If you were to meet a member of the royal family would you bow/curtsey etc?

[Blackcats7]

I support the royal family in general in that I don't want to see the institution abolished but I would like to see some changes which I think change will come in time with Charles and then William.
It occurred to me that in the highly unlikely/impossible scenario I ever met a member of the royal family I could not agree to curtsey or call them sir, ma'am, your majesty etc. I would want to be polite and friendly but I just could not show that deference to anyone.
Would you follow royal protocol or just be polite but not excessively deferential?

My understanding is that for many years there has been absolutely no expectation that people would bow or curtsey.

I met Princess Diana in the late 1980s. We had been told in advance that there was no need to curtesy/bow and I hadn't decided whether or not I would.

When it came to it, I did, but I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the occasion and just followed the person ahead of me in the line up.

Calling someone ma'am or sir is a bit different. My old fashioned butcher always calls me (and all his female customers) that!

Nope.

I refused to curtsey to the Lord who gave me my degree, way back in the 20th century. Rumour had it that he would grip your hand and not let you go until you bowed/curtsied, but this turned out not to be the case 😁

At work my top boss has been knighted and we do call him 'Sir John' but this is OK as it bridges the gap between 'Mr Smith' and 'John'. We're all, him included, a little bit ironic about it but he is a really nice guy. His wife absolutely loves being 'Lady Smith' but we don't have much to do with her and the boss always calls her, and refers to her, as 'Jane'.

No, I don't understand why anyone would. Surely if you do then you think the person you're greeting is better/more important than you?

So it sounds like you’re not expected to. But if I was requested to by someone, then I would either refuse, or would wear a great big billowing skirt and perform a grandiose curtsey, just to highlight how silly it all is.

No, unless someone could give me a very good reason why I should, that made sense to me.

In a formal situation then yes I would. If I was standing at the side of the road and they came past then no I wouldnt. I do know how to curtsey, I was taught when Princess Anne came to our school. She was school president.

Do a Texas Dip 😆

I met the Queen and didn't curtsy or address her as anything in particular, just shook her hand. It was fine.

No.
I'd probably nod my head, as I would with most people. Also, to get on my feminist high horse, men get to do a nice easy bow, women have to do the precarious and ridiculous curtesy.

But there’s nothing to be taught, surely? It’s just a mildly ridiculous-looking two-legged knee bend with head bob, unless it’s some elaborate ballet move or the Texas Dip.

Or an actual kowtow.

The only one I have some respect for is Princess Anne who seems to be extremely hardworking for her charities.

I'm not getting at Anne personally - I have a lot of respect for her - but thinking about the royal family in general: I don't think some people realise just how much money they have and assets they control, as well as, obviously, immense sway throughout the world.

I always like to think that, if I were a billionaire, instead of agreeing to be a patron/figurehead of loads of charities - and having my name used to encourage ordinary folk to give money they may struggle to afford - I would prefer to look at what needed to be done to completely resolve the problems for which the charity exists and send them a cheque, so it could be closed down.

Fair enough if they're 'hobby/interest' charities that enthusiasts value and wish to support - steam railways, vintage bus museums or whatever - but when it comes to starving children and people without access to clean water, I just couldn't stand back and say "Yes, you tell all the pensioners that Geography heartily encourages them to give £10 a month forever".

I think PA has the largely undeserved reputation of being both ‘genuine’ and a grafter, because she looks permanently sour, rewears dreadful clothes, and has a gruff manner. The key thing is that, like the late queen, she looks dutiful and long suffering , rather than as if she’s having a good time with her unimaginable riches.

Never in a million years. I cringe when I see people bowing, and curtseying is just ludicrous.

If anybody needs any pointers in how to curtsey, this is the learning method that our former PM used.

It's easier to just prostrate yourself on the floor.

Not a chance.

Presumably also gnashing your teeth and screaming "Unworthy! Unworthy!"

Can you do all that with your face pressed into the carpet?

I met the King and Queen when they were Duke and Duchess of Cornwall. I curtseyed, called them Your Highness when introduced and then sir or ma’am afterwards. I was representing an organisation and it was the protocol we had been strictly briefed on.

I mean I mean if I bumped into Camilla in the middle aisle at Lidl I might not, but a formal occasion calls for formal behaviour, for me.

I’d say it would come out rather muffled. But maybe that’s part of the charm of abasing yourself.

Rather like the current AMA by a ‘submissive’ married to “her Dominant’, who is only allowed to kneel on a floor cushion at her husband’s feet while they watch the Euros.

I wouldnt but I might address eg KC as Sir. It would depend on the situation. In that pic above with Theresa May thats a PM/Minister of The Crown meeting the Head of State. that might change the protocol. If I'm PM I would accept that as part of my role

I'm sure the effort would be jolly well appreciated. Perhaps Charles may deign to use one as a foot rest lest he weary his feet.

@BlindHarbour there is actually a correct way to curtsey that avoids the ungraceful new born giraffe look.

As far as I'm concerned, curtseying or bowing and using the correct way of addressing them is a matter of respect and absolutely nothing about debasing myself or being thought 'less than' them. I try to have respect for everybody - and no - I don't think that means bowing or curtseying to everyone. Amongst other things, it means not being deliberately rude or unkind.....

I can understand bowing to someone who accomplished something heroic, or even as a mark of respect in martial arts,

A member of the royal family? No, why? They've just happen to be born in that position, being lucky is not really worthy of respect is it.

As a side note, I really believe that curtseying only works with long gowns. It looks ridiculous when women are wearing short or mid-skirts.