# Davy Jones' Royals bio series--Does Princess Marg. have to curtsey to nephew? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776 "2003-09-25T16:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/1 "2003-09-25T16:09:16Z")
This is in reference to a bio on Princess Margaret that I just saw. I can understand why Princess Margaret would have to defer to Prince William, and maybe Prince Harry. But why does she have to curtsey to Prince Edward’s wife, (as Jones pointed out, a former used-car salesman’s daughter)? And by virtue of the more modest title that Prince Edward was given, his wife is only a Countess. Shouldn’t a Countess always have to defer to any Princess? And, incidentally, it seems like everybody in the royal family has to actually curtsey or bow to those of higher rank, except the Queen. Seems like another awful feature of this anachronism. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/2 "2003-09-25T16:12:59Z")
I think it would be highly unfair to demand that Princess Margaret curtsies to anyone given that she’s dead. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/3 "2003-09-25T17:02:19Z")
Prince Edward is a higher rank than Princess Margaret. The wife of Prince Edward gets the benefit of his rank. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/4 "2003-09-25T18:12:08Z")
[/quote] I think it would be highly unfair to demand that Princess Margaret curtsies to anyone given that she’s dead. [/quote] How does one tell? ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/5 "2003-09-25T18:23:41Z")
She’s stopped drinking ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/6 "2003-09-26T14:01:24Z")
The order of precedence for the Royal Family doesn’t depend on peerage titles (although remember that Princess Margaret was also a countess) nor does it follow the line of succession. The rules instead depend on the individual’s relationship to the current monarch. The order for men is as follows: The Sovereign [The Husband of a Queen Regnant] The Heir Apparent The Sovereign’s Younger Sons The Sovereign’s Grandsons The Sovereign’s Brothers The Sovereign’s Uncles The Sovereign’s Nephews The order for women is more complicated, because, as **acsenray** has pointed out, most women take the rank of their husbands. Basically, the wives rank immediately below those female blood relatives who stand in the same relation to the Sovereign as their husbands. This produces the following line-up: The Queen The Queen Dowager/Queen Mother The Princess of Wales The Sovereign’s Daughters Wives of the Sovereign’s Younger Sons [=Countess of Wessex] The Sovereign’s Granddaughters Wives of the Sovereign’s Grandsons The Sovereign’s Sisters [=Princess Margaret] Wives of the Sovereign’s Brothers The Sovereign’s Aunts Wives of the Sovereign’s Uncles The Sovereign’s Nieces Wives of the Sovereign’s Nephews If it’s any consolation, Prince Edward will be demoted below William and Harry as soon as Prince Charles becomes King, in exactly the same way that Princess Margaret found herself demoted below Princess Anne in 1952. As to whether Princess Margaret ever had to curtsey to the Countess of Wessex, I very much doubt it - by the time Sophie married Edward, Princess Margaret had already been confined to a wheelchair. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/davy-jones-royals-bio-series-does-princess-marg-have-to-curtsey-to-nephew/203776/7 "2003-09-26T14:07:57Z")
The order of precedence for the Royal Family doesn’t depend on peerage titles (although remember that Princess Margaret was also a countess) nor does it follow the line of succession. The rules instead depend on the individual’s relationship to the current monarch. The order for men is as follows: The Sovereign [The Husband of a Queen Regnant] The Heir Apparent The Sovereign’s Younger Sons The Sovereign’s Grandsons The Sovereign’s Brothers The Sovereign’s Uncles The Sovereign’s Nephews The order for women is more complicated, because, as **acsenray** has pointed out, most women take the rank of their husbands. Basically, the wives rank immediately below those female blood relatives who stand in the same relation to the Sovereign as their husbands. This produces the following line-up: The Queen The Queen Dowager/Queen Mother The Princess of Wales The Sovereign’s Daughters Wives of the Sovereign’s Younger Sons [=Countess of Wessex] The Sovereign’s Granddaughters Wives of the Sovereign’s Grandsons The Sovereign’s Sisters [=Princess Margaret] Wives of the Sovereign’s Brothers The Sovereign’s Aunts Wives of the Sovereign’s Uncles The Sovereign’s Nieces Wives of the Sovereign’s Nephews If it’s any consolation, Prince Edward will be demoted below William and Harry as soon as Prince Charles becomes King, in exactly the same way that Princess Margaret found herself demoted below Princess Anne in 1952. As to whether Princess Margaret ever had to curtsey to the Countess of Wessex, I very much doubt it - by the time Sophie married Edward, Princess Margaret had already been confined to a wheelchair.