Lately, speculations have been swirling around on whether or not Kate Middleton broke protocol by kissing Queen Elizabeth II. But some people interpreted it in a totally different way — she can afford to kiss Her Majesty simply because they’re that super close.
The protocol on how to address the monarch of the British monarchy is pretty strict. For men, they had to bow to Her Majesty, while for women, they had to curtsy.
However, Kate did neither of these acceptable greeting methods. When the royal family trooped to the Chelsea Flower Show, Prince William greeted his grandmother by kissing her on both cheeks before he bowed, and his wife, Kate, likewise kissed the Queen’s checks before she curtsied.
The action was immediately noticed by royal family fans. People debated on social media on whether or not the Duchess of Cambridge broke a royal protocol.
“The thing I noticed was the kiss came before the bow or curtsy,” a fan commented on Twitter. “It must be how they normally do it. It’s like the formal part was an afterthought. I think they forgot the cameras were there.”
“Interesting kisses before courtesy,” another fan, who probably preferred a more formal greeting to the monarch, wrote. “I figured it’d be more formal first.”
“No the family always do it like that,” yet another fan defended Kate’s action. “I’ve noticed that from other members of the family in the past as well.”
But is it really a break in the protocol? News.com interpreted it differently and wrote that “such informality is a breathtakingly big tick of approval” by the Queen on her granddaughter-in-law.
The publication suggests that there is a deeper meaning behind the seemingly informal greeting that Kate gave to Queen Elizabeth. “As with everything the royal family does, symbolism and image matter deeply,” the site explained. “A quick double peck might be how the Windsor clan usually greets their regal grandma when they arrive at Balmoral.”
However, it’s a different game when their usual Balmoral informal greeting is done in public. “But to kiss her with a phalanx of cameras and press watching sends a very direct and forceful message: The Queen thinks Kate is doing a cracking job,” the publication continued.
But is there really a right or wrong way to greet Her Majesty or any member of the royal family? While the family’s official site discussed bowing and curtsying as acceptable forms of traditional greeting, it also stressed that they’re no longer mandatory. “There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The Queen or a member of the Royal Family,” the site stated.
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