Kate Middleton curtsying to the Queen; find out why

Curtsying is an act of respect, but when it's done by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, everyone has to wonder why.

The Duchess was spotted doing a mid-curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II. She was photographed with the gesture on Sunday at Sandringham House.

According to The Stir, the sight was not something everyone considered as normal. However, insiders at the palace even said that the gesture the princess did for the Queen was not unusual.

Majesty magazine's managing editor, Joe Little, told PEOPLE that there is a reason behind the respectful gesture.

According to Little, the public may consider the sight to be rare but it is definitely not uncommon, although usually it only happens in private. But with the public sighting, it only means that it was the first time the Duchess saw the Queen on that particular day.

"It would normally happen in private. Although they came from Sandringham House, they obviously hadn't seen each other before Kate and the Middletons and their friends set out on foot," Little told the news outlet.

Little explained further that the public may treat it as an unusual sighting, but it is "not unique." "That would have been the first communication between them on that day," he added.

It was assumed that Kate and Prince William came from their own home before they met up with other royals at the Sandringham House. They then went to St. Mary Magdalene Church for services, where they met with Queen Elizabeth for the first time on that day.

Kate and Prince William were at Sandringham that day to celebrate the 100<sup>th anniversary of the end of the Gallipoli campaign.

The Queen should be the only woman whom every female member of the royal family should curtsy to. But according to a report from The Telegraph back in 2012, Kate is reportedly required to perform the gesture to other blood princesses, especially when her husband, the Prince, is not around. However, Little mentioned that royal women curtsying to each other is just a misconception.

 

News
New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings
New Catholic head says lessons must be learned from abuse failings

The newly installed Archbishop of Westminster has said the Church must learn from victims of sexual abuse.

Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report
Young adults abandon marriage as pensioners overtake under-25s - report

The institution of marriage has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five decades - particularly among young adults.

Iconic cathedral to run truth project during Lent
Iconic cathedral to run truth project during Lent

One of England’s most well-known, historic and picturesque cathedrals has announced plans to run a Lent series looking at truth in the modern world.