Kate Middleton's Curtsy to Queen Camilla Caught on Camera

Kate, the Princess of Wales', curtsy to stepmother-in-law Queen Camilla is the subject of a new viral video after footage from a 2022 community Christmas concert resurfaced on TikTok.

Curtsying has become a subject of increased public fascination in recent months, with Meghan Markle sparking controversy last December after revealing that she first thought being asked to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II when dating Prince Harry was a "joke."

A curtsy is a reverential gesture acting as the traditional female equivalent of a bow. In Britain, curtsies are offered by female members of the royal family to the king and queen. Two curtsies are offered each day, once upon greeting the sovereign and another when saying goodbye. In modern Britain there is no expectation for members of the public to bow or curtsy to the royals—however, some voluntarily choose to do so.

Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla
The Princess of Wales and (inset) Queen Camilla photographed at the Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, London, December 15, 2022. Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Samir Hussein/WireImage

Though bows and curtsies are offered to the king and queen, other members of the royal family do not bow or curtsy to each other, meaning that when Queen Elizabeth II was alive, Kate did not curtsy to either the then Prince Charles or Camilla, while she was Duchess of Cornwall.

Uploaded to TikTok by user @princessofwales2022, Kate's curtsy to Camilla and Charles at the Together at Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on December 15, 2022, was one of her first to the couple in their new capacities as king and queen.

Captioned "Family Time," the video has been viewed over 130,000 times on the social media platform so far and shows Kate dropping into her curtsies at the Abbey's Great West Door. The clip also shows Charles and Camilla greeting Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The clip has also received in excess of 4,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the princess for her polite execution of the gesture.

"She is so polite," wrote one TikTok user, with another adding: "Beautiful princess Kate 🥰."

One user noted that Prince William appeared not to bow to Camilla, who married Charles in 2006 following the turbulent years of the 1990s, during which Princess Diana referred to the now queen as the third person in her marriage.

Though in public, William and Camilla have appeared to interact amicably, Prince Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that both brothers "pleaded" with their father not to marry Camilla, who became a figure of public criticism after her affair with Charles was made public and following the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

Harry also noted a number of grievances both he and William had against Camilla in his memoir, including allegations that the royal would capitalize on negative stories written about the princes to bolster her own reputation.

Neither Buckingham Palace, acting for Charles and Camilla, nor Kensington Palace, acting for William and Kate, made any comment on Harry's memoir or the claims made within it.

Since Charles and Camilla's accession to the throne in September 2022, William has not yet been seen to bow to his stepmother in public.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.

About the writer


James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go