Expert reveals the best and worst of Royal curtsies: From Kate Middleton’s ‘perfect’ bob to Duchess Sophie’s ‘nervous’ tumble

She always tries her best when it comes to observing royal etiquette, so it was surprising when Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, performed one of the most awkward curtsies last week.

The Duchess was attempting to curtsey to her brother-in-law at the Royal Windsor Flower Show when she almost lost her wedge sandal, having bent too low during the respectful gesture. 

The King quickly responded to prevent any further embarrassment, catching Sophie’s arms to steady her as she struggled with the curtsey.

With Ascot around the corner and many royal observers brushing up on their form, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Lowness in a curtsey is a sign of nervousness and should be avoided. 

‘It is equivalent is the mayoral bow which is unctuous when the proper bow is a dignified nod.

‘Sophie’s curtsey is unfortunate, she was rescued by King Charles having curtsied too low and it does look terrible.’ 

Previously Sophie was lauded as ‘nailing’ the perfect curtsey  

In 2015 she was all smiles as she formally greeted her mother-in-law the late Queen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

Following royal protocol, the wife of Prince Edward dropped to one knee and curtsied as she was received by Her Majesty, who appeared to be distracted by something to her left.

Sophie then warmly kissed the Queen on both cheeks before they settled down to watch an afternoon’s racing.

In another occasion, the Queen appeared delighted to be greeted by the Duchess during a celebration at the Royal Academy of Arts in May 2012.

On the other end of the scale is Sarah Ferguson – often referred to as Fergie – who became renowned for her trademark deep curtsies to Her Majesty.

Fergie always enthusiastically greeted her former mother-in-law with an elaborate knee bend.

Back in 2018, the Duchess of York made headlines for performing an incredibly low dip as the Queen arrived at the Parade Ring at Royal Ascot.

The former wife of Prince Andrew looked precariously like she might not make it up again.  

And just a year later, she turned heads yet again in a bright yellow dress paired with purple shoes as she showed off her deep curtsey when the 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth arrived.

Just like their mother, it appears as though Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are also fans of the deep curtsey.

Both sisters were often been pictured curtseying to the Queen during formal occasions, including Royal Ascot.

Fitzwilliams said: ‘The Queen once told Michelle Obama that royal protocol is rubbish, meaning that the Royal Family adapt it when it is appropriate to do so.  

‘A curtsey is simply a sign of respect, you could call it an exaggerated bow.’

Over the years, Kate Middleton has become quite the master of curtsies.

The royal mother-of-three has proved to be an expert in the formal greeting as she continuously bowed to the late Queen Elizabeth with poise and composure.

The Princess of Wales was among the royal women who were seen curtseying towards the Queen during her final journey ahead of her funeral.

Kate showed her respect for the late Queen as she subtly bobbed down into a low curtsey.

In 2022 Kate made her first ever public curtsey for King Charles as she hosted her second Together At Christmas concert.

When the King arrived at Westminster Abbey, the mother-of-three offered him a kiss on either cheek before dipping into a low curtsey.

Princess Anne performed a curtsey as her mother, Queen Elizabeth II’s, coffin entered the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.    

 This act of respect was a poignant moment during the coffin’s journey from Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital. 

The curtsey was a visible display of grief and honor as the coffin was carried into the palace. 

 ‘Sometimes an action can speak louder than words ever could,’ Fitzwilliams said.

‘Anne’s deep curtsey as her mother Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was brought into the Palace of Holyroodhouse was truly moving. 

‘Her face was etched in grief as she honoured an iconic monarch and this was a truly poignant moment.’

For their first-ever state visit to the UK, Princess Anne ensured she gave the King and Queen of Spain a royal welcome as she hosted them at a banquet in London.

The Princess Royal performed an elaborate curtsy as she welcomed Queen Letizia and King Felipe to a lavish dinner at the Guildhall in London in July 2017.

While it may have appeared unusual to see Princess Anne curtsying to anyone as the Queen’s daughter, because the King and Queen of Spain hold a higher royal ranking than her, royal protocol states she must bow in their presence.

Back in 2021, Meghan Markle used her two-hour bombshell Oprah Winfrey tell-all to reveal she ‘never looked up her husband online’ when they first started dating.

She admitted she ‘didn’t do any research’ into the Royal Family before she married into it and said she ‘didn’t fully understand what the job was’.

The Duchess of Sussex said: ‘I went into it naively because I didn’t grow up knowing much about the Royal Family. I didn’t fully understand what the job was.’

Such was her naivety, that when Meghan went to meet the Queen for the first time at The Royal Lodge in Windsor, she ‘didn’t even know how to curtsey’ and was shocked when Harry explained it was expected of her.

The mother-of-two said that was the moment ‘the penny dropped’ that her perception of the Firm was ‘very different’ to the reality, and she had to learn how to perform the royal custom ‘very quickly’.

‘Right in front of the house we practised and ran in. Fergie ran out and said, ‘Do you know how to curtsey?’,’ she recalled.

‘Apparently I did a very deep curtsey, I don’t remember it, and then we sat there and we chatted.’

And a giggling Meghan appeared to mock her own efforts at following royal protocol as she recounted the ‘surreal’ moment she first met the Queen during the opening salvo of her and Harry’s incendiary Netflix documentary in December 2022.

Recounting the ‘intense’ moment, she performed a deeply exaggerated curtsey as husband Harry watched on before the pair then chuckled afterwards.

Meghan met the Queen for the first time during a lunch at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, shortly after she and the Duke revealed they were dating, in 2016.

But she said the whole occasion felt like an antiquated banquet at Medieval Times, a family dinner theatre in the US featuring staged medieval-style games, sword-fighting, and jousting.

Perhaps the most adorable of all royal curtsies came from Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Kate and William, as she curtsied to the late Queen during the Sandringham Christmas Day Service in 2019.

The young princess was holding hands with her mother as the family left the church. And Kate, seeing the Queen, gave a dutiful curtsey.

Soon after, Charlotte copied her mother’s gesture, impressing onlookers with her royal etiquette.

Fitzwilliams concluded: ‘The “protocol” is simply to pay your respects without embarrassing yourself and the person you are bowing to.

‘If it is a royal, there will be photographers to capture the moment which you ought to want to remember, but might want to forget.’