Bowing and Curtseying

[Skippyboo]

It’s simple Monarch, Consort and Dowager Consorts only for the family bow/curtesy. The pre Christmas BP lunch would never get eaten if everyone was bowing to everyone.

[Darnius]

Queen Anne-Marie of Greece curtseys (?) to the coffin of King Michael of Romania.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/...3426067411.jpg

[Gaudete]

Watching the funeral service today, Queen Anne Marie curtsied to the coffin a couple of times. The other ladies simply bowed.

[JR76]

Originally Posted by Gaudete

Watching the funeral service today, Queen Anne Marie curtsied to the coffin a couple of times. The other ladies simply bowed.

I don't know if Anne-Maries upbringing has anything to do with her curtseying but that used to be standard at Scandinavian Royal funerals. At the funeral service of her grandfather Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden the ladies did deep curtsies all the way down to the floor.

[MARG]

With the reburied of one of the Danish born Russian royals in St Petersburg I think, the DRF accompanied the coffin. Queen Margaret bowed her head at the coffin. CP Mary dropped a full court curtsey.

[tommy100]

I'm sure we saw Queen Margrethe curtsey to the coffin of Sweden's Princess Lillian.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by tommy100

I'm sure we saw Queen Margrethe curtsey to the coffin of Sweden's Princess Lillian.

Queen Margrethe also curtsied to the coffins of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Queen Fabiola (you can see it on YouTube). I assume it is a Danish tradition.

[CyrilVladisla]

Princess Margaret of Great Britain curtsied to King Feisal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOY5-qkztvc

[Princess Squirrel]

I certainly don't think any of them bow and curtsey except to the Queen. It would get ridiculous all queuing up in order to bow and curtsey to each other. And I think it's really silly to say Meghan is the only one who doesn't HAVE to curtsey to the Queen. Nobody HAS to. It's not like they'd get locked in the Tower if they didn't. They'd just be considered rude, as would Meghan, so she's really no different to, say Kate or Sophie. I think some Americans just want to feel superior about it.

[Osipi]

I agree with you, Princess Squirrel. As an American myself, I would most certainly do the best curtsy that I could possibly do without ending up eating the floor out of pure respect for the Queen. Not because its protocol or not protocol for an American to do so but out of my own personal admiration and respect for this marvelous woman.

[ACO]

They all curtsy to the Queen. I suspect for everyone else they only really do it with each other officially and not when they just chilling out of the view of the public.

[Princess Squirrel]

Originally Posted by ACO

They all curtsy to the Queen. I suspect for everyone else they only really do it with each other officially and not when they just chilling out of the view of the public.

It don't think even officially. Think about it: an official engagement and Kate has to curtsy to HM, Phillip, Charles, Camilla, Anne, Beatrice and Eugine, Andrew? Sophie has to curtsy to the same plus William and Kate and Harry, William has to bow to all the same except himself, Kate and Harry, Harry has to bow to all the same except Kate, Edward has to bow to all except Sophie, Kate....it would take ages just to bow and curtsy to everyone before the event could even start! I have seen Sophie and Camilla, Beatrice, Eugine, Kate and Camilla all curtsying to The Queen (let's leave out the men bowing for now) so they all do. I would imagine too, that if Kate met Anne when none of the others were there she might curtsy to her. But when they are all together I'm sure they only make an obeisance to the Queen.

Now if any of us 'commoners' met a royal, we could (if we wanted) bow or curtsy to them. But I don't think the royals themselves go to functions making mental calculations on the order of curtseying.

(I personally don't actually know if I'd curtsy or not. It's something I would have to think about. Perhaps if I was hoping to get the royal person to back my charity/campaign it would be wisest to, lol.)

[ACO]

You could be right. I haven't really noticed them doing it to each other. I just notice when they do it to the Queen. I imagine they don't really to each other much. Talk about tedious.

[Missjersey]

Originally Posted by Osipi

I agree with you, Princess Squirrel. As an American myself, I would most certainly do the best curtsy that I could possibly do without ending up eating the floor out of pure respect for the Queen. Not because its protocol or not protocol for an American to do so but out of my own personal admiration and respect for this marvelous woman.

Absolutely, just respect.

[jacqui24]

Everyone curtsy to the Queen and Prince Phillip. The rest don’t curtsy to each other.

[duchessrachel]

Originally Posted by Osipi

I agree with you, Princess Squirrel. As an American myself, I would most certainly do the best curtsy that I could possibly do without ending up eating the floor out of pure respect for the Queen. Not because its protocol or not protocol for an American to do so but out of my own personal admiration and respect for this marvelous woman.

Same here. I would be honored to curtsy to the Queen.

[M. Payton]

And I would be more then thrilled to curtsy to HM, and then faint afterwards. To me she is a living symbol of England and all that it entails.

[hel]

Originally Posted by jacqui24

Everyone curtsy to the Queen and Prince Phillip. The rest don’t curtsy to each other.

Yep, agreed. This seems to be borne out by the video of the BRF at a family garden party ("Prince Charles and the Royal Family in The Garden Party" on youtube).

You can see Zara curtseying to the Queen and TQM, but coming up behind Charles to give him a hug. In the background behind HM and TQM, you can see people greeting each other with cheek kisses only,

[Fem]

Originally Posted by Princess Squirrel

It don't think even officially. Think about it: an official engagement and Kate has to curtsy to HM, Phillip, Charles, Camilla, Anne, Beatrice and Eugine, Andrew? Sophie has to curtsy to the same plus William and Kate and Harry, William has to bow to all the same except himself, Kate and Harry, Harry has to bow to all the same except Kate, Edward has to bow to all except Sophie, Kate....it would take ages just to bow and curtsy to everyone before the event could even start! I have seen Sophie and Camilla, Beatrice, Eugine, Kate and Camilla all curtsying to The Queen (let's leave out the men bowing for now) so they all do. I would imagine too, that if Kate met Anne when none of the others were there she might curtsy to her. But when they are all together I'm sure they only make an obeisance to the Queen.

As it was said many, many times in this thread, members of the british royal family curtsy only to Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, not to each other.

Some people use the order of the precedence (that dictactes who's coming to the room first, who's sitting first) to determine who curtsy to who, but it's not being done this way. Try watching a few videos of royal gatherings: curtsy to Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and then kissing cheeks.

[Lisele]

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

Wow I didn't know this thread was here so I'm just catching up.

I was taught to curtsey and genuflect by my grandmother - I don't know why but she felt it was something I should know. I didn't know why I had to curtsey with my right knee (which is comfortable since I'm right handed) and genuflect with my left (which is uncomfortable for me). So I looked it up and this is what I found.

"As for genuflecting, generally people genuflected to royalty with the left knee and to God with the right leg.

People do not genuflect to royalty. Males bow, and females curtsey which is very different"