Bowing and Curtseying

[sarahedwards2]

In my opinion, curtsies should only be performed when wearing skirts or dresses.


Sent from my iPod touch using The Royals Community

[TLLK]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

That's the FIRST thing I thought when I clicked on the photo too!

Great minds think alike and I'm so glad that we have our priorities straight!!! MUST FIND COAT!!!

[JSH]

I have a question and sorry if it has been discussed or answered earlier in this forum.

A very deep curtsy with the hand held by the person being curtsyed to. Such as the Princess Royal did recently to Queen Letizia.

Is this special type of curtsy? All the pictures I can find show it being done by female royals of one nation to the monarch or spouse of monarch of another nation.

It is not the usual quick bob we see UK citizens doing to their own royalty or BRF members doing to HM.

[TLLK]

AFAIK it is merely based upon the customs of a particular court. I've observed curtsy that you've described being performed by the royal ladies in Spain and Denmark. The British royals tend to perform a bob. Other royal houses ie: the Netherlands no longer perform them at home, but I've seen it done when they're abroad.

I hope this helps.

[Darnius]

Members of the Thailand's Royal Family curtsey to Queens Silvia, Maxima, Mathilde & Sofia.

https://youtu.be/YyXM320PNZU

[Nice Nofret]

the deep one (with or without the hand held) is an official court curtsie - the bob is an abbreviation - which is commenly used.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by JSH

I have a question and sorry if it has been discussed or answered earlier in this forum.

A very deep curtsy with the hand held by the person being curtsyed to. Such as the Princess Royal did recently to Queen Letizia.

Is this special type of curtsy? All the pictures I can find show it being done by female royals of one nation to the monarch or spouse of monarch of another nation.

It is not the usual quick bob we see UK citizens doing to their own royalty or BRF members doing to HM.

It's a good question. The very deep curtsey is usually performed by one royal to another. Probably the first curtsey CP Mette Marit made to HM was amazing as was Infanta Elena's.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--vHtfKKk40...zabeth+II..jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wyTGLZ7r9Y...ena+to+EII.jpg

The very deep curtseys are mostly seen when women are wearing longer skirts or evening gowns. Curtsying low in a very short dress can look really awkward unless you are used to it. HM's daughter and granddaughters all go deep regardless. Camilla and Catherine, not so much. Q Margrethe's daughters-in-law who also go low.
https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/82753711885563875/
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...Vfs43KeMCJ5WVi

For those who, in the normal course of their lives, would have no need to curtsy, some give it their best shot.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...BrciDdBKb2rtki
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...f4BXLa_JBZYzdf

And when it's just the cousins . . . https://www.pinterest.nz/pin/417216352952939660/

[JSH]

Thanks for your answers. They are very helpful.

[W.Y.CII]

It seems the British has a different curtsey style? They usually places their right leg behind the left leg (like Sophie's), while the others just put their right leg backward (see Marie's).

It looks quite difficult to balance to me

[HMQueenElizabethII]

Not all of the Princesses performed the curtsey to Queen Sofia. Was it because she no longer Queen Consort? As I remember once a monarch, always a monarch.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by HMQueenElizabethII

Not all of the Princesses performed the curtsey to Queen Sofia. Was it because she no longer Queen Consort? As I remember once a monarch, always a monarch.

Doña Sofía was never a monarch (= a sovereign head of state in a monarchy).
Don Juan Carlos is no monarch anymore.

But they are treated as former monarchs. It is not needed to be King or Queen. See Princess Beatrix (or before her: Princess Juliana and Princess Wilhelmina) who always were treated as a former monarch indeed, despite reverting to their princely titles after abdication.

[Darnius]

Originally Posted by HMQueenElizabethII

Not all of the Princesses performed the curtsey to Queen Sofia. Was it because she no longer Queen Consort? As I remember once a monarch, always a monarch.

And they performed the curtsey as well to the current Governor-General of Australia.

[maria-olivia]

When I remember the deep curtsey from Princess Mathilde and Princess Maxima at the last Thailand Glittering Event.
Now it is the Royal Family who cutsey the Consort Queens

[JR76]

Originally Posted by HMQueenElizabethII

Not all of the Princesses performed the curtsey to Queen Sofia. Was it because she no longer Queen Consort? As I remember once a monarch, always a monarch.

My interpretation is that's because Sofia insisted on kissing everyone. Both Princess Sirindhorn and the last lady in line both started curtseying but Sofia bent forward to kiss them while the lady in the back did a deep curtsey.

[duchessrachel]

Originally Posted by W.Y.CII

It seems the British has a different curtsey style? They usually places their right leg behind the left leg (like Sophie's), while the others just put their right leg backward (see Marie's).

It looks quite difficult to balance to me

I am amazed at Sophie's ability to curtsey. I would literally fall down.

[lady of hay]

It's practice really, just practice.

[MARG]

Practice indeed. Actually, I some of those royals who curtsey put their left leg behind their right. I kept wondering what was different and then the penny dropped. I think it comes down to which is your dominant hand, right or left.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a8/4b/02/a...sh-royalty.jpg

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by JR76

My interpretation is that's because Sofia insisted on kissing everyone. Both Princess Sirindhorn and the last lady in line both started curtseying but Sofia bent forward to kiss them while the lady in the back did a deep curtsey.

That was my reasoning as well. Clearly Sofia is rather close to the family, so it was less formal and she made it hard for the princesses to curtsey to her while she was embracing/kissing them at the same time.

[Rudolph]

Prime Minister Theresa May curtsies to The Duke of Cambridge.

[/B]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DNbBVx0V...jpg&name=small

[TLLK]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_pAsYuCm7Q

Danish royals arriving to the Reformation 500th anniversary event. Typically the Danish royal ladies perform a deep curtsy to Queen Margrethe. Yesterday I noticed that CP Frederik and Prince Joachim do not appear to bow to their mother and that Princess Benedikte does not curtsy to her sister. QM is in the video greeting her family around 9:45. Would Benedikte be excused from curtsying for age related reasons ie: balance/knee strain or do she and Anne Marie not curtsy to their elder sister?