The Princess of Wales' wedding-day curtsy has become the subject of a new viral video, after fans uploaded archive footage from Kate's royal wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey, London, to social media.
Kate married Prince William on April 29, 2011, after forming a romantic relationship during their Scottish university days in 2001. The couple announced their engagement in November 2010, and the prince was the first of King Charles III's two sons to marry.
Royal curtsies have become the subject of increasing debates after Meghan Markle sparked controversy in December 2022. During her Netflix docuseries with Prince Harry, she described her thoughts at being asked to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II for the first time while she was dating her now-husband.
"I remember in the car driving up, and he [Harry] said, 'You know how to curtsy right?'" Meghan told viewers of the six-part Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. "And I just thought it was a joke." The duchess then performed what she described as a medieval-times style bow, which brought with it accusations that the royal had disrespected British customs and even the queen herself.
In response to this, a number of royal fans took to social media to debate clips of several royal family members performing public curtsies, including Meghan's, for which she has been praised in the past.
The new curtsy-focused video was uploaded to TikTok by user, princess__jo, on July 16. It shows Meghan's sister-in-law, Kate, as she made her traditional royal-wedding curtsy after saying her vows and signing the marriage register with William.
By tradition, royal brides offer the king or queen of the day a symbolic curtsy after their marriage vows, following the singing of the national anthem. This custom has been observed by all modern royal brides including Princess Diana, Kate and Meghan.
The clip, showing Kate's curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II and the monarch's smiling reaction, has been received almost 8,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the princess' gesture.
"Kate looked like a medieval princess," wrote one TikTok user.
"Perfect is a understatement," posted another, with a further comment reading: "The Queen looks happy with Kate."
William and Kate celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary this year, their first since taking on the senior royal titles of Prince and Princess of Wales. These were given to them by King Charles III upon his accession to the throne in September.
In their new capacities, the royal couple have attended an increased number of public events, a number of which they have been joined at by their three children: Prince George, born in 2013; Princess Charlotte, born in 2015; and Prince Louis, born in 2018.
Today, the Wales family's main home is at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, England. They also maintain their official offices and residence at Kensington Palace in London, as well as their country home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, eastern England, which was a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth.
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.
