Bowing and Curtseying

[MARG]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

Yes that is King Olav. That curtsey was most unladylike, I must say.

I am mystified. She was pregnant and still managed a decent curtsey, much the same as you find with Sophie, Zara, Autumn,Beatrice and Eugenie, without showing her knickers or lack thereof.

Can't see what was unladylike so I'm guessing it's just "Sarah".

[Duc_et_Pair]

A curtsy with that skirt coming so high it simply does not look ladylike. Curtsies are made for ladies wearing long robes or for gracious ballerinas. The obvious exceptions aside, most ladies in contemporary fashion making a révérence simply do not look good. That is my personal opinion.

In my very personal opinion this does not look elegant at all and has everything to do with their contemporary fashion:

Princess Beatrice: http://media2.onsugar.com/files/2014...urtsy-Whom.jpg

Princess Mathilde: http://static1.purepeople.com/articl...au-637x0-2.jpg

In long it always looks good:

Princess Máxima: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...rtsies0001.jpg

Princess Caroline: http://www.noblesseetroyautes.com/wp...09/03/rev7.jpg

Princess Beatrix: http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x...ailand1962.jpg

[Jacknch]

Perhaps we could have some suggestions as to how curtsies could be less clumsy and unladylike during the day? Maybe crinolines or full-length gowns with leg-o-mtton sleeves will make a comeback for royal day-wear and we can all rest easy - unless of course an ankle is shown in which case one might fall off ones chair in shock!

[Darnius]

The Duchess of Alba curtseys to the (then) Princess of Asturias, in 2011.

http://www.hellomagazine.com/imagene...uchess-3-z.jpg

& to Infanta Elena, in 1994.

http://foto-cache.abc.es/jpg/1/9/1269884031991.jpg

What a great lady, IMO.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Jacknch

Perhaps we could have some suggestions as to how curtsies could be less clumsy and unladylike during the day? Maybe crinolines or full-length gowns with leg-o-mtton sleeves will make a comeback for royal day-wear and we can all rest easy - unless of course an ankle is shown in which case one might fall off ones chair in shock!

I believe no one has fallen in shock at all. It is a personal opinon about making a révérence wearing short skirts. It forces ladies to make a gracious révérence but at the same time be aware for having your shopping basket open for photographers. Result: a clumsy and weird looking situation.

By the way, it is not at all required to make a deep fall to the earth. A minimal knick in combination with a little bow is equally effective and much more elegant: Sophia Loren towards Princess Magraret: http://cdn.thedailybeast.com/content...750.cached.jpg

[Lee-Z]

In my completely curtsey-ignorant mind, the trick is in the knees: if you see the knees, the curtsey will almost always look ungraceful, where the same curtsey could be very elegant if the knee-area is covered from sight

[Duc_et_Pair]

Yes, you have formulated it the way I wanted to make the point. That picture of Queen Mathilde and the Empress.... I only see skinny legs everywhere. The attention is no longer on the gracious Queen but on her long stilts.

:)

[Darnius]

Eva Kruse (Danish designer) curtseys to Crown Princess Mary yesterday.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hJodrjuJxm...ess-Mary-2.jpg

[MARG]

Very nicely done.

I have a little neice who is really into Princesses, Royal Weddings and everything princessy, pretty and girly. When she visits she checks to forums to see what they wear and she asked me how they managed to curtsey without landing on their tush. I came across a delightfully quaint, but right on the money, You Tube lesson on how to curtsey properly. I tried it with her for fun and surprise, surprise, surprise, neither of us fell on our tush!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etiMil0_4Jw

[Pranter]

Hmmm nice demo but isn't her back foot supposed to be flat on the ground and not on the toe?

LaRae

[AdmirerUS]

Originally Posted by Pranter

Hmmm nice demo but isn't her back foot supposed to be flat on the ground and not on the toe?

LaRae

Not according to http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...ml#post1697062. I scrolled back two pages, and only Sophie's curtsey (she is next to Kate in a photo) has a discernible flat back foot. Everyone else's observable rear foot is on toe and not flat to the floor. But notice on Sophie - the flat foot causes a tilted spine. You can see it on Sophie and I just experienced it here as I tried it. That flat foot also forced my derriere to protrude unbecomingly. Yikes!
I do think a straight spine to be a key factor in a good looking curtsey. That's just me though. Some people prefer contortion.

[Pranter]

Hmmm ok I thought there was a conversation here a few weeks ago about how the back foot was supposed to be flat?


LaRae

[cepe]

Just seen this via twitter.

Catherine greeting King Felipe. Apparently he tried to stop her curtseying.

Lovely picture

Instagram

[Pranter]

Very nice...lovely pic.

[Darnius]

A gentleman (I don't know who he is) kissed Princess Charlene of Monaco's hand yesterday.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hvsi6tsAUm...0/image-3.jpeg

[Rudolph]

Bowing and curtsying to the Queen 'not necessary' - Telegraph

For as long as there have been kings and queens, their subjects have bowed or curtsied in their presence.

But one of the Queen’s most senior former courtiers has claimed that bowing and curtsying is “not necessary” and that Her Majesty is “very relaxed” about whether people do it or not.

Dickie Arbiter, who spent 12 years at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House as a press secretary, also says in a new memoir that it is a myth that people must wait for the Queen to speak first when they meet her.

In On Duty With The Queen, Mr Arbiter says that such customs were mostly “made up by courtiers over the centuries, and retained for whatever reason. Regardless, what may have befitted the social mores of the 18th or 19th centuries wasn’t necessarily right for modern times.

“Bowing or curtsying when in the presence of a member of the Royal family? Not necessary. Not unless one chooses to.”

[AdmirerUS]

A lovely curtsey to the Countess of Wessex, today: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...t_Photo_by.JPG

[Curryong]

Kissing the hand is charming, but it's more a continental custom. Not many Englishmen would do it. In fact, not many English people do bow or curtsey any more, except to the Queen on occasions.

[Darnius]

Many curtseys to the Danish Royal Family on Opening the Parliament yesterday. (video)

De kongelige til folketingets AÌŠbning 2014 - YouTube

[carlota]

nice videos!

i noticed that marie went in front of joachim when greeting the people waiting for them, whilst mary went after. i guess what mary did is more proper?
but i also noticed from the video and several other pictures before that mary has a strange habit of crossing her legs when she stands up waiting or listening to people talking. it's a bit paris-hilton-esque and not very princessy to me....