Bowing and Curtseying


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Ish said:
What reason is there to expect this?
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Modernization of the British monarchy. The Queen came on the throne more than 60 years ago. During a Reign things often remain the same: "tradition". With a new King suddenly new accents are set, see Spain, see Belgium, see the Netherlands. I think that The Prince of Wales will change things, and his son will again change things (he already does by not becoming a fulltime royal). The Prince of Wales and certainly his sons do not appear to me people who insist on a bow or a révérence and are -like their continental "colleagues"- more "a handshake will do perfectly, thank you". That is my personal observation.

When Queen Juliana came on the throne in 1948, after a 58 years Reign of her mother, she insisted that the "obligatory révérence" should go because she felt it created a "total unneccessary situation" between two people. Back then it was a "shock" but these days almost all monarchies have adapted this.

:flowers:
 
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Sophie does the curtsey the traditional way; I learnt it to do it that way too. The right knee goes into the back of the left knee.
 
While things will change that doesn't mean we have to expect that Charles will do away with bowing and curtseying. I see no reason to believe that Charles will do away with it just because - it's already not mandatory in general, and only really expected when other royals themselves bow or curtesy to the monarch. You could argue that it might be odd for Charles to suddenly have his sons bow to him, but he's a man who has spent his entire life bowing to his mother and so I somehow doubt it'll be something that will be hard for him to adjust to. I can't see it as being any weirder than the moment when the new Queen Elizabeth was curtseyed to by her grandmother for the first time.
 
Charles is old-school and the royals will always curtsey and bow to the Monarch. Yes, even William & Harry. I believe Prince George and future siblings will do the same to William.
 
None of us has a crystal ball. We will wait and see. I think that when The Prince of Wales becomes King, let us say in 2017 or something, and for sure when Prince William becomes King one/two decades later, it will be reflected in etiquette.

Note that already under Elizabeth II lots has been changed. The centuries-old practice of backward walking when leaving the room, or when guiding the Queen to her place at a State Banquet, or the Lord Chancellor after offering the Speech (State Opening of Parliament) has been abolished under her Reign (2009), so even under the current Reign once the unthinkable became thinkable: you can turn your back in the presence of the Queen.
 
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ladongas said:
...and you'll see a variety of curtsey styles. There is also a 3-frame picture of Autumn Phillips curtseying in a pair of white trousers, to which the Queen seems to make a 'grumpy cat' face. (I'm easily amused.)
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she did do a grumpy face :) however, in autumn's defence, her curtsies are in general very well done and deep, and she did curtsy even when in a private outing, so that makes her rather professional in my opinion. i wonder if other members of the family still curtsy when in private.


Duc_et_Pair said:
And the most important thing: a curtsey is always optional, never obligatory.
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mmm, i doubt it is really an option for sophie or kate, or any other member of the RF. to me, curtsying is definitely here to stay but who knows, maybe charles chooses otherwise when king.
 
:previous: Curtseys definitely take some practice. http://www.apetiteprincess.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Polaris04844987.jpg

I think Catherine's long legs cause her to look odd sometimes when she curtseys. Looking at Sophie, she places her right foot back about a foot with the ball of her shoe on the ground. It gives her great stability allowing her to dip her head.

This photo taken at Ascot you can see how much easier it is for both the Countess of Wessex and Princess Michael of Kent. Actually when you consider Princess Michael's age she is still able to nail it perfectly.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/06/21/article-2162560-13B7EE8E000005DC-273_964x822.jpg

Now Catherine seems to put her left foot immediatly behind her right, leaving no space, so not only is she not stable but she is unable to dip very far because it makes her knees stick out at a ten to two configuration, leaving no great centre of gravity and little grace. In this shot if Catherine had gone any deeper those knees would have been a riot.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/dea17fa84c45581b15aeea6673314c29/tumblr_n9t0vahuuD1rmbz5io1_500.png

Mette-Marit: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/...HeUV_bKfi1dUYQePdM7glmHIWOk9nPV94fCfrxYsujMGQ

Maxima: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/fellrunner/royalscurtsy/maximacurtsies0001.jpg

Letizia: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y249/fellrunner/royalscurtsy/letiziacurtsies0001.jpg

And this because it just looks great! :http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/106/590x/secondary/171004.jpg
 
Dman said:
One thing people will have to remember, the Queen don't care for very perfect curtsies. She always did bobs when she was a princess.

