Kate Delivers the Perfect Curtsy for Camilla — but It's William's Reaction That Raised Eyebrows
Prince William's less-than-formal reaction upon seeing Queen Camilla at the Nigerian state visit has a valid backstory to it.
Another month, another state visit comes knocking at the doors of Windsor Castle, keeping the royals busier than ever. On March 18, the family rolled out the red carpet for Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. Prince William and Kate Middleton warmly welcomed the couple at Fairmont Windsor Park before heading to Datchet Road to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla. While Middleton, as usual, dipped into a graceful curtsy, it was William's less-than-formal reaction to Camilla that told a different story.
The Princess of Wales, who stunned in an understated grey outfit, greeted Camilla with a kiss on each cheek before bowing to her. She also curtsied to Charles, telling him, "Good morning!" The Prince of Wales, however, stuck to a less formal greeting, choosing to only greet the Queen with a customary cheek kiss, skipping the bow entirely. As reported by PEOPLE, while there are no official rules that dictate if a senior royal must bow to the King or Queen, those holding His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) titles usually bow (for men) or curtsy (for women) to the monarch and his wife to greet them.
Middleton, for her part, prefers to switch traditions sometimes for state visits. During the German state visit in December last year, she performed a double curtsy to Charles and Camilla. Interestingly, she dipped into a curtsy not once, not twice, but a whopping four times during the French state visit in July, as Charles and Camilla were too engrossed in a conversation with the Macrons to notice her. William, as usual, had greeted the monarchs with a cheek kiss.
Elsewhere during the visit, William also appeared to give Charles a cold shoulder. Speaking to the Daily Express, body language expert Judi James said, "There were kisses on either cheek for Camilla plus a 'how are you?' But it was Kate's second curtsey for Charles this time that came with an open-mouth smile of delight and a 'hi' that reflected the closeness of their relationship, with Kate almost looking like a daughter fondly greeting her father." She continued, "William was slightly less effusive as his father walked past him here, restricting his greeting to a raising of the eyebrows in an acknowledgement gesture."
As for William and Middleton's significant roles, they warmly welcomed the presidential couple, later taking them for a ride to Windsor, where the King and Queen received them with the national anthem playing. The UK forces also fired the Royal Salute for the couple in the Home Park in Windsor and at the Tower of London. The visit by the Nigerian president will conclude on Thursday, at the beginning of the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Fitr. Sharing his thoughts on this milestone, Nigeria's government spokesman, Mohammed Idris, shared, "This visit marks the next step in deepening co-operation across trade, finance, and defense."
