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?

Being neither stupid nor ignorant, of course I would (and have).

It's not royal protocol to bow or curtsey, it's a choice. Why are you choosing to do it if you don't think their hereditary position means that they're somehow better than you?

No. They’re no better human beings than I am.

I’ve never suggested otherwise, just that a proper curtsy isn’t exactly onerous. But if you don’t bow or curtsy to everyone, it implies you feel royals deserve an extra level of respect, surely? On what grounds?

How is not bowing or curtseying either stupid or ignorant exactly?

There's a picture of Theresa May doing that really deep curtsy to William when he was quite young. I'm not a Conservative but I thought that it was quite shocking that the elected prime minister had to curtsy to a young man who had done nothing but be born....

May held hands with Tump.

This made me chuckle, only because I have a good friend who is decorated for some of the things he has done in the military.

I can only imagine that if anyone bowed to him, he’d tell them to fuck off.

I'd happily call them sir, ma'am etc. but no curtsey.

Absolutely not.

I met Princess Anne once and shook her hand like I would with anybody (I'm not a royalist, but she seems decent and apparently doesn't really care about all the bowing and scraping).

@cupcaske123 "May held hands with Tump."

Relevance?

Given her obsequious attitude, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that she curtsied to a child.

Ew no. How unsanitary.

😂fair enough
The ones I know would be a bit puzzled but wouldn't go as far as telling them to fuck off

But you know what I meant! Civilian don't salute, but a nod or something.

To a royal for absolutely no reasons? Hell no.

I absolutely love in the Windsors when they have the ‘commoners’ who follow the royals around and say ‘they’re so much better than us’ , DH and I quote that at each other whenever any of them come on the TV.

I love all the Royal pageantry but as individuals yes they are of course not better than anyone else and that’s why I just couldn’t bring myself to bow to them.

😂😂

I would love to know what kind of curtsey you have in mind

Not a chance

Any!

They visit all sorts of places. I always feel sorry for any republicans in those situations. I'm thinking in particular about that photographer who had to endure the late DoE swearing at him when he was taking the photos.

Yes - and the very significant thing with martial arts bouts is that BOTH contestants bow to each other, so it's showing mutual respect.

When it's only one way, it's kind of equivalent to extending your arm and shaking your own hand around as a gesture of respect, whilst the other - 'better' - person stands there with their arms firmly by their sides!

I would have for the Queen (Elizabeth)

not Camilla or Charles or any of the others

It's a choice, as is made perfectly clear in any advance information about the occasion.
Presumably, republicans would turn down an invitation anyway.

Our royals courtsey etc to each other depending on seniority but I guess that's for them to sort out.

...* curtsy!

Absolutely this.

I’m not sure. I think I would probably try and end up calling them the wrong title!