The new royal rule Prince George must follow in front of the Queen
While Princess Charlotte was seen curtsying to VIPs and dignitaries in Berlin last year, the three-year-old is not yet required to curtsy to her great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II – at least, not for a while.
However, it’s a different scenario for her older brother and third in line to throne, Prince George.
Now that he is 5 years old – he celebrated his 5th birthday on July 22 – the young royal is now expected to bow every time he sees his 92-year-old great-grandma.
Historian Marlene Eilers Koenig, told Hello! Magazine, “Certainly, by age five. The only person they will be expected to curtsy or bow to is the sovereign.”
The tradition of when to curtsy or bow and to who is a minefield in itself, with many old royal protocols still remaining in place.
Even the newest addition to the royal family, Duchess Meghan, has been put through her paces during ‘princess training’ to learn all the ins and outs.
Only women curtsy, while men are required to bow. However, your rank changes depending on if you were born a full-blood royal or a commoner.
If a woman marries into the royal family, she adopts her husband’s rank when he is present – but if the female is on her own, her status lowers a few ranks.
For instance, royal expert Christopher Wilson claims that Duchess Meghan is expected to curtsy to Prince Harry’s cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie if her husband is not with her.
But, if Harry is by her side, the opposite is required to take place – Beatrice and Eugenie must curtsy to Meghan.
It is also believed that Meghan has to curtsy in front of her new sister-in-law Kate, whenever she is in her company.