As you probably know, the royals have a strict set of royal rules that family members must abide by. They have to dress a certain way, sit a certain way, and of course, always act respectful and dignified in public. These rules do not only apply to the adults in the family, but royal children are also expected to follow these guidelines as well.
One rule that people are most curious to find out if the royal grandchildren have to abide by is the rule that states everyone must bow to the queen. In the past, we have seen the adults bow the head of the monarch, but what about her grandchildren? Are the royal kids expected to bow to their great-grandmother every time they see her? If so, at what age are the children required to bow to Queen Elizabeth II? Here are the answers to all of those questions and more.
Are non-royals required to bow to the queen?
It is a long-aged tradition that everyone should bow or curtsy when meeting the Sovereign; however, it is not required. Thanks to movies and books, some people are under the impression that if you do not bow or curtsy to a king or queen, then you will be thrown in a dungeon where you will be overtaken by ravenous rats for the rest of your life. Fortunately, this is not true. Not only does Queen Elizabeth II lack the power to throw anyone in the dungeon, but it is also reported that she actually doesn’t really care if your bow to her or not.
According to PopSugar, the queen is actually pretty “relaxed” when it comes to people bowing to her. “There is this sort of myth that comes from the annals of time that says whenever a member of the royal family went past, you did a curtsy or a bow,” said one of the queen’s former courtiers, Dickie Arbiter. “But there is no hard and fast rule, and if you can’t do it or don’t feel comfortable doing it or don’t want to do it that’s fine; it doesn’t mean that you hold the queen in any less respect and you won’t be sent to the Tower.”
PopSugar suggests that instead of being an actual rule, it is more of a suggestion and a show of respect. It is kind of like shaking someone’s hand. If you don’t like shaking hands with people, it’s fine, but it shows that you have good manners when you do.
Do all royal family members have to bow and curtsy to the queen?
Just like with all citizens, it is considered to be a show of respect when you curtsy or bow at the queen. So, for this reason, all royal family members bow or curtsy when they first see the queen, and again, when they leave her presence. Although it is not an actual written rule, every member of the royal family bows and curtseys to the queen, including Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry, and their wives.
How old do royal family members have to be before they are required to bow to the queen?
According to Town and Leisure, when a royal child is five years old, they are expected to bow or curtsy when they see the Sovereign. This means that Prince George has been bowing whenever he sees his granny for about a year now. It won’t be much longer before Prince George’s brother and sister are going to be expected to bow to their great-grandmother as well.
How old will Baby Archie have to be to bow to the queen?
Being that Archie Harrison is much further down the line of succession than his first cousins, it is assumed by many that he and the queen will have a more relaxed relationship than the queen and Prince George will have. Even though the queen might not be quite a strict with little Archie, he will still probably be required to bow at his great-grandmother whenever he turns 5 years old, just like all of his other family members have had to do.
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