While the late Queen previously detailed that royal women are expected to bow and curtsy to one another, the rules changed again in 2023 for one member of the Firm.
11:43, 05 May 2025Updated 11:46, 05 May 2025
Only one royal women is exempt from curtsying(Image: STEVE PARSONS/AFP/Getty Images)
There is only one female member of the Royal Family who is exempt from curtseying. Strict royal protocol means that women have to follow the rules when it comes to the appropriate greeting for more senior members of the firm but following the late Queen’s death and the rise of King Charles as the new monarch, the requirements have changed.
After the King’s coronation on May 9 2023, new protocol was put down as Charles and Camilla’s royal titles were made official, meaning Camilla no longer has to curtsy to anyone. Despite perhaps seeming old fashioned to some, the late Queen Elizabeth produced a document back in 2005 which detailed that royal women are expected to bow and curtsy to one another.
Named the Precedence of the Royal Family to be Observed court, it stated the royal woman and their seniority to one another. Even though Camilla does not have royal blood, members of the Firm had to curtsy to her when she married the then-Prince Charles in 2005.
However, turning her back on tradition, the former monarch changed this due to the circumstances of Camilla and Charles’ marriage, Edinburgh Live reports.
Camilla no longer has to bow at other royal women(Image: WPA Pool, Getty Images)
Royal fans have highlighted a pleasant moment between the former prince and princess and applauded their professional approach to their visits around the UK.
One sweet gesture impressed fans, who complemented the couple’s professionalism.
Women born into the Royal Family such as Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie, were moved forward ahead of Camilla, while those not born into royalty, like Sophie, Countess of Wessex, stayed where they were.
When Kate Middleton officially joined the Firm in 2012, the order was updated again to suit her marriage to Prince William.
The former Duchess of Cambridge was expected to curtsy to Anne, Beatrice and Eugenie but not the latter two if she was with her husband,
However, even when Kate was with William, she still had to curtsy to Anne as The Princess Royal’s rank did not change.
The same rules applied to Meghan Markle as she also had to curtsy to everyone when alone but didn’t have to bow before Eugenie and Beatrice if with her husband Prince Harry. She did however, always have to curtsy to Anne.
According to a Telegraph source, curtsying protocol also applies in private as well as in public.
They told the paper: “What they do when there are no outsiders present I can’t tell, but I suspect they do [curtsy]. They all did with the Queen.”
Since Charles became monarch in September 2022, the big change in rules has bee that Camilla is now ahead of Anne in the pecking order, meaning all royal women must now curtsy to her.
And, since she is the most senior royal, she no longer needs to curtsy to any other female royal.
Princess Anne was previously above Camilla in the pecking order(Image: Getty)
Another claim that has previously been speculated among royal experts is that royal women have always curtsied to only the monarch.
This logic means that Eugenie and Beatrice would only bow to Camilla and Charles, and not Anne or Kate, even though the latter two are also far more senior than them.
Royal fans have also expressed their own views on the practice of curtsying on social media in recent months.
Royal expert Joe Little, from Majesty Magazine, previously wrote on X: “Royal Highnesses bow and curtsey only to Majesties. Why is that so hard to understand? Nothing to do with the order of precedence.”
A fan chimed in: “Joe is right, someone who is HRH, whether by birth or marriage, is equal. HRHs do not curtsy to each other.”
Meanwhile another wrote: “Respect. Simple as that. Curtseying to your Queen or King or senior member of the Royal Family is a sign of respect.”
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Twitter user @monimoob commented: “The curtseying and bowing thing to the Queen or appropriate member of the British Royal Family is not law. It’s a highly suggested courtsey.
“More scrutiny is placed on members of the UK or Commonwealth, but most definitely not required of, say, an American.”
Ian Oliver agreed: “Indeed these people are no better than anyone else, that is why the Royal Family are continually curtseying to the Queen. She must have curtseyed countless times to her father. We all bow or curtsey to the sovereign, anointed by God.”