Theresa May greeted Prince William with a rather strange curtsy at an event in Nottinghamshire.
The prime minister performed the unusually low dip as she shook the Duke of Cambridge’s hand to welcome him during a visit to the newly-built Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre on Thursday.
A foyal family spokesperson said while the general courtesy was to “curtsy or bow” before a member of the Royal family, particularly the Queen, this was completely down to “personal choice” and was not expected.
They were not aware of a different set of rules for a prime minister.
Both Prince William and the prime minister were among 300 attendees to visit the £300m centre at Stanford Hall Estate in Nottinghamshire, which will provide services to injured service personnel.
It is not the first time Ms May has executed the rather curious plunge. Photographers have captured her previously going low for the Queen and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
But if the stoop is a sign of respect, it is also, it would seem, technically wrong. Members of the royal family should be met with a brief but clear bobbing of the head, according to etiquette bible Debrett’s.
“Low sweeping curtsies, although usually well meant, are best reserved for the amateur dramatic stage and can be the subject of some amusement in Royal circles,” the book declares.
Mrs May's attendance at the event comes soon after vital Brexit negotiations – she recently won a vote, blocking a proposal which would have given parliament more power to direct what happens in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
She is also preparing for a vote over a proposed third runway at Heathrow, which she confirmed today the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson – a critic of the airport expansion – would not be attending as he will be on a trip abroad.
