Why Meghan must curtsy to Kate: Hierarchy order in the Royal family

Meghan Markle, the new Duchess of Sussex, has to curtsy to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as well as other senior royals. Prince Harry’s new wife may be getting on well with Kate Middleton, but that doesn’t mean they are equals.

Although both are duchesses and each is married to a born prince, Kate, as Prince William’s wife and as a future Queen consort, outranks Meghan. British royalty takes the Order of Precedence very seriously, and therefore everyone, including the newly joined member Meghan, must abide by the rules of the royal family.

Who bows to whom in the royal family

Everyone must curtsy — or bow for men — to Queen Elizabeth the first time they saw her during the day as she is the monarch and the highest ranking individual of the family. Even her husband, Prince Philip, must bow to her. The royals must also curtsy or bow to the Duke of Edinburgh as he is the husband of the monarch.

As for their children, Prince Charles is the second highest in rank, and therefore everyone must curtsy or bow to him. His wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is afforded the same respect, but with conditions. The princes and princesses, including Duchesses Kate and Meghan, must bow or curtsy to her because she technically outranks all the other members of the royal family.

However, if Prince Charles is not by her side, all royals by birth do not need to bow to Camilla. It is the opposite, actually, with Camilla curtsying to the other royals if she isn’t with her husband. For example, the Queen’s only daughter, Anne, Princess Royal, will curtsy to Camilla when the latter is with Charles. But Camilla will have to curtsy to Anne if she isn’t with her husband. That’s because in the order of hierarchy, Camilla ranks fourth after the Queen, Anne and Princess Alexandra, who is the Queen’s cousin.

That rule, the Precedence of the Royal Family to be Observed at Court, is only relatively new. It was in 2005 that Her Majesty changed the order of precedence to follow as such. During the time of the late Diana, the Princess of Wales outranked everyone except for the Queen and Charles.

As for Kate and Meghan, they both outrank blood princesses Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie of York. Kate is married to William, who is the second line to the throne, while Meghan is newly married to Harry, who is sixth in line. Beatrice and Eugenie are eighth and ninth.

But what do these numbers mean? Their husbands’ ranking means, as wives, they outrank Beatrice and Eugenie but only if Kate and Meghan are with their husbands in the same room. Beatrice and Eugenie will have to curtsy to them. If Kate and Meghan are alone with the princesses, then they should be the ones to curtsy to Beatrice and Eugenie.

The duchesses do not have to curtsy to Zara Tindall (n é e Phillips), the daughter of Anne, because Zara is not a princess and therefore does not outrank Kate and Meghan. According to the Telegraph in 2012, even though Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, is married to the Queen’s son, Prince Edward, she still needs to curtsy to Kate even when William is not present. The same might be true for Meghan.

Both Kate and Meghan are not blood princesses, and so there is no confusion on who should curtsy to whom in their case. Meghan is lower in the order of precedence than Kate. This is why the American actress and philanthropist must curtsy to her sister-in-law regardless if their husbands are around.

This is followed especially during formal and public occasions. The question is if they curtsy to one another during private and casual meetings. It is expected of them to do so but it’s also unlikely that they do that because both appear to be relaxed with each other. The royals, it must be noted, are said to take this whole bowing and curtsying business seriously even in private meetings.

Does Prince Harry bow to Prince William?

As the second in line to the throne, William outranks his brother, who has been bumped down three times to sixth after his nephews and niece were born. But because the two brothers are close and are informal with each other, Harry reportedly does not bow to William.

However, he will be required to do so in the future. When Charles becomes king, their titles will change. As explained by Quora user Rick Smith, Charles will become His Majesty King Charles III, William will become HRH the Duke of Cambridge and Cornwall, and could possibly be granted the title of Prince of Wales as well. Therefore, William’s place in the order of precedence will be second only than the king.

When that happens, everyone must bow to him, even Harry.