When you can't win, you can't win.
For all the day-to-day business of running the country, the life of the Prime Minister also takes in a huge number of public events at which Theresa May is asked to shake hands, bow, curtsy and the like to our reptilian overlords/monarchs (delete as appropriate).
One such event was held yesterday at Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France, where they were commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Amiens, one of the final clashes of the First World War.
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Naturally, the British state was out in force, Prince William leading the delegation on behalf of the Queen.
When Theresa May was introduced to him - though surely, being the Prime Minister and the future King n'all, they already know each other, right? - she went for one of her trademark hilarious curtsies, lunging at the Duke of Cambridge in a way that nobody at all found awkward.
It wasn't long before people took to Twitter, with one user writing: "Watching Amiens commemoration on Sky. Once again, May nearly smashes her head off the pavement, in a grotesque curtsy to Prince William. No one else does it. They simply do a nod on the head."
"May's completely ridiculous curtsy again completely out of kilter with everyone else," wrote another.
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They do kind of have a point: while May loves a curtsy, they really aren't required by anyone. She's done the lunge in front of the Queen, Kate Middleton and Prince Charles as well, with equally hilarious consequences.
And let's not even mention the time that she held Donald Trump's hand, because that was way to weird to even begin to unpack here.
Debrett's, the go-to guide on etiquette vis a vis our reptilian masters, says that "the curtsy should be a discreet but dignified movement, with a slow rise, maintaining eye contact."
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"Low sweeping curtsies, although usually well meant, are best reserved for the amateur dramatic stage and can be the subject of some amusement in royal circles," they added.
So if you ever meet a royal, there you go. Don't curtsy, it looks silly.
And if your job includes meeting royals once a week, then maybe, y'know...wise up.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: prince william, theresa may, Politics
