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Meghan Markle's light-hearted rejection of a respectful curtsy at a charity summit in 2019 has become the focus of a new viral video, after a clip resurfaced on TikTok.
Focus on the duchess and curtsies has increased over recent months, since she described thinking that being asked to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II—when first introduced by Prince Harry—as a "joke" in the couple's Netflix docuseries, which debuted in December 2022.
The newly resurfaced clip that has fans talking was filmed at the 2019 One Young World Summit opening ceremony in London. Meghan has been a long-term supporter of the charity, which aims to foster and encourage the potential of young leaders in communities around the world.
It was a special year for Meghan's involvement with the organization as she attended also in her capacity as vice president of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, a position given to her by Queen Elizabeth II. That charity partnered with One Young World in 2019.
When introduced to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Meghan approached co-founder of One Young World, Kate Robertson, with a hug. Robertson, however, met the duchess with a curtsy, a customary female gesture of respect offered to members of the royal family.
The two women met awkwardly in the middle, with Robertson hodling Meghan by the hips to curtsy, while the royal put her arms around the charity boss' neck. The pair then laughed and warmly embraced.
@sussexfans Always hugging ? #meghanmarkle #princeharry #loveyou #rolemodels #royalty #purple ♬ Snowman - Sia
A number of fans have praised Meghan for appearing to snub the formality associated with the curtsy from Robertson and adopt the more intimate hug.
Uploaded to TikTok by user sussexfans, a video of the interaction captioned "Meghan rejects a bow but accepts a hug 🥺💜," has been viewed over 190,000 times in 24 hours.
The video has also received in excess of 9,000 likes and 100 comments, many of which speak warmly of the duchess.
"She treats everyone equally. The royal family should take notes!!" wrote one commenter.
"Truly elegant lady 👑👑👑 absolutely royalty," wrote another, with a further user adding: "Our girl needed that hug once we found out how she was being treated. I'm happy they left and I wish them well ❤️."
Despite these positive comments, Meghan has come under fire for her discussion of royal curtsies in recent months.
A curtsy is a traditional form of reverence offered by female members of the royal family to the monarch upon greeting them and leaving them each day. Meghan made a number of public curtsies to her grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, during her lifetime, including on her wedding day to Prince Harry in 2018.
Members of the royal family do not bow or curtsy to each other and there is no protocol or expectation for members of the public to curtsy to the royals in Britain, though many choose to do so of their own volition.
In their Netflix docuseries, Harry and Meghan discussed the first time that the then-actress was introduced to the queen, while they were dating.
"I remember in the car driving up, and he [Harry] said, 'You know how to curtsy right?' [...] And I just thought it was a joke," Meghan explained.
"How do you explain that you bow to your grandmother and that you will need to curtsy? Especially to an American, like, that's weird," Harry then commented.
In the Netflix series, Meghan performed an over-exaggerated form of medieval bow when describing her introduction to the queen, something she was criticized for by social media users and a number of commentators.
In his record-breaking memoir, Spare, Harry remembered the incident differently, describing his future wife's curtsy as "flawless."
"We entered the large front sitting room and there she was. Granny. The monarch. Queen Elizabeth II. Standing in the middle of the room," he wrote.
"She turned slightly. Meg went straight to her and dropped a deep, flawless curtsy."
Meghan made her last public curtsy to Queen Elizabeth at her state funeral in September 2022, alongside other royal women including Queen Camilla, Kate Middleton, Princess Charlotte and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The next time royal watchers may catch a glimpse of the duchess offering another curtsy could be at the coronation of her father-in-law, King Charles, which will be held on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in central London.
Though the Sussexes still haven't confirmed if they will attend the ceremony, their spokesperson recently announced that they had received "email correspondence" from the king's office about the national celebrations.
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 royals@newsweek.com. 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