OUTRAGEOUS, isn’t it? Simply unacceptable. I'll never recover from what I just saw.
This was presumably Arlene Foster’s internal monologue as she saw the absolutely shocking footage of Nicola Sturgeon meeting the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse this week.
The First Minister met the head of state during her week in Edinburgh, presenting her with a limited edition bottle of Johnnie Walker whisky and a specially made tartan blanket to mark the Jubilee.
The Queen smiled happily during the exchange and asked questions about the presents, before she and Sturgeon held their private talks.
All looked pretty relaxed – but over in Northern Ireland, the former DUP leader’s blood was boiling.
Foster leapt onto social media to express her outrage over Sturgeon failing to curtsy for the Queen, doing so quickly enough that she couldn’t spell her words correctly.
The former First Minister of Northern Ireland wrote: “Why did’t she curtsy ??
Why did’t she curtsy ?? It was one of the greatest privileges I had as FM of NI to curtsy to members of the royal household including HM the Queen. https://t.co/DHMyKrr1M0
— Arlene Foster DBE PC #ProudofNI. (@ArleneFosterUK) June 29, 2022
“It was one of the greatest privileges I had as FM of NI to curtsy to members of the royal household including HM the Queen.”
Well done Arlene, we were starting to doubt your Unionist credentials. Thank you for reminding us that you are in fact a Unionist.
Maybe Foster watched the footage in such a blind rage over Sturgeon’s indyref2 plans that she just didn’t notice the respectful gesture that the FM chose to do upon entering the room.
As she came down the stairs into the space, Sturgeon stopped and bowed her head before continuing to walk over and shake the monarch’s hand.
It is a FACT that there is no obligatory code of behaviour when you meet the Queen. While it’s traditional for women to curtsy and men to bow their head, it’s not required.
So there was absolutely nothing disrespectful about Sturgeon’s head bow – it just so happens that historically it has been men who do this gesture, according to the royal family themselves.
READ MORE: Government memo reveals Queen's secret influence on Scottish laws
The First Minister has been clear that the Queen will remain the head of state after independence, and she has been nothing but polite to the monarch during her time leading Scotland.
So, GB News presenters like Foster may need to try a little harder if they want their supporters to think Sturgeon is a terrible anti-monarchy thug with no manners.
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