Meghan Markle has faced backlash for a "mocking" impression of her curtsy to the Queen. The Duchess of Sussex appeared to make fun of the royal tradition as she recalled meeting her husband Prince Harry's grandmother for the first time.
She was speaking on the Sussexes' new Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which was released in part yesterday (December 8). In the second episode, Meghan was performed a theatrical recreation of the curtsy she performed in front of the late monarch.
As Harry sat next to her on a sofa, the American former actress she slowly bowed her head as she extended her arms wide. She stayed in an exaggerated bowed position for a few seconds before rising with a grin on her face, then added: "Pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
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Harry, meanwhile, looked unamused and glanced away during the dramatic re-enactment then briefly looked down as Meghan sat back up. His seemingly unimpressed reaction was not missed by some Netflix viewers, reports the Express.
Body language commentator Jesús Enrique Rosas shared a clip on the curtsy posted by another user on Twitter, writing: "Whoa. Harry really didn’t like the curtsy mocking."
Royal author Gyles Brandreth told Talk TV: "It's embarrassing because it is mocking. Nobody curtsies to the Queen like that and nobody would have advised her to do it that way."
He added: “To do this sort of mocking thing is uncomfortable, but it is a cultural difference. It’s like you would do a curtsy if you were playing in Snow White.”
Meghan's contentious curtsy came as she and Harry talked about how the late Queen was the first senior Royal Family member she met. She described the meeting "intense", saying: "I didn't know I was going to meet her until moments before.
"We were in the car and we were going to Royal Lodge for lunch, and [Harry] was like, 'Oh, my grandmother is here, she's gonna be there after church.' We were in the car, driving and he's like, ‘You know how to curtsy, right?’ - and I just thought it was a joke."
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