The final curtsies of Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral in September 2022 have been shared by fans after edited clips were posted to the video social media platform TikTok.
Elizabeth’s death at the age of 96 occurred at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, just months after she celebrated her 70-year reign, the longest of any monarch in British history.
Much attention has been paid to the royals and in particular their curtsies since the release of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s eponymous Netflix series last November, in which the duchess recalled how at first she thought being asked to curtsy to her boyfriend’s grandmother was a “joke .”
Discussing how she was told by Harry she would need to curtsy to the queen ahead of their first meeting at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Meghan said on the Netflix show: “I remember in the car driving up, and he [Harry] said, ‘You know how to curtsy right?’ […] And I just thought it was a joke.”
“How do you explain that you bow to your grandmother?” Harry then explained to viewers. “And that you would need to curtsy, especially to an American. That’s weird.”
Meghan made a number of public curtsies to the queen during her lifetime, including on her wedding day at St George’s Chapel in 2018.
On the day of the monarch’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022, the female members of the royal family, as well as Prince George, gathered outside to watch as the coffin left for its procession to Windsor.
As the parade moved off, the royals, including Meghan, performed a reverential curtsy to the sovereign.
Uploaded to TikTok by user royalsintheworld, a video montage showing each of these curtsies, plus a previous offering made by Princess Anne, has been viewed over 800,000 times.
The video has also received in excess of 60,000 likes and 300 comments in just over 48 hours. Many of the comments have praised the royals for their considered mark of respect, including Princess Charlotte who performed a curtsy herself, and Prince George, who bowed.
“Meghan’s curtsy 👏,” posted one user.
“The final curtsy 💔,” commented another, with a further use adding: “I think Charlotte’s was the most hard hitting for me [because] she’s so young and she’s already following protocol like her mum.”
Curtsies are a convention offered by female members of the royal family to the monarch twice in any given day—once when they first meet and again when they say their goodbyes.
Though members of the public have traditionally curtsied to members of the royal family and the sovereign, there is no expectation or protocol saying they are required to do so. Oftentimes curtsies are offered at the discretion of whoever wishes to do so.
It is expected that members of the royal family who will be in attendance at the coronation of King Charles in London on May 6 will offer curtsies and bows after the monarch (and Queen Consort) have been crowned.
Senior members of the family will most likely be in attendance, although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced that they will not confirm if they will travel to the UK for the ceremony until closer to the time.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on 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 royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
The final curtsies of Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her state funeral in September 2022 have been shared by fans after edited clips were posted to the video social media platform TikTok.
