Meghan Markle not meeting with Trump during upcoming visit to UK

[Hekate]

31. I don't know about that "standard protocol" bit. Miss Manners is quite firm on the subject...

...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.