Does Carole Middleton have to curtsy to Kate Middleton and which royals does the Princess of Wales have to curtsy to?

Does Carole Middleton have to curtsy to Kate and who does the Princess of Wales curtsy to? Two questions fans might wonder as there is so much tradition surrounding royal etiquette.

So far in 2024 we haven’t seen Carole Middleton stepping out alongside the Royal Family but the Princess of Wales’s mother has attended everything from the King and Queen’s coronation to multiple high-profile royal weddings over the years. Many of these events have been attended by Kate too and whilst mother and daughter primarily enjoy spending time together outside of the public eye, their interactions always spark interest. As a result it’s perhaps all-too-easy to find yourself wondering how much royal tradition and protocol dictates how Carole behaves towards Kate as the future Queen as well as her daughter.

We often see the Princess of Wales gracefully curtsying at big occasions and we have all the details about whether her mum has to do this to her and who Kate has to make this respectful gesture to as well.

Does Carole Middleton have to curtsy to Kate Middleton? 

If she follows tradition very closely, then Carole Middleton might curtsy to Kate if she greets her at an official event in public. The Royal Family website previously explained that there are no “obligatory codes of behaviour” when it comes to greeting both the monarch and other members of the Royal Family. If people want to “observe the traditional forms” this includes a “small curtsy” for women.

£8.92 at Amazon

The Making of a Royal Romance by Katie Nicholl | £8.92 at Amazon

Published back in 2011, Katie Nicholl paints a fascinating portrait of the now-Prince and Princess of Wales. She delves into Kate's childhood, her family relationships and her first meeting and romance with Prince William. The epilogue focuses on the preparations for their wedding and this also reflects on their time living in Wales together.

View Deal

So if Carole wants to follow this very traditional approach then she would curtsy to Kate now. When Prince William and Kate become King William and Queen Catherine in the future, it would then definitely be expected for Carole to curtsy to her.

Most of the time Carole spends with Kate is outside of the public gaze, meaning we might never know if she greet her daughter this formally in private at the moment. The BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond previously told OK! that she was sceptical over whether Kate would insist on formalities from her sister Pippa behind closed doors.

"They talk about everything and I very much doubt that Catherine expects her sister to stand on ceremony when they are together,” Jennie said. "In public, of course, Pippa pays due respect to the future Queen, but I suspect they probably both find that sort of protocol quite funny."

In light of Jennie’s remark, it’s likely that Kate doesn’t expect this kind of protocol to be upheld privately by her mum Carole Middleton either. 

Which royals have to curtsy to Kate and who does she curtsy to? 

There are several royal women who reportedly have to curtsy to Kate - but only in specific circumstances. The Princess of Wales is the second most senior royal woman in terms of title after Queen Camilla, as she is married to Prince William who is first in the royal line of succession. However, Kate wasn’t born a royal and this could make a huge difference to curtsying etiquette with the likes of Princesses Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.

According to Debrett’s, an authority on etiquette founded in the 18th century, the Princess of Wales outranks Princesses of the Royal Blood (those who were born royal Princesses) in the order of precedence when she’s with Prince William. This means that Kate must curtsy to Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice or Princess Anne if she sees them alone.

If Kate is with Prince William, things are different and Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Princess Anne will curtsy to her instead. It’s been reported that the same is true of other Princesses born in the Royal Family like the late Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, Princess Alexandra. However, it’s also alternatively been suggested that these royal rules of precedence are separate to curtsying which is more to do with etiquette.

As per PEOPLE, etiquette expert Myka Meier previously claimed that anyone with an HRH title is equal to another with an HRH title in terms of curtsying and bowing and one “does not curtsy to another Royal Highness”. If this is correct then it’s possible no-one curtsies to Kate but if the order of preference does come into play then royal Princesses will curtsy to her if she’s with Prince William.

Ultimately, the only two people we know for sure that Kate always curtsies to are King Charles and Queen Camilla and the same is true for everyone else in the Royal Family too. 

When does Kate curtsy to King Charles and Queen Camilla? 

In line with protocol Kate only has to curtsy to King Charles and Queen Camilla the first time she sees them on any given day. This is why when certain royal events like the coronation and Commonwealth Day service are filmed for live broadcast, we sometimes don’t see the Princess of Wales curtsying to Their Majesties. It’s likely that she’s already seen them earlier that day and so it isn’t necessary to curtsy to them again just because they’re stepping out together in public.