mysteriously left empty.

An image of the US president, British Prime Minister and Danish leader - who is married to Neil Kinnock's son, Stephen, who did not appear to be at the event - taking a group photo quickly prompted outrage online.

Like a bunch of giggling teenagers, they grinned as they bunched together, the Scandinavian blonde flirting and pulling Mr Cameron closer into shot, for a quick photograph taken on her smartphone.

It led to a backlash from Twitter users who said it was inappropriate behaviour at an event to remember the life of the anti-apartheid hero, who died last week aged 95.

Twitter user James Armitage wrote: 'What selfish morons take a "selfie" at a memorial service? Oh yeah that's right, Barack Obama and David Cameron.'

In a message directed at Mr Cameron, Sarah McDermott said: 'You have precisely zero class or decorum.'

Writing on Twitter, Mel Huang said: 'I wonder if Neil Kinnock got an ulcer seeing his daughter-in-law do a selfie with David Cameron...at a memorial service.'

The image was featured on several newspaper front pages today, with commentators suggesting that it showed a lack of respect for the solemn, if celebratory, setting of the memorial service.

But Downing Street played down the criticism telling reporters that the atmosphere at the event was celebratory rather than sombre.

A spokesman said: 'I think what the PM would say about yesterday is it was very much a celebration of Nelson Mandela and his life and his achievements.

'I am sure many of us were watching the pictures from it and I think it did come across, and rightly so, as a marking and a celebration of Mr Mandela's life. You had plenty of words from the Prime Minister and leaders from around the world that attest to that.'

Asked if the PM regretted distracting attention away from the tributes to Mr Mandela, the spokesman said: 'What the media may choose to report is a matter for yourselves and your colleagues.'

Mr Cameron was challenged over the photo at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons by Liberal Democrat MP Martin Horwood, who cheekily asked him: 'Has the Prime Minister had the opportunity to discuss international mobile phone usage with any other European heads of government over the last day or so?'

To laughter from MPs, Mr Cameron replied: 'You could say, in a roundabout way. Perhaps in my defence, you should always remember that the television cameras are always on.

'But in my defence I would say that Nelson Mandela played an extraordinary role in his life and in his death in bringing people together. So of course when a member of the Kinnock family asked me for a photograph, I thought it was only polite to say yes.'

While the British Press in particular seemed united in their disapproval of the three leaders taking such a picture at the memorial service, Danish newspapers appeared to concentrate more on the global headlines their Prime Minister had created.

While few titles seemed to pass judgement, Danish etiquette expert Inge Correll, writing in the Berlingske newspaper wasn't impressed with Ms Thorning-Schmidt.

She described her behaviour as a 'poor representation' of Danish people.

The majority of Danish people seemed to agree if a poll in Ekstra Bladet is anything to go by.

When asked if it is appropriate to take a selfie at a memorial service, more than 65 per cent of the newspaper's readers said 'no'.

But the photographer who took the picture of the three leaders posing for the selfie, Roberto Schmidt of news agency AFP, defended the group saying that he felt they were 'simply acting like human beings'.

Mr Schmidt said: 'I took these photos totally spontaneously, without thinking about what impact they might have.

'At the time, I thought the world leaders were simply acting like human beings, like me and you. I doubt anyone could have remained totally stony-faced for the duration of the ceremony, while tens of thousands of people were celebrating in the stadium.

'For me, the behaviour of these leaders in snapping a selfie seems perfectly natural.'

President Obama, who moments earlier had shaken hands with Cuba's Raul Castro in a historic moment of reconciliation, received a rapturous reception for his eulogy at the service in Johannesburg's FNB Stadium, which started an hour late in the pouring rain.

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`The media here in the states had no coverage of Obama and the blonde.'

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Mail Online

By Hugo Gye and Simon Tomlinson  PUBLISHED: 00:53 EST, 10 December 2013 | UPDATED: 10:26 EST, 11 December 2013

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2521146/Nelson-Mandela-memo...