From using the right cutlery to curtsying for the Queen, there’s a whole world of pomp and protocol for royal women to navigate.
However the ‘correct’ way of sitting down is the subject of much debate, and leading ladies of The Firm have each developed their own unique way of positioning their legs for the cameras.
Meghan famously adopted the ‘Sussex sit’ for one of her first major royal engagements last summer, with her unusual position causing a social media storm.
And she’s not the only royal with her own signature pose; as etiquette expert Myka Meier noted on Instagram this week, there is also Kate’s Cambridge Cross and the ‘slant’ favoured by Princess Diana.
According to leading body language and etiquette experts, while there is no ‘right’ way to sit down, their poses reveal much about their approach to public duty.
Etiquette expert William Hanson told MailOnline: ‘All royal women seem to sit differently and have their own ways of sitting elegantly and comfortably depending on what they are wearing and the occasion.’
The Spencer Slant: ‘Postural informality’
Diana favoured the Spencer Slant which saw her sitting with her knees and ankles together and feet on the floor, slanting her calves at a 45-degree angle (pictured with Prince Harry at a parade to commemorate the 50th anniversary of V-J Day in London, 1995)
The Princess of Wales, displaying the Spencer Slant as she posed outside the Taj Mahal in 1992
Princess Diana used her favourite posed to elegantly accentuate her legs when seated. Pictured: During a trip to Pakistan in 1991
As noted by Meier, the late Princess of Wales would often sit with her knees and ankles together and feet on the floor, slanting her calves at a 45-degree angle.
William Hanson explains this ‘elegant’ pose ‘accentuates the legs without being too obvious. Again, this one works nicely in heels’.
Body language expert Judi James adds: ‘Diana’s relaxed and slightly slumped torso is at odds with her formal outfit, but this air of postural informality shows strong maternal instincts are overriding her desire to look regal and aloof.
‘Her focus here is her son Harry, and her warmth is reflected in her overall pose. Despite this though she’s putting a lot of effort into her leg positioning.
‘Diana was tall with long legs and the way she’s slewed them together at an angle but is still keeping her feet neatly together on the ground shows an intense, underlying desire to get things right.
‘She’s also showing her press-aware side here too; by not crossing her legs she also could have created a glimpse up her skirt but she’s discreetly placed one hand over her knee as a barrier.’
Effort rating: ‘A very natural top-half but her aristocratic breeding shows from the more careful and traditional leg position,’ says Judi.
The Sussex Sit: ‘Demure and elegant… with intense effort’
The Duchess of Sussex has adopted the signature Sussex Sit, which sees Meghan ‘elegantly’ crossing her legs at a 45 degree angle and resting one leg on top of the other (pictured at the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards Ceremony at Buckingham Palace, June 2018)
Although she’s not put one leg on top of the other on this occasion (with the Queen in Cheshire in June 2018), Meghan’s Sussex Slant always involves keeping knees and ankles firmly locked together
Meghan’s pose of choice involves crossing one’s legs at a 45-degree angle and resting one leg on top of the other, while keeping the ankles and knees firmly locked together.
‘This position is sometimes termed a breach of royal protocol, but generally, women (royal or not) avoid crossing their legs in public when wearing a shorter skirt,’ says William Hanson.
‘It is not a hard and fast rule, however, just best practice. With longer legs and when wearing heels, the Sussex Slant is very elegant, although not the most comfortable for longer periods of time.’
Judi comments: ‘From her super-upright posture and her perfect smile, Meghan shows she’s cracked the regal look here with the most demure and elegant pose of them all.
Even before she joined the royal family, former Suits star Meghan was perfecting her signature pose. Pictured at the Herve Leger By Max Azria show with model Petra Nemcova in New York in September 2013
‘Her arm is draped over her lap with her hand lightly touching the clutch bag that is carefully placed at her side and her legs are crossed and then angled out to ensure her legs look long and shapely.
‘I wouldn’t underestimate the amount of intense effort being put into this pose, though, and there’s a hint she might be using a modelling trick with the leg positioning.
