If you met the Queen, would you curtsey (or bow if you are a man)?

[BakeliteBelle]

Because I would like to think - like Cherie Blaire - I wouldn't.

Even Camilla had to curtsey to the Queen. Imagine having to curtsey to your MIL

I would curtsey to Princess Anne- I really like her. Wish she would be Queen

Op would you bow if you were in Japan? Genuine question.

No, and if it was absolutely expected then I would simply just choose not to meet with her.

I can't imagine bowing to anyone who doesn't have a gun to my head. Yuck.

I'm not a republican because I think, on balance, the royal family brings in more money to the country than it costs. But I instinctively dislike the idea of curtseying and backing away and all that. Nobody is a better person than me purely by accident of birth.

I wouldn't curtsey to someone who was voted in either.

I didn't bow in Japan, I got used to handing things over with two hands and nodding my head. But not out of deference, just as the normal greeting.

annawintour by that analogy the Queen would curtsey back to you when you curtseyed to her.

definitely not. Met Princess Anne once and I didn't curtsey; everyone else did. My HOD was furious

no i would not curtsey. Its an outdated act that has no real reason to still be used other than that the royal family do love theri traditions-i didnt choose for her to be queen, i certainly dont support the royal family at all- arent they the biggest benefit scroungers of all? all that money we give them and they have millions already!

you asked the OP I know but I think in Japan it is different in that bowing is the accepted form of greeting for everyone. So two people meeting each other will both bow to each other. It is like shaking hands or kissing on the cheek in other cultures.

I think in Japan, a woman is supposed to bow lower (to show more deference) to a man. This I personally would not do. AFAIK (and I don't have much idea) according to perceived status, one will always bow lower than the other which I would not strive to fathom. In this way they have a hierarchial form of greeting IIRC but it would be difficult for a foreigner to understand it and get it "right". The hierarchial aspect of it, I dislike and wouldn't participate in

I bet the backing away thing is a left over from when real royals had to fight for the position and hence the person you were backing away from from was the meanest bastard with the biggest sword, don't want to turn you back on someone like that.

No way!

castles, that's brilliant, especially the bit when you realised who she was and still didn't curtsey!

littlepigs - no, according to Private Eye that's bollocks. In fact, on the day the Express published its story saying they'd not met, Her Maj had the Middletons over for lunch in what the palace spokesman referred to as a "long standing arrangement"

When Princess Di came to my school (her helicopter landed on the school field) I was determined not to wave but got caught up in the moment

I have met Princess Anne, Princess Diana and Prince Phillip. I didn't curtesy to any of them but I did incline my head.

To be honest I am so used to doing the half bow thing when I go inane out of court that I certainly wouldn't have a problem with affording the same respect to the queen as head of state. It doesn't feel like a big deal but I can understand why some feel strongly about it.

I definitely wouldn't curtesy - too subservient for my liking. There is a difference between a gesture of respect and a gesture of deference.

I would curtsey to the Queen as you are like the Forces saluting the rank not the person who holds it. I would curtsey to her anyway, as I think she has served the country very well over her reign.

I curtseyed to the Princess Royal when attending a dinner hosted by her dh and her for his staff when dh worked for him (in Mr Princess Royal's professional capacity).

thing about deference/marks of respect etc is when is it simply your pride causing someone else perhaps unnecessary offense or generating ill-feeling which could have easily been avoided?

And when it is correct to not give in to pressure or convention to act as though some people are inherently more valuable than others? Think of blacks in the US having to get off the pavement when whites walk towards them, women having to walk behind their husbands, anything of that nature

Longtalljosie - it is true, they didn't meet her until 8 days before the wedding here with a bollocksy explanation about them being too busy. They must have had an hour for lunch in the past 4 months, not to mention before that. They have attended the same functions before but not been introduced. That is just a snub.

No, I wouldn't. I love watching them and the Royal Wedding etc but I do not feel the Royals are superior to me therefore I wouldn't curtsey.

I have to say however that the only person I probably would bow to is the Pope. Even though he's only human too, I think I see it as a mark of respect to my God. I imagine people of other faiths would do the same to their representative too .....or not. Each to their own I suppose.

NO

i am a little like oohlaalaa

i served diana when i worked in harrods i just called her madam but then i think she didn't want anyone to curtsey to her, she was often in and no one noticed as her bodyguards were very discreet

No of course I wouldn't curtsey. I don't think the Queen or any of her family are any better than me.

I agree with kungfupanda - a demonstration of respect for the head of State is a patriotic thing, like standing up for the national anthem. It's not about the individual, it is about what the office represents.

So I half bow to the court, as part of the State, and I'd curtsey to the Queen, as the head of State.

And I do instinctively bow my head a little if I meet someone I respect and admire. So the Queen would qualify for that, too - I do respect her enormously, despite my slightly republican tendencies.

I would not curtsey to someone like, for example, the new Duchess of Cambridge...

I believe the queen to be a most fabulous, intelligent and respectful head of state, if a little lacking in parenting skills and for that reason I would without doubt curtsey. That curtsey would be a sign of my respect for her as an individual and not for her position in society.

I would to the Queen, not to anyone else, and haven't. In fact I almost knocked Prince Wullie off his feet in WH SMith once.
Like someone said above, in theForces they salute the rank, not the person wearing it - and there a few knobs wearing very high ranks in the Armed Forces and DH has to salute them all.

I do think though that Wullie and Katie will bring changes and do away with a lot of the stuffiness and "protocol" that surround the royal family

as for her not meeting the Middletons - why all the fuss, she's not Wullie's parent is she so it shouldn't really matter if she's only met them once or a hundred times, I'm sure they met Charles and camilla a lot