It's all about doing it the way you feel comfortable doing it. Not everyone will do it the same way.
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According to Debrett's, the "bob" is the correct way to curtsey, keeping the back straight.

Debretts advice on how to bow and curtsey correctly - Telegraph
To curtsey, a woman should briefly bend the knees with one foot forward. The move should create a distinct bobbing movement, with the upper body kept straight and should be repeated when the member of the Royal family leaves.
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Catherine performs her curtsey in a similar manner, with her back straight and a bob.
 
^ It does. :lol:

I don't really see much difference between Kate and Princess Michael's curtsey. In fact, their foot placements look the same.

Looking through the photo gallery, I see that everyone does something a little differently. Some bow deeply, while others don't. Some keep their left foot flat, while others lift the heel. There doesn't seem to be a "correct" way when it comes to the placement of feet/legs, or how low one bows. It seems to be just about what's comfortable.

To be honest, I think all curtseys look rather odd. Sometimes it doesn't look too bad when the person is wearing a long dress (it hides the awkwardness of the position), but otherwise it always looks like the person doing the curtsey is about to take a tumble.
 
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PetticoatLane said:
They both look as if they're squatting and about to do something unmentionable.

When it comes to curtseying, I think the simple little bob is should be as far as it goes nowadays.
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:ROFLMAO: true indeed. I'm glad us men just bow our heads rather than dipping low like that.
 
Dman said:
:ROFLMAO: true indeed. I'm glad us men just bow our heads rather than dipping low like that.
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Well, there you have it. Makes things simple all around, and you won't have elderly women contorting themselves trying to show respect (or any other woman who is not agile enough to curtsey).
 
Perhaps I'm cynical, but...

Perhaps the original curtseys (which had evolved from a simple bow in the 17th century) was merely a way for dirty old kings and others to get a look at a woman's body and legs.
 
Curtsies look very good when ladies wear floor length dresses and/or skirts. In modern times these curtsies look awkward. The curtsies shown by the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Cambridge looked very awkward and out of date, even in such an historical setting and during a traditional event (Garter Procession at Windsor Castle).

When wearing a long gown, a révérence can be most gracious because of the flowing movement the dress makes and the invisibility of clumsy legs and heels.

Picture: I am not sure what Queen Máxima thought. My impression is: "Hela... what are you doing now? Really, don't to that...": http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G21ug8Xsz...-letizia-reverencia-maxima-llegada-espana.jpg
 
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ladongas said:
Perhaps I'm cynical, but...

Perhaps the original curtseys (which had evolved from a simple bow in the 17th century) was merely a way for dirty old kings and others to get a look at a woman's body and legs.
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:lol: Good one. However, it's more likely that the idea was to make yourself "smaller" than the higher-ranked person.
 
Here is my favourite description of a curtsey, from Miss Nancy Mitford’s classic 1949 novel Love in a Cold Climate.

Lady Montdore loved anybody royal. It was a genuine emotion, quite disinterested, since she loved them as much in exile as in power, and the act of curtsying was the consummation of this love. Her curtsies, owing to the solid quality of her frame, did not recall the graceful movement of wheat before the wind. She scrambled down like a camel, rising again backside foremost like a cow, a strange performance, painful it might be supposed to the performer, the expression on whose face, however, belied this thought. Her knees cracked like revolver shots but her smile was heavenly.​

I love the revolver shots!
 
Chubb Fuddler said:
Here is my favourite description of a curtsey, from Miss Nancy Mitford’s classic 1949 novel Love in a Cold Climate.



Lady Montdore loved anybody royal. It was a genuine emotion, quite disinterested, since she loved them as much in exile as in power, and the act of curtsying was the consummation of this love. Her curtsies, owing to the solid quality of her frame, did not recall the graceful movement of wheat before the wind. She scrambled down like a camel, rising again backside foremost like a cow, a strange performance, painful it might be supposed to the performer, the expression on whose face, however, belied this thought. Her knees cracked like revolver shots but her smile was heavenly.​



I love the revolver shots!
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Oh the divine Lady Montdore.
I might have to read "Love..." again soon. It's been to long :)


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community mobile app
 
Yes that is King Olav. That curtsey was most unladylike, I must say.
 
Don't see many pictures of Sarah curtseying and very nice indeed.
 
I think what was wrong was that it was Sarah, so of course it had to be wrong.
 
In heels and in her second or third trimester...Sarah did very well.
 
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