Princess Kate gave King Charles III and Queen Camilla a perfect curtsy during the annual
Kate Middleton Dips into a Picture-Perfect Curtsy for King Charles and Queen Camilla. Stephanie Petit is a Royals Editor, Writer and Reporter at PEOPLE. Kate Middleton is the queen of the curtsy!
There's a pretty straightforward reason as to why: Twenty years ago, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, decided that players no longer needed to curtsy or bow to royals that weren't the sovereign or the heir to the throne.
Royal biographer Tom Bower highlighted a crucial moment during the coronation on May 6, where Kate deviated from tradition and chose not to bow or curtsy as Camilla and Charles exited Westminster Abbey.
That anger went right through that small part of the congregation by the throne, at the center of Westminster Abbey.” “And in that moment it was absolutely noticeable to those people who had been excluded that nobody — let alone Kate — curtsied to Queen Camilla,” added Bower.
A body language expert believes the Prince of Wales may have found it unnatural to perform such a gesture to his stepmother. Instead, Judi James said his gut instinct could have seen him subconsciously side with his late mum, Princess Diana.
Now that Camilla is Queen Consort and known as Her Majesty, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan are all expected to bow or curtsy to her - and... Royal Family but still needs to abide by strict protocol when it... Parker Bowles — will have to bow to her now that she is Queen...
All royals are expected to bow or curtsy to the sovereign and his wife, King Charles and Queen Camilla. Since he ascended to the throne, Prince William and Princess Kate have been seen formally greeting the monarch with a bow and curtsy on multiple occasions.
Prince William defied royal protocol at the King's Coronation when he chose not to bow to Queen Camilla at the Coronation Concert. A body language expert claims that the Prince of Wales might have found it strange to perform such a gesture to his stepmother.
The politics behind who curtsies to who in the royal family could be presumed to be quite complicated, with a number of different titles including duchess, lady, count an countess, in the mix. The one concise rule is that all members of the Royal Family are required to bow or curtsy to King Charles and Queen Camilla.
However, the royal family wasn't interested in having Camilla as its princess. For one thing, she was perceived as an “experienced” woman, which was a nonstarter for the royal family back then in terms of a suitable spouse for Prince Charles.
As NBC royal commentator Daisy McAndrew puts it, a “queen consort is a woman who married a man who is king,” and a “queen is a woman who is born to be queen and is head of state — not the wife of a monarch.”
The royal family cannot actually force anyone to bow to them, lol, and they make it clear on their website that there “are no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family.” But then they go on to list the “traditional” forms of greeting.
The Queen, who looked stunning in an embroidered bridal-white gown with a dress cape, could be seen walking in the King's direction as he sat on the throne following the official crowning, before curtsying to show a sign of respect to the new sovereign.
After their wedding, Prince William bows and then-Duchess Kate curtsies to Queen Elizabeth as they head back down the aisle of Westminster Abbey.
There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms. For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy.
The tennis players on Centre Court did not bow or curtsy to her even though it was a tradition in the past. What many people may not realize is that the rule changed in 2003 by the Duke of Kent, who was the president of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at the time.
William Technically Has to Bow to Queen Camilla
Sources tell Page Six that everyone in the royal family is expected to bow to Camilla now that she's Queen (well, Queen Consort, technically).
1970: Charles and Camilla meet
Camilla Shand was 23 when she met the eligible British heir, 22, at a polo match in 1970, just one year after Charles' investiture as the Prince of Wales. In “The Diana Chronicles,” author Tina Brown claims Camilla made a good first impression with the prince by fawning over his horse.
So, what's the deal? According to the royal rule book, female members of The Firm must curtsy to the most senior members of the monarchy – currently King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla – whilst their male counterparts must bow their heads.
Diana's death technically would free Charles to marry in the church, but his intended, Camilla Parker Bowles, is a divorcée whose first husband is still living. So they're having a civil ceremony.
'" On the day of Charles and Camilla's 2005 wedding, the prince explained that he "mostly kept my head bowed, eyes on the floor," but felt mixed feelings about the marriage. Though William has not made similar revelations to Harry's, his wife, Kate Middleton, appears to have warmer relations with the new queen.
Do Foreign Monarchs Have to Bow To Each Other? As the highest ranking member of royal families, monarchs aren't required to bow or curtsy. to other members.
Both of them are married or partners of the next in line to the throne. This means that neither Camilla nor Kate will ever be known as Queen, only as Queen Consort. When William becomes king, that will be the title that awaits her.
It shows Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate, as she made her traditional royal-wedding curtsy after saying her vows and signing the marriage register with William. By tradition, royal brides offer the king or queen of the day a symbolic curtsy after their marriage vows, following the singing of the national anthem.