According to protocol, Meghan is supposed to curtsy to those who outrank her. This includes the Queen, Prince Phillip, Prince Charles and his wife,
December 25, 2017. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, performs her first-ever public curtsy during the royal family's annual Christmas morning walk in Sandringham. Kate is photographed curtsying beside her, while their husbands, Prince Harry and Prince William, respectively, lower their heads into a bow.
So Catherine must curtsey to Queen Camilla, and if William is not present she must also curtsey to her cousins-in-law Beatrice and Eugenie, and her aunt-in-law, the Princess Royal. The Princess of Wales was snapped curtseying on camera to the Queen and King during the coronation concert.
A friend of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh told the Mail on Sunday: “Sophie is relieved. She no longer has to curtsy to someone in the family who has not only left Royal duties but has spent the past three years criticising the institution that Sophie works so hard to support.”
“That being said, many Americans still choose to observe a traditional British greeting of a bow or curtsy,” she explains. “Either option is fine and deemed appropriate. Meghan, however, would always curtsy to the Queen because while she is American, she is a member of the royal family.”
Prince William defied royal protocol at the King's Coronation when he chose not to bow to Queen Camilla at the Coronation Concert. A body language expert claims that the Prince of Wales might have found it strange to perform such a gesture to his stepmother.
Royal biographer Tom Bower claimed that the Princess of Wales was “angry” with the newly crowned queen over the guest list for King Charles' coronation on May 6 and refused to curtsy for the monarch as she left Westminster Abbey.
Although Meghan Markle is now officially the Duchess of Sussex - much like Kate Middleton is the Duchess of Cambridge through her marriage to Prince William - Meghan is still required to curtsy to her sister-in-law thanks to the royal family's hierarchical structure.
Before becoming the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie would have been expected to curtsy to Meghan Markle as she held the higher rank of Duchess of Sussex within the Royal Family. However, as Sophie and Meghan are now both Duchesses they hold the same rank in the monarchy.
That includes not having to show deference the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Both couples are now on equal footing, holding dukedom titles. Previously, Prince Harry and Meghan outranked Prince Edward and Sophie as they held the lesser count and countess titles.
Feud between Kate and Camilla started in 2011. Kate Middleton's decision not to curtsy to Queen Camilla was a clear indication of her disapproval of King Charles' wife and her mishandling of his coronation, according to sources.
All royals are expected to bow or curtsy to the sovereign and his wife, King Charles and Queen Camilla. Since he ascended to the throne, Prince William and Princess Kate have been seen formally greeting the monarch with a bow and curtsy on multiple occasions.
Etiquette expert Myka Meier said protocol dictates members of the family styled as His or Her Royal Highness are not required to curtsy or bow to each other if they are the same rank. They do, however, need to show their respect to His Majesty King Charles III or Her Majesty The Queen Consort.
The former Duchess of Cambridge was expected to curtsy to Anne, Beatrice, and Eugenie, but not if she was with Prince William. But, even when Kate was with William, she still had to curtsy to Anne. The Princess Royal's rank did not change.
What Kate called the Queen. While the rest of the world was required to address Queen Elizabeth as Ma'am or your majesty, those closest to her are allowed to refer to her as Mama, according to Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty magazine.
Princess Kate and her aunt-in-law Princess Anne get along well, as they demonstrated when they attended their first joint engagement last year.
The royal family cannot actually force anyone to bow to them, lol, and they make it clear on their website that there “are no obligatory codes of behavior when meeting the Queen or a member of the royal family.” But then they go on to list the “traditional” forms of greeting.
The 8-year-old curtseyed to Charles, 74, as he passed her to get to his seat at Windsor Castle while “God Save the King” played. Princess Kate also curtseyed while Prince George bowed his head. It is customary for all royal family members to bow or curtsy to the monarch when greeting him.
When Edward married Sophie in 1999, he was not awarded a dukedom like his older brother Prince Andrew and instead became Earl of Wessex. This meant Sophie, who celebrates her 58th birthday today, became the Countess of Wessex.
So, what's the deal? According to the royal rule book, female members of The Firm must curtsy to the most senior members of the monarchy – currently King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla – whilst their male counterparts must bow their heads.
And while Queen Elizabeth had a whole fleet of ladies-in-waiting throughout her reign—many of whom had been close with her for more than 60 years—apparently Queen Camilla is ditching the outdated tradition and instead having six assistants who will be known as “queen's companions,” according to reports from Today.
Royal protocol dictates that Kate, along with other female members of the family including including Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Meghan Markle and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, must curtsey to the King and Queen Camilla as they are the most senior members of the family.
A body language expert believes the Prince of Wales may have found it unnatural to perform such a gesture to his stepmother. Instead, Judi James said his gut instinct could have seen him subconsciously side with his late mum, Princess Diana.
As NBC royal commentator Daisy McAndrew puts it, a “queen consort is a woman who married a man who is king,” and a “queen is a woman who is born to be queen and is head of state — not the wife of a monarch.”
Camilla Originally Wanted to Be “Princess Consort”
Apparently, this decision was made partly out of respect to Princess Diana—which is also why Camilla doesn't use the title Princess of Wales and instead goes by Duchess of Cornwall.