Why Prince George bows to the Queen but Princess Charlotte doesn't

published 31 January 2019

Prince George is third in line to the throne which means he has to do things a little differently to his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis...

Prince George will have to bow to his much-loved Gan Gan this year but Princess Charlotte will not.

The youngest of the Cambridge family, Prince Louis, isn't even walking yet (but his proud mum Kate says he's a very fast crawler), so we don't think he'll be expected to bow to the Queen anytime soon!

As Prince George is third in line to the thrown there are certain rules that he has to follow and expectations that he has to meet.

His importance to the monarchy is reflected in the fact that all of Prince George's official portraits are taken by professional photographers.

Prince George's siblings' portraits are usually taken by their mum Kate and released to the public to satisfy interest rather than an official obligation.

The eldest of Kate and William's children celebrated his fifth birthday last summer, but it's thought that they still haven't told Prince George that he will one day replace his great grandmother the Queen as head of the Royal Family.

Although Prince George may not yet understand how important he is, he does have to start following royal protocol and bowing to the Queen now that he is past his fifth birthday.

According to royal historian Marlene Eilers Koenig, who told Hello! magazine: 'Certainly by age five. The only person they will curtsy or bow to is the sovereign. A royal highness does not curtsy to another royal highness.'

Prince George may be closer in line to the throne than his siblings but it seems Princess Charlotte has one up on both of her brothers.

Princess Charlotte's net worth is estimated to be in the billions and is much more than Prince George and Prince Louis's estimates.

Three-year-old Princess Charlotte will be expected to bow to her great grandmother next May when she hits her fifth birthday, so for now she can continue to run around and freely without too many royal rules to follow.

It's unclear when we will get to see Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all out-and-about together again but we hope we don't have to wait too long.

Perhaps we'll get a glimpse of them when their new cousin arrives!

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.