For those of us not raised in a country with official royalty, such as the United Kingdom, proper protocol is fascinating. For instance, when meeting Queen Elizabeth, women and girls are expected to offer a polite curtsy (men and boys will typically bow). A proper curtsy is performed by bending the knees while one foot is placed in front of the other. While it is a required polite act, it can also be exciting for a young one meeting the Queen, as it was for this sweet girl.
On this occasion, the Queen was visiting Cardiff in Wales to present new colors to the Royal Welsh Regiment, and spent time greeting soldiers and their family members. All dressed up in traditional Welsh clothing, complete with a bonnet, 6-year-old Maisie Gregory waited all day to meet Queen Elizabeth and hand her flowers, a longstanding tradition. Upon their meeting, Maisie went for it and promptly handed the Queen her flowers. A sweet curtsy followed. But what happened next was both unfortunate and hilarious.
After meeting Maisie, the royal guard standing nearby saluted Queen Elizabeth as she exited. His arm rose and he accidentally whacked poor little Maisie in the face! Her hat was knocked off and she shouted a little “Ow!” in surprise.
The Queen remained oblivious.
Soon after the soldier bent down and apologized to young Maisie. Her mother, Joanne Gregory accepted the apology in good humor.
Joanne told reporters that Maisie had been very excited for the moment. Said Joanne, “She took a bit of convincing initially,” referring to the early morning wake up Maisie had in anticipation of the meeting. “But when she realized she was going to meet the Queen she was quite happy to wear traditional Welsh clothes.”
Maisie’s father, Regimental Sergeant Major Mertin Gregory also remarked on how proud he was of the moment his daughter met the Queen, despite the little hiccup. “Maisie is absolutely fine. She was very excited to meet the Queen and there was a slight mishap. But she’s quickly forgotten about it and we’ve had such a great day.”
Maisie’s moment went viral, accumulating millions of views on Facebook.
The moment six-year-old Maisie Gregory was accidentally knocked in the face by a soldier saluting Britain’s queen was…
Posted by KGUN 9 On Your Side on Friday, June 12, 2015
