When it comes to royal etiquette, few traditions spark more stress than the idea of curtsying. For those meeting the Royal Family, knowing when—and to whom—to curtsy or bow to can feel like a social minefield. Even within the Royal Family, the rules of deference can weigh heavily, as author Craig Brown wrote in his biography Q: A Voyage Around The Queen. Noting that Queen Elizabeth "took the order of precedence very seriously," he shared the intricacies of curtsying—and how Princess Anne took royal etiquette even more serious than most.
Brown wrote that Queen Elizabeth "expected everyone, including her sister, her mother and her children, to greet her with a bow or a curtsy"—even when "others in her circle" thought the practice was "roughly a couple of centuries out of date."
