Kate Middleton’s public appearances have been few and far between in 2024, owing to her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, but her time out of the spotlight hasn’t made her very particular set of princessy practices any less dazzling. On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales and husband Prince William kicked off the Qatari emir’s two-day state visit by greeting the royal party at a private residence. The group then traveled to the Horse Guards Parade, where the guests met King Charles, at which point Kate dropped into a picture-perfect curtsy to show respect to her father-in-law.
Royal etiquette dictates that women greet anyone with an HRH attached to their name with a curtsy, and men with a bow of their head—even if that HRH is also dear old dad, as in William and Charles’ case. This doesn’t mean anyone needs to be straining their quads curtsying every single time they lay eyes on a monarch; just the first time they greet them that day will do.
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Kate married into the royal family in 2011 and was in their close orbit long before that, and you don’t go that long in The Firm without learning some trusty tricks. The curtsy is one such protocol move. She has also perfected a signature move commoners have dubbed the “Princess Shuffle,” a stealthy little scoot that she has executed several times to subtly perfect group positioning in photographs with guests. This is not to be confused, of course, with Kate’s actual princess shuffle, the dance moves that the royal has giddily busted out on several occasions.
Kate exited the car she had been riding in with Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani, met up with William and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, when they got out of their own car, and dipped into a practiced curtsy to greet the king, as protocol dictates.
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Kate will not attend Tuesday evening’s state dinner, though Queen Camilla, who missed the welcome events of the visit due to her own recovery from a bout with pneumonia, is slated to be at the banquet.
