Meghan Markle not meeting with Trump during upcoming visit to UK

at least until the little one has had some of his immunity shots.

Good for her for skipping this.

and strong Hillary supporter.

show up, she'd let them hold the baby and take pictures.

...of being true.

Michelle couldn't...

Washington, who'd have loved to have the gift but instead took care to avoid making babies cry.

Oh, well.

nobility of another country. Unfortunately, too many Americans do this, but it offends me enormously. I have great respect and admiration for the British Royal Family, and I would love to meet pretty much any of them. But no, I would not curtsy.

Mostly because it looks and is ridiculous. I’m not into any form of submission. Period. Body language is extremely important and is just as important as verbal communication or what kind of facial expression you choose.

their spouses, to curtsy to foreign royalty.

Angier Biddle Duke, JFK's chief of protocol, told a very poignant story related to this.

When she and JFK made their first state visit to England, Jacqueline Kennedy asked Duke whether she should curtsy to the Queen. "No," he said. "Heads of state and their wives don't go around curtsing to one another."

Fast forward two years later - after JFK's funeral, Jackie received guests in the family quarters of the White House. Prince Philip was there to pay his respects (the Queen didn't attend because she was pregnant). When she greeted him, Jackie curtsied. Duke was surprised because, he said, Jackie never got protocol wrong. Noticing the expression on his face, she said softly, "I'm no longer the wife of a head of state."

of this country are still not required and I sure as hell wouldn't. Protocol be damned. I'm a complete egalitarian.

I am also the person who, when a ticket agent at National Airport in Washington DC treated all passengers alike, regardless of their station. I once ten minute time ruled* a CAB board member, to his utter astonishment. I also wrote a note on a ticket for Admiral Zumwalt that he had to show his military ID when he checked in, because some flunky came to the airport to buy the ticket, and I knew I shouldn't write a military discount ticket without seeing the ID of the service member in question. Plus, are you freaking joking? A fucking ADMIRAL buying a military discount ticket?

*the ten minute time rule said that if you didn't show up at the ticket lift position, normally at the gate but with my airline at the ticket counter which was easily a ten to fifteen minute walk to the gate, at least ten minutes before departure, we could simply cancel your reservation and say, "Tant pis". Or in English, "Too bad". We used it mainly to protect ourselves from oversales. I don't think that the time I ten minute time ruled the CAB board guy that was an issue, but he showed up at the counter about three or four minutes before departure time and too bad, he wasn't going to make it. When he said he was with the CAB I said that in that case, he should know the rules. He was incredibly astonished, then asked me if he could use my phone to call someone. I almost showed him where the pay phones were, but figured I'd already pushed my luck. I bet he was never late for a flight ever again.

...of correct American manners when greeting or being introduced to foreign dignitaries of any stripe, and in our country this goes back to 1776. Dignity and simplicity.

Protocol, page 591
Curtsying, page 594
Regarding the privileges of royalty: "...they do not have the right to receive physical obeisance from American citizens." This includes curtsying, bending the knee, touching one's forehead to the ground, etc.

Page 596: And from Queen Victoria herself do an American woman who wondered what to do next after their introduction (subjects would curtsy or bow and back out of the room): "You need not curtsy, but turn and walk out."

Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, by Judith Martin

Altho Miss Manners believes in the American handshake (and how I wish Trump would stick to that instead of giving a military salute to dictators), I think President Obama was correct to give a slight formal bow to the aged Emperor of Japan for two reasons: first, as far as I could tell it was a degree of bow as between equals; second, Obama is so much taller than Emperor Akihito that even shaking hands would have caused him to need to bend over.

Under State Department protocol, while not required, a bow or curtsy to royalty is customary and appropriate (we're talking a dip of the head or a slight bob, not a bend at the waist or deep, formal curtsy).

when she was pregnant.

You nailed THAT one!

Whatever her, reason, I am glad she is keeping herself and her newborn baby far away from that disgusting creep and his repulsive family. I wish Harry would join her.

......... .........

As she should

All of the royals should snub the orange buffoon. Their stock would rise significantly with the UK populace.