Kate Middleton's History-Making Royal Curtsy Becomes Viral Hit

The Princess of Wales' historic curtsy offered to King Charles III at his coronation has become the subject of a new viral video, after footage from the Westminster Abbey ceremony has resurfaced on social media site TikTok.

Kate was one of the most senior attendees at the coronation, in her capacity as Princess of Wales. She acquired this title in September 2022 after Charles made one of his first appointments as the new king, the elevation of his son Prince William to the Prince of Wales title he'd held for over five decades.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are the most senior members of the British royal family behind the king and Queen Camilla.

During the coronation ceremony, Charles was crowned using the historic crown jewels and, upon his exit from Westminster Abbey, received a wave of bows and curtsies from members of the congregation as he passed.

Uploaded to TikTok by user, princessroyalcharlotte, on January 29, footage of Kate dropping into a deep curtsy wearing her coronation dress and the blue and red robes of the Royal Victorian Order has been highlighted, with some fans suggesting it served as the marker of a "new beginning" in the king's reign

Captioned "the bow that marked history" and "her bow is unreal," the clip has received in excess of 300,000 views in 24 hours. It has also received over 36,000 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised Kate.

"Her curtsy was so elegant," posted one user.

"Personally I felt that princess Kate's crusty to the new king was the mark of a new beginning," posted another, with a further comment reading: "YESS but have you seen Queen Mary of Denmark's curtsy?"

Royal curtsies became an increased topic of public fascination in past months after Meghan Markle sparked a curtsy controversy with her December 2022 Netflix docuseries, in which she performed a dramatic reenactment of her first performance of the gesture to Queen Elizabeth II.

Recounting the early stages of her relationship with Prince Harry, Meghan described how she had first thought that being asked to curtsy to her boyfriend's grandmother was a "joke" then likened the scenario to Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.

Though likely an exercise in self-deprecation, Meghan was criticized for appearing to mock British customs.

Since the docuseries aired, a regular series of social media posts and videos focused on the curtsies of members of the world's royal families, including Meghan, have gone viral across platforms.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly 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 royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.