19 January 2024 , 12:21
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In the Royal Family, hierarchy is everything. It's the foundation block on which the system of monarchy is built, and those inside the House of Windsor take it really seriously, which is why the royals are so often seen curtsying and bowing to one another, depending on their position in the system itself.
That's why there are two royals that Kate will always have to curtsy to, despite the fact that her husband William is first in line to the throne - the highest in the line of succession - and she will one day be crowned as Queen alongside him.
An etiquette expert - Myka Meier - told People Magazine that the two royals Kate will continue to have to curtsy to are King Charles and Queen Camilla, and that this goes for everyone in the Royal Family.
This is because, she claims, as sovereign and Queen Consort, Charles and Camilla hold the title 'Majesty' which is the highest rank in the hierarchy, and all of those who have the title 'Royal Highness' have to show this mark of respect to them.
"The general rule of thumb to remember is that a Royal Highness does not curtsy to another Royal Highness," Meier explained. This is also why you would see Sophie and Edward - now the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh - curtsy and bow respectively to Charles and Camilla, but not the other HRH's
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"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," the expert said.
As wife to the future King and first in line to the throne, Kate now outranks many of the other 'Royal Highnesses' like Princess Beatrice or Prince Harry.
However, Debrett's - protocol experts - have claimed that if Kate was without her husband and saw one of the blood royals, she would still have to curtsy to them, because she only outranks them through marriage.
Sometimes though, eagle-eyed royal watchers may notice that the royals have not curtsied or bowed to Charles and Camilla, and this is likely because they have already seen each earlier in the day. Once they've have done it on an initial meeting they reportedly aren't required to do it every time they spot each other as the day goes on.
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