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Meghan Markle Faces Backlash for Dismissing Curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II as a Joke
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has come under fire on social media after revealing that she initially thought being asked to curtsy to Queen Elizabeth II was a joke.
A video of her close friend, Serena Williams, performing the gesture for the monarch seven years earlier, has resurfaced online, intensifying the criticism.
Meghan shared her experience of being asked to curtsy to the Queen by her husband, Prince Harry, before their first meeting with Elizabeth in 2017.
She recalled that while driving to the event, Harry asked if she knew how to curtsy, and she simply brushed it off as a joke.
This prompted Harry to question how he could explain the tradition to someone he loves, especially considering Meghan's American background.
During the interview, Meghan re-enacted a dramatic medieval-style curtsy, which drew negative attention at the time for being perceived as insensitive to British customs.
Curtsying is a traditional form of respect offered to royalty in Britain, although there is no official requirement for members of the public to do so.
However, members of the royal family are expected to curtsy or bow when greeting the monarch for the first time and when bidding farewell.
In the recently resurfaced video shared on TikTok by user LadyBrownSugar, retired tennis pro Serena Williams can be seen gracefully curtsying to Queen Elizabeth during the 2010 Wimbledon Championships in London.
The video has garnered over 1.5 million views and has sparked further criticism towards Meghan, with commenters mocking her earlier claims from a docuseries.
One commenter sarcastically wrote, “The curtsy story of hers was really unbelievable, unless, yeah, she lived in the mountains or something.”
Another commenter pointed out that anyone unaware of the curtsy tradition must have been living under a rock.
Adding fuel to the fire, author Tom Bauer alleged in his book Revenge that Serena Williams denied being friends with Meghan Markle.
Bauer's claims gained significant attention following the book's release last month.
In an interview with Vanity Fair writer Sam Kashner, Bauer stated that Serena had described herself as merely an acquaintance of Meghan's.
This contradicted Meghan's previous statement, where she had listed Serena as one of her friends.
When contacted, Serena allegedly referred to Meghan as an acquaintance and advised her to stay true to herself, stating, “You've got to be who you are, Meghan; you can't hide.”
Bauer also highlighted the limited public interactions between Meghan and Serena prior to Meghan's relationship with Prince Harry.
He mentioned a photo of the two at a charity flag football game, suggesting that Meghan had managed to insert herself into Serena's circle.
Bauer further speculated that Meghan strategically capitalized on her biracial identity by associating herself with Serena, who is an advocate against racism.
However, Serena has remained silent on these claims since the release of Bauer's book, leaving them unaddressed and adding weight to the notion that their friendship may have diminished.
It is worth noting that both Meghan and Serena have been involved with the charity organization Sunshine Sachs.
Bauer insinuated that Meghan exploited her biracial background for personal gain, including her highly publicized baby shower, which he labeled as a publicity stunt.
