Why do people show their backs to The Queen all the time in The Crown?
I've heard that you should never show your backside to the Queen. That means that leaving the room you walk backwards, and so on.
Yet in The Crown the vast majority of characters, and not just the Royals, constantly turn their backs on the Queen. I even read recently that the actual royals (in 2020) do not bow to one another, except for the Queen. Which makes this small detail pop even more.
What's going on there?
Best Answer
The practice appears to have just been less insisted-on over time. It was finally done away with in 2009 for 'health and safety' reasons (of course it was…)
I checked through a few newspaper reports from that time, this being the most concise (even if it is the Daily Mail) -
Other courtiers and royal visitors are allowed to turn their backs on her as they exit without any fear of causing any offence.
'It goes back to the times when it was considered terribly impolite to turn one's back on the sovereign,' he said.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'There was no major decision taken about walking backwards.
'The tradition just melted away because in most circumstances it wasn't realistic in the modern working world.
Apparently, even before then it had been reduced to a mere three steps backwards, then you were allowed to turn.
'The present Queen has always hinted that she's not particularly fussed by it,' he said.
'I think she takes the view that it's far better for someone to walk normally than to fall over.'
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Do you have to walk backwards away from the Queen?
The historic practice of walking backwards from the Queen has been banned on health and safety grounds. For centuries, anyone leaving a room after seeing the monarch has been expected to bow or curtsy and then walk backwards until they are out of the door.How do the Royals feel about The Crown?
And while the Queen's communications secretary told the New York Times that the royal family has no comment on The Crown and didn't say whether they even watch it, credible reports support that the Queen watched the first season, and though she \u201creally liked it,\u201d she had concerns that some of it had been \u201ctoo heavily ...Why do people back away from royalty?
The tradition of walking backwards when leaving the sovereign is believed to date back to medieval times. It was regarded as offensive for a courtier to turn his back on the king or queen, meaning for centuries those close to the monarch had to learn to take steps in reverse.What does the Queen do all day?
She is the Head of State, Head of Nation, Head of Commonwealth, Head of the Church of England, Head of the Armed Forces and Patron of Charities. Her calendar includes events such as visiting charities, hosting visiting Heads of State and meeting foreign ambassadors and high commissioners based in the UK.The Queen's advice on wearing a crown - BBC News
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