How low should you go? Iconic royal curtsies over time – from Princess Charlotte to Sarah Ferguson and Meghan Markle. (Not everyone gets it right…)

Do you scoop or bob? Or must it be conducted with deepest humility and drama?

The royal curtsy is a bit of a minefield, particularly for newcomers.

And over the years there have been some memorable attempts at this traditional acknowledgement – effective at times, ridiculous at others – as these pictures show…  

Duchess of Sussex – a tricky start (but learnt fast)

Back in 2021, Meghan 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 curtsy’ 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 curtsy?’,’ she recalled.

‘Apparently I did a very deep curtsy, 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 curtsy 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.

Princess Charlotte – the moment she forgot!

Back in May, royal fans watched the adorable moment Princess Charlotte forgot to curtsy to her step-grandmother Queen Camilla at the Coronation concert outside Windsor Castle.

The couple were seated in the middle of the front row of the box – meaning they had to walk past the Prince and Princess of Wales and their two eldest children Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, eight.

As her grandfather passed her, Princess Charlotte did her best curtsy as a mark of respect for the new King.

But as she went to stand up again, Prince William and Kate Middleton’s second child lost her footing for a split second.

After recovering herself, Charlotte looked over to her big brother and father to see if they’d seen her small stumble.

In doing so, Charlotte was accidentally turned away from Camilla as she passed – meaning she was too late to curtsy for the Queen.

Having witnessed Charlotte’s toppled curtsy, Queen Camilla tried to reassure her step-granddaughter.

As she walked past, Camilla gave the young royal a gentle pat on the shoulder – prompting Charlotte to smile back at her.

The moment was reminiscent of the heartfelt moment Charlotte 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 curtsy. 

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

Since, Charlotte has offered several royal curtsies during the past year, with the little princess’ gesture to her great-grandmother’s coffin at Westminster Abbey, London, in September 2022 being widely shared.

Princess Catherine – Queen of the subtle bob

Over the years, Kate 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.

In September of last year, the Princess of Wales was among the royal women who were seen curtsying 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 curtsy.

Back in December, Kate made her first ever public curtsy 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 curtsy.

Many of those watching were thrilled by the moment, with one writing: ‘Lovely to see this event and due respect so easily paid to the King and Queen. I’m pleased they were there to support our Princess of Wales.’ 

Meanwhile, another added: ‘She curtsies to them with elegance and confidence but no fuss as always. An example to everyone.’

Most recently, Kate delighted royal watchers as she performed the perfect curtsy for her father-in-law King Charles and Queen Camilla during the Order of the Garter service in Windsor in June.

Kate expertly kept her balance as she placed one foot behind the other and knelt down for the Sovereign and his wife.

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh – how to nail a curtsy

Another member of the Royal Family who has nailed down the perfect curtsy is Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. 

In 2015, Sophie was all smiles as she formally greeted her mother-in-law the 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.

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

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York – her own approach

Sarah Ferguson – often referred to as Fergie – is renowned for her trademark deep curtsies to Her Majesty.

Despite not being an official member of The Fold for more than two decades, 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.

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 curtsy when the 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth arrived.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie – with deepest respects

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

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

Princess Anne – an elaborate curtsy for Spanish royals

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.