Sam Smith Embarrassed Himself in Front of the Royal Family, Blames 'Downton Abbey'

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(Image credit: Archives)

published 13 November 15

Sam Smith, like all of us, watches too much Downton Abbey. But unlike the rest of us, he gets to blame a hilariously awkward moment on said show—a moment that occurred while meeting Prince William and the Royal Family. (NBD.)

While chatting with Jimmy Fallon, the Brit explained his minor mistake. "My issue is that I watch too much Downton Abbey," said Smith. "You get instructions: They say you've got to bow with one arm behind your back. If someone tells you to bow—I properly went for it!"

That he did. Jimmy Fallon held up the image of Smith meeting Prince William, and that image is definitely worth more than 1,000 words. Watch:

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Samantha Leal

Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.