Prince William Urged to Scrap a Bizarre Tradition When He Becomes The King
The request comes as William has repeatedly emphasized that things will be different and more modern during his reign.
A long-standing royal tradition may be on its way out as royal experts urge Prince William to follow through with the idea of a modern monarchy. The practice in question is the age-old custom of bowing and curtseying to royals. The expectation that commoners physically defer to the monarch, the expert argues, has felt increasingly out of place in the modern monarchy William wishes to build, one based on empathy and equality. She believes William is most likely to bring that change when he inherits the throne.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond made her views known in a column for the i Paper. She asked, “And will our future monarch really expect people to bow and curtsey to him? Fawning gestures of servility like that sit awkwardly in a world of inclusion and equality.” Bond noted that the Prince seems comfortable greeting people by shaking hands. She hence opined, “As King, hope he will officially put an end to the bowing and scraping.”
Bond’s request comes as William has repeatedly emphasized that things will be different and more modern during his reign. He has been candid about his willingness to reform, arguing that the monarchy must evolve to stay relevant. In actor Eugene Levy’s show The Reluctant Traveler, William shared, “Change for good, and I embrace that, I enjoy that change. I don't fear it; that's the bit that excites me, the idea of being able to bring some change. Not overly radical, but changes that I think need to happen.”
He continued, “I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do, a world and a job that actually does impact people’s lives for the better.” When asked how he feels about being king, William stated, “It’s not something I wake up in the morning and think about… being authentic and being myself and being genuine is what drives me.” Reflecting also on his responsibilities, he admitted, “You don’t feel they own you – you have to own them.”
These sentiments were also echoed once previously when William returned from his 2024 trip to South Africa. While speaking to the reporters, he explained, “I can only describe what I'm trying to do, and that's I'm trying to do it differently, and I'm trying to do it for my generation… I'm doing it with maybe a smaller R in the royal, if you like.” The Prince made it clear that the traditional pomp and protocol don’t align with his values. He stressed, “I’m going to throw empathy in there… And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.” Given these past remarks, the scrapping of the tradition of bowing and curtseying seems like the natural next step.
