It’s long been a rule of the Royal House of Windsor that members of the public can bow or curtsy to the Queen and her family if they wish, but there’s no expectation that they do so.

But what should we make of those who choose not to, but are ready to kowtow to foreign Royalty or Heads of State?

It’s well-known that the Prime Minister’s wife, Cherie Blair, has Marxist tendencies, and refuses even to lean forward an inch when greeting Her Majesty. Forthcoming excuses in the past have included that she often wears trousers which make it uncomfortable to curtsy.

And yet, as the picture shows, she’s quite willing to tilt the head significantly for the King and Queen of Norway. Other photographs published in a national newspaper show her bowing to the President of China and even the wife of the Emir of Qatar.

Doesn’t this indicate a monstrous chip on the shoulder when you’ll bow to anyone except your own Sovereign?

Happily, our no-nonsense Monarch simply ignores the slight, and beams radiantly at Cherie’s ramrod-straight torso.

Now that’s Class!