Why Sophie Wessex doesn't have to curtsy to Kate - even though she's less senior

17 January 2024 , 14:01

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Princess Kate and Sophie Wessex get on incredibly well (Image: UK Press via Getty Images)

There are a number of rules that members of the Royal Family must adhere to - and some are more complicated than most. For example, what are the protocols when it comes to greeting one another, who needs to bow and who needs to curtsy?

While it might seem confusing to outsiders, the guidelines are clear - and it explains why you will never see Sophie Wessex curtsy to Princess Kate despite their places in the family's hierarchy.

All royals are expected to bow or curtsy to the sovereign and his wife, King Charles and Queen Camilla, without exception. Since Charles ascended to the throne, Prince William and Princess Kate have been seen formally greeting the monarch with a bow and curtsy on multiple occasions. Touchingly, Charles and Camilla are not above greeting their family with a hug and a kiss on the cheek as well, just as they did when they arrived at the Royal Carol: Together at Christmas concert in 2022.

In fact, Charles and Camilla are the only royals that every member of the family must bow or curtsy for. Protocol dictates that 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.

Etiquette expert Myka Meier Meier previously : "The general rule of thumb to remember is that a Royal Highness does not curtsy to another Royal Highness."

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For example, when Charles gave his younger brother Prince Edward the Duke of Edinburgh title (which once belonged to their late father, Prince Philip ), he made Edward and his wife, Sophie, a duke and duchess.

But their higher-ranking titles did not change who they bow to or who bows to them, since their earlier titles of Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar already deemed them as Royal Highnesses.

"Therefore, while the newly titled Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will still have to curtsy to His Majesty King Charles and Her Majesty The Queen Consort, they will not have to curtsy any of the blood princes or princesses or those who have married one," Meier explained.

Interestingly, according to , a British guide to protocol and etiquette, Kate and her sister-in-law Meghan Markle only outrank blood members of the royal family when they are with their husbands.

"Protocol dictates that when the Princess of Wales and Duchess of Sussex are not accompanied by their husbands, Princesses of Royal Blood, such as Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, rank above them. However, when the Duchesses are accompanied by their husbands, the roles are reversed with the duchesses outrank[ing] the princesses," reads the Debrett's website.

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