According to protocol, Meghan Markle will have to bow to Kate Middleton
Now that Meghan Markle has joined the royal family, she will have some rules of protocol to apply ...
There would be no definite "law" about curtsies in the British royal family, and a few years ago Queen Elizabeth II herself admitted that she attached less importance to it than before. However, reverence is still considered a sign of great respect, which is why it remains in the tradition, in family as in public for an official event. During the Christmas service of the royal family in Sandringham, we saw Kate Middleton curtsy to the queen, followed by princes William and Harry, as well as Meghan, not yet very comfortable.
But Kate Middleton will also see women bow to her, even before she becomes queen. Indeed, it is said that one should curtsy to any woman of royal blood, but recently the wives of the Queen's sons and grandsons have been given a higher rank than her daughters and granddaughters ( Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, for example) due to the fact that they were married to an heir to the throne. Thus, we must bow to them like sovereigns.
Meghan Markle will therefore have to bow to her sister-in-law Kate, because she is married to a future king, and the same goes for Prince Charles' wife - second in the order of succession to the throne - the Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles. Meghan Markle will also have to bow to the "blood" princesses, ie the queen's daughter, Princess Anne, and the queen's granddaughters. When Meghan Markle appears in front of a male member of the royal family, she will also have to bow, but only to those who carry the title of "prince". In short: no title, no reverence.
Another rule which is intended to be very obsolete, but still applied by the royal family: for reverence, the status of a woman (duchess, princess) is "official" only when her royal husband is at her side. Thus, Meghan Markle should never bow to wives if they are alone. May Meghan Markle be reassured, since she is marrying a prince, we will also have to bow to her ...
