Princess Anne recalls how she was ‘taught to curtsy’ by a four-year-old girl in endearing moment on the day American legal academic was given an honorary knighthood

The Princess Royal recalled the moment an adorable four-year-old girl offered to teach her “how to curtsy” while also conferring an honorary knighthood on a legal scholar.

Sir Philip Bobbitt flew from Texas to receive his honorary knighthood for his services to “UK/US relations and public life” at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

Although they were honored by Princess Anne for their work in international security and constitutional law, the two recalled the charming moment one of their twins offered to show the royals how to curtsy.

After the ceremony, the American law professor revealed that he and the Princess Royal met in New York in 2023 – with their daughters in tow.

Revealing the moment he and Princess Anne recalled, he explained that one of his daughters curtsied upon meeting the royal.

Princess Anne and American scholar Sir Philip Bobbitt (pictured) recalled a lovely moment as he received an honorary knighthood today

The pair talked about the moment one of their twin daughters offered to teach the royals how to curtsy (Photo: Sir Philip Bobbitt and his family)

“And the Princess Royal commended her for her reverence,” said Sir Bobbitt.

‘And my son said, ‘See, it’s all behind. You have to keep your back straight’. She said, “I could show you.”

“She (Anne) and I just talked about it.”

The professor, once dubbed ‘Columbia’s James Bond’ by the New York Observer, said he was ‘extremely pleased’ to be an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

“It reminds me that I’m just a stand-in for the millions of Americans who are dedicated to the Anglo-American relationship,” he joked.

Describing it as a “great honour”, he added: “What I would like to highlight is that never in my life has this relationship (between the UK and the US) been so important.

‘Not just for both countries, but for the world itself.’

Sir Bobbitt currently lives between Austin and New York with his wife Maya Ondalikoglu Bobbit, as well as their four children – Pasha, Rebekah and twins Louisa and Eliza.

‘My son said, ‘See, it’s all behind. You have to keep your back straight’. She said, “I could show you,” he said

Sir Philip Bobbitt flew from Texas to receive his honorary knighthood for his services to “UK/US relations and public life” at Buckingham Palace on Friday.

The professor was once called ‘Columbia’s James Bond’ by the New York Observer

In total, he wrote ten books on political theory and history, including The Shield of Achilles, The Ages of American Law, and Terror and Consent: the Wars for the Twenty-First Century.

The new honorary knight also commented on the presidential race that is about to end between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Sir Bobbitt said: ‘It’s a very close election so there is a lot of uncertainty about the future.

“The underlying relationship is more than any individual, even the president, could really disrupt.

“It goes back to our shared culture and history and our faith in liberal democratic institutions.”