After Meghan Markle Backlash, Royal Wedding Curtsies Go Viral
Meghan Markle drew a lot of attention and criticism for her reenactment of a curtsy in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. When speaking about the first time she met the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Sussex’s wife compared the experience to “Medieval Times” before doing an exaggerated bow and curtsy.
Many royal watchers weren’t happy with the duchess’s gesture, prompting them to express their anger via social media. It also prompted an interest in royal curtsies. Videos of various royals performing the act have been shared online. Now, one video has gone viral and is sparking debate over who did the best curtsy at their royal wedding.
Video of royals curtsying to Queen Elizabeth at their weddings
The video posted to TikTok in mid-November has fans debating which royal lady did the most impressive curtsy during their wedding. The women featured in the 15-second clip include the Princess of Wales (formerly Kate Middleton), Princess Eugenie, Princess Anne, Princess Diana, Princess Margaret, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh (formerly the Countess of Wessex), and Sarah Ferguson.
The music playing over the video is Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s song “Carol of the Bells.” It has been viewed more than 300,000 times with thousands of likes and dozens of comments from fans weighing in with their take on the best curtsy.
“Eugenie slays it,” one user opined. Another agreed but added that Queen Elizabeth’s daughter gets a vote as well writing: “Princess Anne and Princess Eugenie dips were epic.”
“Sophie’s was so elegant,” a third person said, while a fourth posted: “Anne, Sophie & Margaret had the best curtes[ies].”
Another commenter was not impressed with two cursties saying: “Kate’s and Sarah’s were terrible. They did not bow their head. Eugenie and Sophie for the win.”
Did Meghan curtsy to the queen at her royal wedding?
Some commenters slammed Meghan for not curtsying at her wedding without realizing that the last couple to curtsy and bow was actually Meghan and Harry.
There has been controversy for years about the former Suits star‘s curtsy to the queen during her wedding. But as the video shows she clearly does while Harry bows his head. However, fans who watched their royal wedding broadcast that day didn’t catch it. That’s because when the pair did so the camera angle panned out to a bird’s eye view; therefore it made their gestures hard to see.
According to the BBC, royal protocol dictates anyone in the presence of the monarch needs to bow their head or curtsy. But Queen Elizabeth’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told Time that’s not the case.
He said: “There is this sort of myth that comes from the annals of time that says whenever a member of the royal family went past, you did a curtsy or bow. But there is no hard and fast rule, and if you can’t do it or don’t feel comfortable doing it or don’t want to do it that’s fine; it doesn’t mean you hold the queen [or king] in any less respect and you won’t be sent to the Tower.”
