An encounter between King Charles and Amal Clooney has gone viral on social media after fans pointed out a key gesture. The King welcomed various celebrities at Buckingham Palace this summer, when he hosted a reception for the winners of the King’s Trust Awards 2025 on June 25.
Among the guests were George and Amal Clooney, who were snapped greeting the King during the reception. In a video that’s resurfaced online, the British lawyer, who has been married to the Hollywood star since 2014, appears to cross her legs in front of the King and not curtsy. Instead, she gives a slight bow and a handshake.
While the King appeared unfazed by the incident and went on to greet her husband before appearing to chat with them while pointing out something, some fans were more passionate about Amal’s royal greeting and took to social media to express their views.
One user, who uploaded the clip, wrote: “So disrespectful! Amal can’t even curtsy to The King! [angry face emoji].”
Another one said: “The rude part for me was crossing her legs, and you have to realise that George & Amal may have met the King earlier (only have to curtsy or bow once) but then again I have never seen George bow to the late Queen.”
A third one added: “Not ‘required’, although it is a mark of respect and not just to royals. When I was at school we had special guests awarding prizes for speech day at the end of the year. We went on stage and gave a small curtsy as we shook their hand. It used to be a very common thing.”
The post sparked debate, with several users rushing to defend the lawyer, with some appearing to confuse her with being American.
Ms Clooney has got both British and Lebanese citizenship.
One user wrongly commented: “Is she British? Only subjects of the Monarch are required to curtsy. I’m American and wouldn’t curtsy. I’d shake hands like we do here in America. No disrespect at all, just different culture.”
A second one said: “Americans don’t bow.”
But many others corrected them by saying that she’s British, and one user adding: “The King got so much more; Amal Clooney ‘learned forward’, shook his hand, smiled and looked very pretty, that’s so much better than a ‘curtsy’.”
According to the Royal Family’s official website, it is not obligatory to follow traditional forms of behaviour when greeting the monarch.
It states: “The simple answer is that there are no obligatory codes of behaviour – just courtesy.
“However, many people wish to observe the traditional forms of greeting.
“For men, this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.
“On presentation to The King or Queen, the correct formal address is ‘Your Majesty’ and subsequently ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am,’ pronounced with a short ‘a,’ as in ‘jam’.”
