How to perfect the Queen's iconic wave, according to a former royal butler

• The Queen's signature wave is ideal for social distancing.
• Although it's iconic, it's actually pretty easy to copy yourself — especially when you have instructions from the royal family's former butler, Grant Harrold.
• Harrold told Insider you can mimic Her Majesty's wave by moving your hand in "a circular motion, spinning the hand forward."
• Meanwhile, royal expert Victoria Arbiter previously said the key is not to "get too excitable."

The Queen's wave is well-known to royal fans across the world.

It's something that makes Her Majesty stand out when greeting her fans from the Buckingham Palace balcony at Trooping the Colour each year.

While this year's Trooping the Colour won't go ahead in the same capacity due to social distancing regulations, the monarch is still planning to watch a smaller military ceremony at Windsor Castle for her birthday on Saturday.

It's likely, then, that the waiting cameras will still be able to catch a glimpse of the Queen's wave this year.

Here's how to emulate the wave yourself, according to the royal family's former butler, Grant Harrold.

"From what I've seen over the years, they [the royal family] all have got a unique wave," Harrold previously told Insider.

"George VI's wave involved motioning his hand back and forward almost in an electronic motion.

"The Queen has taken this a step forward, with a circular motion, spinning the hand forward," he added.

Meanwhile, royal expert Victoria Arbiter previously said the Queen's wave stands out because it "doesn't get too excitable."

"It's a vertical hand with a slight twist from the wrist, a classy affair that oozes decorum but doesn't get too excitable," Arbiter said in 2012.

The wave is perfect for social distancing, and it's easy enough for even children to pick up.

In recent years, Princess Charlotte has mimicked her great-grandmother's wave in public, most famously at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

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