Here's When Prince George and Princess Charlotte Will Have to Start Bowing to the Queen

There are certain perks that come with being the Queen. Among them? People have to literally bow down to you (opens in new tab)—and that includes the rest of the royal family. Prince William, Kate Middleton (opens in new tab), Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle (opens in new tab) all have to bow or curtsey when they meet the Queen and again when they leave. Careful royal watchers have probably noticed that two members of the royal fam don't participate in this tradition: Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

That's all going to change soon, especially for Prince George. Hello! (opens in new tab) reports that the requirement to bow to Queen Elizabeth kicks in at an early age—usually around age five.

Marlene Eilers Koenig—a royal historian and the woman behind the Royal Musings (opens in new tab) blog— told Hello! that the bowing/curtsying tradition starts early. "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."

Since Prince George just celebrated his fifth birthday (opens in new tab) (on a private island (opens in new tab), no less), that means we can expect to start seeing him bow down to his great grandmother at public appearances very soon.

Charlotte, who is only three years old, probably has a couple more years of curtsey-free interactions with her great grandma. Although, knowing Charlotte and her penchant for stealing all of the attention (opens in new tab) when cameras are out, her curtseys will probably be next level adorable when she does start. Prince Louis, who is still a newborn and doesn't even know what a bow or curtsey is yet, obviously doesn't have to worry about this any time soon.