Now that Meghan Markle is officially the Duchess of Sussex, there are plenty of royal etiquette rules she has to learn. She must master the Duchess slant, wear fascinators in the evening and can no longer discuss political issues. But the most confusing royal protocol involves who she curtsies to now that she’s married to Prince Harry.
First off, where exactly are these rules coming from anyway?
Interestingly enough, not from The Rules, the ’90s self-help book where Markle got dating advice before meeting Prince Harry. Instead, Queen E detailed the complicated directions in the document “Precedence Of The Royal Family To Be Observed At Court” in 2005, to clarify where Camila stood. They were later updated in 2012 after Kate Middleton joined The Firm. They must be followed at official events and formal dinners. While Markle must curtsy to anyone who outranks her, the presence of her royal husband changes things up.
Does Meghan Markle have to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth?
Of course, even at her own wedding.
What about Prince Phillip?
Yes.
Oh yes.
Yes, her too.
Kate Middleton?
Yep.
Prince William?
Uh huh.
Why?
Because like everyone else so far, they outrank her.
What about the Blood Princesses?
Yes.
Wait, who are the Blood Princesses?
They’re women born princesses, including Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
Are there any Blood Princess curtsying loopholes? There probably are, aren’t there?
You guessed it. When Markle’s with Prince Harry, she does not have to curtsy, as he outranks them. If Prince Harry is in the room, any Blood Princesses must all curtsy to Markle. As Princess Eugenie is Prince Harry and Markle’s next door neighbor, there will be lots of knee-bending when, like, checking the mail and stuff.
Does Meghan Markle curtsy to royal offspring?
Zara Phillips was born royal (she’s Princess Anne’s daughter), but Markle doesn’t have to curtsy to her. Instead, Phillips must curtsy to Markle if Prince Harry is present. That means Markle won’t have to curtsy to Zara Phillips and her husband Mike Tindall’s daughter, Mia (who was not included in the wedding party) or their unborn child, as Phillips is currently pregnant with the next royal baby.
What about Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend? She seems like she doesn’t need to curtsy to anybody! What in the hell is going on here??
In a controversial twist, the former Suits star broke royal protocol when she saw Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, at her wedding. Davy was supposed to curtsy to her, but Markle hugged her, instead. Perhaps she was thanking her for breaking up with the prince and making way for her royal wedding. It was, after all, Prince Harry’s longest relationship, since he dated Davy for seven years. Or maybe she’d just prefer hugging to curtsying. When Markle was told “people don’t do that” after she greeted the Kensington Palace guards with hugs while she was dating Prince Harry, she said, “I’m American, I hug.” Hopefully, the next royal protocol rulebook will include a hugging manual.
So all this is set forever then?
Nope—the order can change at any time, especially as people marry into the family. Stay tuned.
