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Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank look back towards Queen Elizabeth II on their wedding day© WPA Pool

Watch: Princess Eugenie's extra deep wedding curtsy to grandmother Queen Elizabeth

The royal and her husband Jack Brooksbank paid their respects to Her Late Majesty

Nichola Murphy
Deputy Lifestyle Editor
March 5, 2024
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Between exchanging Welsh gold wedding rings at her ceremony and having her first kiss with husband Jack Brooksbank in front of crowds, Princess Eugenie took part in another big royal wedding tradition in October 2018.

The newlyweds walked back down the aisle hand in hand, stopping to sing 'God Save the Queen' in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II. As the song came to a close, the cameras caught Eugenie dropping into a very deep curtsy to pay her respects to her grandmother, while her Peter Pilotto wedding dress pooled around her legs. 

Jack Brooksbank placing a wedding band on the finger of Princess Eugenie© DANNY LAWSON
The groom Jack Brooksbank places a wedding band on the finger of his bride

One hand held onto her beautiful white wedding bouquet while the other was resting on Jack, who similarly bowed his head in a respectful gesture before the pair made their way out of St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Watch the rarely-seen moment in the video below…

Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Princess Eugenie's deep wedding curtsy to grandmother Queen Elizabeth II

While many may not recall catching sight of Eugenie's bridal curtsy, several other moments from her wedding day are very memorable. They include Eugenie's arrival in Windsor where fans caught their first glimpse of her low-back bridal gown, designed to show off her scoliosis scar, and her Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara borrowed from Her Late Majesty.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank holding hands walking down the aisle© DANNY LAWSON
Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank walk back down the aisle following their wedding ceremony

Eugenie's second wedding dress was equally as spellbinding, as the Zac Posen creation featured a soft pink hue that reflected the colour of an English rose. 

The bride was joined by royals such as Princess Beatrice, who wore an unconventional royal blue bridesmaid dress, and Meghan Markle who was hiding her pregnancy with Prince Archie. Meanwhile, notable celebrities who witnessed her nuptials were Ayda Field and Robbie Williams, whose daughter Teddy acted as a flower girl.

married couple kissing on wedding day © Getty Images
Eugenie's wedding dress showed her childhood scar

Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew's daughter was not the only royal to have taken part in the tradition of curtsying to the monarch. While many of the intimate moments have been forgotten, unearthed footage has shown that Eugenie was following in the footsteps of Sarah Ferguson, Princess Anne and Princess Kate who also dropped into a curtsy on their big days.

There was confusion over whether Meghan Markle had done the same at her nuptials five months before Eugenie, but it has been confirmed that she did so without camera crews capturing the moment.

Although Meghan admitted she thought it was a "joke" after learning she would have to curtsy to the Queen moments before her first meeting, it is reported that young royals have years of practice.

princess eugenie curtsy queen mother© Getty
Sarah Ferguson's daughter, then seven, curtsied to the Queen Mother in an unearthed photo

Historian Marlene Eilers Koenig told HELLO! royal children start the tradition from a young age. "Certainly by age five. The only person they will be curtsy or bow to is the sovereign. A royal highness does not curtsy to another royal highness. Yes, there are articles that state this, but it is not true."

For example, Princess Charlotte has been spotted dipping into mini curtsies over the past few years, and unearthed photos show seven-year-old Eugenie curtsying to the Queen Mother at Scrabster Harbour while her older sister Princess Beatrice and their dad Prince Andrew watched.

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