‘When legs are crossed they can often look squashed but models and actresses will often subtly lift the upper leg away from the lower to create a photogenic shape.’
Effort rating: ‘The swan going through water here: looking elegant, radiant and beautiful, but potentially the most effort being put in to achieve it.’
Queenly Composure: ‘Relaxed and comfortable’
The Queen (pictured at a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge in Chester, June 2018) adopts a straightforward’ pose with her knees aligned but not quite touching
Her Majesty, pictured with Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week in February 2018, has decades of public duty under her belt and is surprisingly the most relaxed in her posture
The Queen sits with ‘perfect symmetry’ according to body language expert Judi James: Pitured: Her Majesty with the then President Francois Hollande in Paris in June 2014
The Queen, a ‘front row pro’, prefers sitting with her feet on the floor and knees aligned, but not quite touching.
‘This is the most basic and straightforward,’ says William. ‘Note in the photographs that their skirts always fall just below the knees – a trick of the trade for front row pros!’
Judi adds that this is ‘the most symmetric pose, suggesting the highest levels of confidence and status that emerge in a relaxed but still elegant look.
‘Symmetry like this is usually a sign of a well-balanced and uncomplex personality. The Queen sits straight but not tense, with her hands clasped lightly in the middle of her lap and her legs straight and uncrossed.
‘Her pose looks comfortable and authentic and the least self-conscious. With her bag on the floor and feet side-by-side she looks like the one most likely to enjoy the event she’s attending.’
Effort rating: ‘Very little, the Queen clearly adopted this seating position decades ago and looks relaxed and comfortable using it.’
The Cambridge Cross: ‘Formal and traditional’
The Duchess of Cambridge (pictured during a visit to Leicester with the Queen as part of her Jubilee Tour in March 2012) has fine-tuned a pose now known as the Cambridge Cross
The Duchess pictured at the first annual Royal Foundation Forum in February 2018 crosses her legs at the ankles to look refined and composed
Kate opts to keep her knees together and centred while crossing her legs at the ankles and planting her heels firm on the floor.
William says: ‘The Cambridge Cross, deployed by the Duchess of Cambridge, is — to my mind — the most elegant and easiest to perfect of the seated royal styles. It keeps the knees and ankles together while looking refined and composed.’
Judi notes: ‘The very long-limbed Kate uses what is probably the most formal, traditional and tense-looking pose, with the legs crossed discreetly at the ankles in true royal protocol style and her hands clasped over her bag on her lap.
‘As future queen, Kate is always very careful to get her body language right on public outings and although the torso and leg shapes plus the elongated neck look prim she always tops the look with a radiant and friendly smile.’
Effort rating: ‘Kate has perfected this more traditional look over the years, meaning it looks relatively natural for her.’
The Sophie Side Saddle: ‘Easy-going and fun’
The Countess of Wessex (pictured watching teams compete at the Wessex Cup in Fareham in June 2014) sits with her legs to the side, as though she was riding a horse side saddle
Sophie’s casual seated stance points to her ‘easygoing and fun’ personality. Pictured on a visit to LA in 2002
The Countess of Wessex, pictured on a visit to Qatar in November 2017, conveys the fact that she’s open and sociable through her relaxed seated position
The Countess of Wessex adopts a ‘side saddle’ stance during public events, which sees her legs slanted to one side with her body facing forward.
‘The Countess of Wessex’s “side saddle” seating position is good for more informal events and pulls the focus to the upper body and face rather than the legs – which is really where we should all be looking anyway,’ says William.
Judi adds: ‘This very relaxed look suggests a sociable personality with a strong desire to communicate or listen. The sideways lean looks easy-going and fun even though the forward-pointing legs suggest a more formal approach when necessary.’
Effort-rating: ‘Sophie looks very much as though she is being herself rather than posing here. She seems to be a great friend and confidant of the Queen and this discreetly sociable pose might fit the bill perfectly.’