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A curtsy is an age-old mark of respect and deference to the monarchy. The tradition will be sighted again among all the pomp and ceremony of King Charles’s coronation in May.
His newfound status means all family members should bow or curtsy to him. Before the death of the late Queen, royals were often seen bowing or curtsying in public to her at events such as Christmas Day, Easter or Royal Ascot.
Both Kate and Meghan were seen to curtsy to the late Queen when greeting her on their respective wedding days in 2011 and 2018. However one royal woman will no longer have to perform this gesture, the Mirror reports.
With Camilla now the King’s Queen Consort and known as Her Majesty, she is no longer required to curtsy to anyone in the Royal Family. The likes of William, Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would also be expected to bow or curtsy to her too – however Hello! reports she may still carry out the gesture when greeting foreign monarchs.
When it comes to members of the public meeting royals, the official Royal Family website points out that there are “no obligatory codes” when greeting a royal but that “many people wish to observe the traditional forms”. For men, this is a neck bow “from the head only”. Meanwhile for women, it is a “small curtsy” – although the site points out other people may simply choose to “shake hands in the usual way”.
When greeting the King or Queen Consort, the correct formal address is “Your Majesty”, and subsequently “Sir” for the King or “Ma’am” pronounced so it rhymes with jam for the Queen. The website adds: “For male members of the Royal Family the same rules apply, with the title used in the first instance being ‘Your Royal Highness’ and subsequently ‘Sir’. For other female members of the Royal Family, the first address is conventionally ‘Your Royal Highness’ and subsequently ‘Ma’am’.”
