Joan Collins' Meet Up With The Royal Family Didn't Go Exactly As Planned

Dame Joan Collins has long been a passionate royalist, and has met the royal family a number of times. However, that's not to say she's immune to the odd protocol slip-up. In fact, in her 2023 memoir, "Behind the Shoulder Pads: Tales I Tell My Friends," she revealed that she'd forgotten to curtsy to a senior royal at Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. 

As royal watchers may remember, Collins played a pretty big role in the late queen's jubilee celebrations. She featured in the Dames in Jags procession to Buckingham Palace, front and center. Collins also spoke with Sky News ahead of the event, gushing over the experiences she'd had with the family over the years. In particular, she praised the royals, naming Elizabeth II, as well as the now-Prince and Princess of Wales, in particular, for being so laid-back, despite their status. Little did she know, just two days later, she'd be even more grateful for that. 

As Collins recounted in her memoir, after an exhausting two hours in the procession, she was all too excited to decompress with a cup of tea. She did just that — but in her tired state, an unexpected arrival at the green room prompted her to forget some royal protocol. And just like that, Joan Collins didn't crack a curtsy. 

Joan Collins' appearance in the Dames in Jags procession was a hit, to say the least. In fact, as she shared in her memoir, a number of the royals, including the now-king and queen, had waved at her as they approached the royal box, post-motorcade. Evidently, though, the Duchess of Cambridge missed that, and opted instead to pop in for a more intimate greeting once Collins had settled into the green room. According to the "Dynasty" alum, Kate Middleton had walked in and offered a handshake greeting. "'Hello, ma'am,' I gulped, forgetting to curtsy," she recounted in her memoir. 

Clearly, the duchess wasn't at all fazed. In fact, Collins wrote that almost immediately after their handshake, she was introduced to Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. And, even if she hadn't observed the regular protocol, she wrote that the two young royals were incredibly well-mannered, themselves. "Both little people held out their tiny hands politely for a handshake," she shared. 

No word on whether the then-Cambridges had caught wind of Collins' comments on the Sky News interview a few days prior. In addition to her notes that the family was exceptionally laid-back, she'd also spoken about how lovely it was to see Prince Louis at his first royal events, and mused that she believed Princess Charlotte was a royal star in the making. Way to endear herself to the duchess!

Tiredness aside, perhaps another thing that influenced Joan Collins' forgetfulness regarding protocol was the fact that she and the Princess of Wales have met a number of times over the years. In fact, Collins has been pictured with the princess at two other events, including a 2014 Buckingham Palace reception honoring the dramatic arts, and the 2017 Royal Variety Performance. 

It's worth noting that Collins also mentioned a sweet exchange she and the future queen consort had at the former in her memoir. According to the author, while at the reception, she and the duchess had chatted about motherhood. What's more, Collins wrote, the then-mom-of-one had told her she was looking forward to extending her brood. Not long after, she'd done just that, welcoming Princess Charlotte in 2015 and then Prince Louis in 2018. It's almost poetic, then, that several years later, Collins had an opportunity to meet both of them at the Platinum Jubilee.

Just shy of a year after her curtsy-less run-in with Kate Middleton, Collins was invited to be a part of another royal event. Per British Vogue, this time, it was for a sketch used at King Charles III's coronation concert. It's safe to say, then, that there were never any hard feelings. That said, something tells us the next time Collins sees Middleton, she won't be forgetting any protocol.