It’s been happening a lot in the past two months: the Daily Mail is so desperate for Sussex content that they’ve been recycling years-old stories and trying to make them newly controversial. I call it “The Mail Remembers” series. Some of my favorites so far: The Mail Remembers… when the Middletons were really rude about inviting Meghan to Pippa’s wedding. The Mail Remembers… when Meghan told off Harry’s bigoted friends. The Mail Remembers… when Harry wanted to marry Meghan quickly, without making her waity around for a decade. Well, the latest is this: The Mail Remembers Meghan and Harry’s wedding and whether Meghan curtsied to QEII. This was one of the most well-read stories on the Mail over the weekend, I sh-t you not. I think the Mail just wanted to post wedding photos again.
Although the Royal Family has a plethora of long-established rules and protocols that need to be followed, the most important one has always been to bow or curtsey to the monarch. The practice is so ingrained into the DNA of The Firm that even as children, Princes William and Harry were taught to bow before running over to their Granny (the Queen) and kissing her on the cheek. Although the etiquette may seem arcane, it is taken very seriously by those in the institution, with male members bowing and female members curtseying to each other – both in public and in private.
So when it looked like Meghan Markle had forgotten to curtsey to the Queen as she walked down the aisle at her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, the world was shocked. Social media went into a frenzy as viewers began to question what they had just seen, with some suggesting she had been so overwhelmed by the occasion it had slipped her mind, while others mused that as she was American she was exempt.
Had Meghan just made the ultimate royal faux pas in front of 600 guests at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle and hundreds of millions watching from around the world? Royal fans took to social media to ask if they had somehow missed the moment by looking away or if there had been an unexpected change of protocol. Etiquette coach William Hanson spluttered on social media: ‘Meghan – did you curtsey to Her Majesty? I will have to lie down for months if you did forget.’
In fact, no, she hadn’t. But it had looked like it, thanks to some shoddy camera work. Some eagle-eyed viewers watching at home pointed out that just before the pair bowed/curtseyed, the TV changed its angle to a camera shot from inside the chapel. The pair can be seen just barely starting to carry out the mark of respect before the camera suddenly cuts away.
From the new angle in the ceiling, viewers are able to see Harry bowing his head, while Meghan’s curtsey is more difficult to make out.
In the months prior to the big day Meghan had been schooled in royal etiquette and traditions by royal household and diplomatic staff. As she had married into The Firm at the age of 36, she was not brought up to appreciate all of the intricacies of life in the limelight like her husband.
Why this story in particular? I don’t even remember this being a thing – there was far more conversation about whether Kate wore white to another woman’s wedding, and there was far more conversation about how Chelsy Davy looked sepulchral during various cutaways. Anyway, I’m sure Meghan did curtsy to QEII, even if she didn’t need to. This made me think about Spare, and Harry coaching Meghan on how to greet his father, but emphasizing that Meghan should not curtsy to Camilla. Anyway… Meghan really could have been such an asset to those dusty people. And they hated her for it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
