The royal wedding tradition of brides curtsying to the British sovereign has become the focus of a new viral video, with social media fans praising the gestures offered by members of the royal family on TikTok.
In 2022, Meghan Markle faced criticism regarding the gesture, after she said she initially thought being asked to curtsy to Prince Harry's grandmother was "a joke" in her Netflix show.
Royal curtsies have become the subject of increasing fascination online, with the gestures being widely shared when offered by the Princess of Wales or other members of the family at public events.
Curtsies are a traditional form of reverence offered by female members of the royal family to the king or queen twice each day, once when greeting and another when saying goodbye.
In the past, members of the public have offered curtsies to royals. There is however no formal expectation that people should continue to do so, though some do of their own volition.
Over the years, an eagerly anticipated aspect of royal weddings has become the curtsy offered by the bride, whether of royal or non-royal birth, to the monarch following the exchange of vows.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to 2022, she was the recipient of over 10 such curtsies at largescale weddings, including those of her four children and a number of her grandchildren.
Uploaded to TikTok by user, princess__jo, on November 12, the new viral clip compilation contains footage of eight royal wedding curtsies, those performed by: Princess Margaret in 1960; Princess Anne in 1973; Princess Diana in 1981; Sarah Ferguson in 1986; The Duchess of Edinburgh in 1999; The Princess of Wales in 2011; The Duchess of Sussex in 2018; And Princess Eugenie in 2018.
Captioned "wedding curtsies," the clip has been viewed over 300,000 times on the platform so far, gaining in excess of 4,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the various royal brides.
"Anne always has the deepest curtsy," wrote one TikTok user of Queen Elizabeth's eldest daughter who married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973.
"Eugenie slays it," wrote another, with a further comment reading: "Anne, Sophie & Margaret had the best curtsies...Anne was clearly the best of the lot!"
A royal whose wedding curtsy has been widely debated is Meghan's, owing to the fact that when it was time for her to perform the gesture, the official broadcast of the event at St George's Chapel, Windsor, switched camera angles to an aerial shot, making it less visible.
Meghan's curtsy controversy sparked by her Netflix show in 2022 continues to be raised online when videos of the gesture go viral.
In the second episode of the Harry & Meghan docuseries, Meghan described meeting Queen Elizabeth for the first time and and revealed that on her way to do so, she was briefed by Harry about the all important curtsy tradition.
"We were in the car, driving, and he's like: 'You know how to curtsy, right?' And I just thought it was a joke," she told viewers before comparing it to "medieval times dinner and tournament" and performing an exaggerated version of a bow.
Though likely intended as a lighthearted moment of self-deprecation, the move backfired, with critics accusing the duchess of mocking British customs and being disrespectful to the queen.
Since his accession, members of the royal family now offer curtsies and bows to King Charles III and also to Queen Camilla as his consort.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
