Royal style & gossip: more gowns, less frowns

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Link to previous thread.

And once again, let's keep this good-spirited. Spiteful comments are about as welcome as Fergie at Prince Philip's birthday party!

I learnt to curtsey in ballet class but wouldn’t curtsey to anyone. Have been to a Buckingham Palace garden party and a charity event at Windsor where we were introduced to several members of the RF - we shook hands, no curtsey.

I've always seen bowing the head as more servile than curtseying - to me, it rests on whether you can see properly. With a curtsey, your head remains up, and you maintain a full field of vision. Bowing limits your vision hugely, rendering you much more vulnerable.

I think both are outdated tbh. What really brought it home for me was the sight of Theresa May curtsying to William. Not only did it look awful but she's the PM! Like or dislike her, she's got where she is through hard work, and to do that to a man 25 years her junior, who is only in the position he's in due to his birth, is ridiculous.

I agree about TM - those were my thoughts too. It's true Polly, that bowing the head does render a person more vulnerable. The whole thing is a nonsense and needs to be done away with.

YY regarding Theresa May. Her curtsy looks worse because of her long thin legs - but also as she got where she is due to merit/tenacity and Prince William is the utter opposite of merit and tenacity.

I don't agree that bowing is more servile than curtsying, but it's an interesting viewpoint!

Agree re: the PM. She should not be bowing or curtesying to anyone.
I think I would shake hands. I certainly wouldn't bow or curtesy.

Very well articulated factual post Queen. I agree entirely.

I am okay with curtseying to the queen, but agree it's ridiculous for the prime minister to bow to a young man who is nowhere near the throne (at this time). Once Charles is king, I'd be okay with curtseying to him in very formal situations only - major state/church services etc eg, I accept kate/ meghan etc all curtseying to the queen if they haven't seen her on any particular day, but I'd be uncomfortable with that with Charles. He's 70, but not that old.

In the same way, I didn't take DH' name. I get very annoyed with most people who get it wrong. But I have two elderly relatives (both in their 80s) who continue to send cars to Mrs DH Name and I let it go because they're old and they honestly can't get their heads around a different system. I feel that way about the queen. But even Charles must realise that he might be 70, but he's not truly old and as had the advantage of engaging with lots of modern people so I really really hope he ditches the day to day stuff.

I don’t mind people curtsying to the Queen as she’s our head of state & elderly

Cards to Mrs DH Name. I wish they were sending cars. The could call me whatever they liked in that case!

Apparently Meghan and Harry had a private Royal Foundation engagement yesterday

Thé ÀPB Princess Anne thing is probably just too much being read into their friendship. I guess I should stop reading Blind Gossip.
As you were.

Does anyone else think the Court Circular is starting to put extra in. Over the years I've noticed we might get the odd photo of a kate event or something but it doesn't go in the court circular. But now they're working out that people think that if they're not in public they're just sitting around eating bon bons and maybe it's time to make it a bit more obvious?

I didn’t think the court circular had pictures .
Just had a glance here
Prince William does hardly anything.
There’s going to be a big gap when Anne is decommissioned

They must feel the tide is turning against them and feel vulnerable? The RF will do anything to try to keep its status and position. Though with Brexit and the people’s wish to become more insular, I’d have thought they are safer than ever.

I thought I read that W&H prefer to announce their engagements on social media rather than the court circular, which is why there's rarely anything about them on there. I think the Cambridges are at an event on Tuesday.

For all those who are desperate to wear a tiara:

We are in Singapore on holiday. This evening a lady got into the lift wearing a sweater over a shirt with trousers (i.e. not dressed up) and a tiara. (Not real, the silver coloured plastic type.) We stood there with studiously inscrutable expressions and after she’d got out my son turned to me and said “Why was she wearing a tiara?”

I thought of all of you :).

My advice: if you’re going to wear a tiara accessorise carefully ...

AnimalMystery 🤣
I hope you’re having a nice holiday, Singapore is lovely.

Utterly daft curtsying to another human being.
Similarly kissing the ring on a bishop's hand.
Outdated and servile.
Society has, thankfully, moved on.

@AhoyDelBoy

Thanks :)

and to do that to a man 25 years her junior, who is only in the position he's in due to his birth, is ridiculous.

I could not agree more Queen.

By all mean curtsy to a monarch (if you feel you must) but all this Kate must curtsy to Camilla unless William is there in which case Camilla must curtsy to Kate... ridiculous!

Also, I did ballet and a full-on ballet curtsy would look even more ridiculous than any squatting Fergie could achieve. I agree with a PP when they said crinolines (or tu-tus) are required for curtsying!

Side note - I have just climbed out of a Wikipedia rabbit hole. If you want to see curtseying taken to the nth degree, watch a clip of the "Texas dip"!

Basically you put your weight on your left foot and draw a circle with your right big toe starting at 12 o'clock. Draw your right ankle behind your left ankle and bend the knee to the point where your knee doesn't extend over your ankle…

…Sorry knee doesn't extend beyond your foot. Of course it has to extend beyond your ankle!!!!

Want2bSupermum are you sure that’s not “Twister”?

Blimey, that Texas Dip is extreme! It looks like a rip off of the Dying Swan though.
Interestingly, (IMHO), it's very showy and look at me I'm so young and bendy and polished as I bow to the audience whereas the royal curtsy is more about the person being honoured than the curtsier themselves.

That's what I draw from it too

Old pic of Kate. ( pregnant with Louis) looking gorgeous