Key Points
Princess Lilibet turned five on June 4, triggering royal curtsy protocol requirements.
Royal children must curtsy only to the reigning monarch, not other family members.
The rule applies regardless of where children are raised or how much royal training they received.
Prince Harry plans a UK visit next month for the Invictus Games, potentially bringing Lilibet.
Princess Lilibet turned five on June 4 in California and has now reached an age where royal protocol applies. If she ever visits the UK to see her grandfather King Charles, she will be required to curtsy to him and Queen Camilla. This rule reflects long-standing royal etiquette that applies to all royal children once they reach age five, regardless of where they were raised.
The Five-Year-Old Milestone
Princess Lilibet celebrated her fifth birthday privately on June 4 with her family in Montecito, California. Royal etiquette experts confirm that age five marks the point when royal children must begin following curtsy and bow protocol. Etiquette expert historian Marlene Koenig stated, “Certainly by age five. The only person they will curtsy or bow to is the sovereign.”
What the Protocol Actually Means
The curtsy rule applies only to the reigning monarch, not to other members of the royal family. Royal experts clarify that curtseying is about etiquette, not precedence. Children perform the curtsy when they first meet the sovereign and again when they leave. Koenig emphasized, “A royal highness does not curtsy to another royal highness.”
Training Begins Early for Royal Children
Etiquette expert Myka Meier told PEOPLE that protocol training for royal children starts “as soon as they’re old enough to sit at a table.” Royal children raised in the royal fold learn formal meals, proper voice levels, appropriate dress, and curtsy and bow techniques through rehearsals and formal events. Lilibet has been raised outside royal traditions in California, so she would need to learn these practices if she visits the UK.
Harry’s Potential UK Return
Prince Harry is expected to arrive in the UK next month for an Invictus Games event. Reports suggest he hopes to reunite his family with relatives in Britain. Should Lilibet make the trip, she would encounter the curtsy requirement for the first time in a formal setting with King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Final Thoughts
Princess Lilibet now enters the formal royal protocol phase at age five. If she visits the UK, she will curtsy to King Charles and Queen Camilla as part of centuries-old royal etiquette rules that apply to all children at this age.
FAQs
Royal protocol requires all children to curtsy to the reigning monarch starting at age five. This is standard etiquette for the entire royal family.
No. Royal children only curtsy to the sovereign. They do not curtsy to other royals, including princes and princesses.
Royal children curtsy when first meeting the sovereign and again when departing. This occurs at the beginning and end of each encounter.
Disclaimer:
The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes. Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.
About Author
Huzaifa Zahoor
Co FounderHuzaifa Zahoor is the engineer who built Meyka. He has spent years writing Python, training AI models, and building data pipelines specifically for financial markets. His technical articles have reached over 30,000 readers on Medium, so he knows how to make complex things easy to follow. If this article touches on how the tools work, he is the person who actually built them.
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