Royal handwriting

[bumbershoot]

I've seen the Queen's signature, and the birth certificate for Baby Cambridge obviously has William's.   I'd be curious to see signatures for some of the other royals, not only in BRF but elsewhere.  Is William's signature characteristic for a left-handed person of his generation?

Most of us here in the U.S. were taught a method of cursive penmanship in which  our writing slants to the right. It seems to me that more Europeans' handwriting is strongly vertical.  Also, the method of shaping upper-case letters is different from what we have been taught.

Is there a name for the standard style of European handwriting? Is the British system very different from the continental of is it the same? Many of us were taught the Palmer Method of penmanship here in the U.S., although I'm mot at all sure what is taught today. Given the emphasis on computer skills, handwriting styles may not be emphasized to the extent to which they were when I was growing up.

And, while I'm at it, I've never seen an image of the wedding registry for William and Kate. I'd be curious to see how she signed her name? Did she use a surname at that time? Did Diana use one when she signed the wedding registry?

[Lady Adelaide]

Great idea. Here's some I found:


Kate Middleton



William and Kate



Harry



Diana

[Miss Waynfleet]

Harrys and Dianas are very similar. William, typical male handwriting. 

[sleepyvalentina]

I think cursive is going away. My husband's handwriting is similar to Will and Harry's. It's almost printing but with letters connected here and there. Most schools don't teach cursive anymore. My son is learning, but he goes to Catholic school. Made me happy. I'd be depressed if Catholic school handwriting went away.

[Little_star]

Queen Rania

[debbydeb]

Grace's looks like Diana's



Beatrix, at a young age

[debbydeb]

Old ones. I wonder if they write it themselves, or had scribes write for them.


Henry VIII, on the event of Catherine of Aragon's very delicate pregnancy. [transcript]



A letter from Queen Elizabeth I, to the people of Coventry, requesting that Mary Queen of Scots be detained in that city. [via]



Elizabeth I, aged 20, to Edward VI.  [transcript]



Edward VI writing in his diary upon learning of Henry VIII's passing. [transcript]

[bumbershoot]

It's interesting that Harry's handwriting looks so much more forceful and certain than William's. I make no pretense at having any expertise in handwriting analysis, but to my unschooled eye, William's looks like it was written by someone who is pretty much ungiving.

I was surprised at Grace's. It seems immature, somehow, which is why, to my eye, it does have elements in common with Diana's.

[AndFinally]

It's interesting that Harry's handwriting looks so much more forceful and certain than William's. I make no pretense at having any expertise in handwriting analysis, but to my unschooled eye, William's looks like it was written by someone who is pretty much ungiving.
 

The two examples are really apples and oranges.  William's is a quick note of thanks in a hotel guestbook while on holiday, whereas Harry's is an official public tribute to victims of a terrorist attack.  Depending on the context I think most people vary their writing in much the same way they do their voice when chatting to one of their friends on the phone versus chatting to their boss on the phone.  Everyone has a 'telephone voice' and, I suspect, we all have a handwriting equivalent.

From my personal experience, left-handed people tend to have somewhat messier/disjointed handwriting when compared to right-handers.  Probably a massive overgeneralisation on my part.

[debbydeb]

Anne:




Charles learning to write:



Elizabeth, Queen Mother:




Little William:




Queen Vic to Mary Todd Lincoln: [transcript]

[bumbershoot]

Sigh, people's handwriting is not what it used to be.  I think it will become a forgotten art.

[Diogenes]

Ummm ... right up there with telling the truth, don't you think?

[editorathome]

Ummm ... right up there with telling the truth, don't you think?

That's so true, Dio

[lellobeetle]

Royal Writing slides

[TLLK]

I think cursive is going away. My husband's handwriting is similar to Will and Harry's. It's almost printing but with letters connected here and there. Most schools don't teach cursive anymore. My son is learning, but he goes to Catholic school. Made me happy. I'd be depressed if Catholic school handwriting went away.

I agree. IMHO our brains and fine motor NEED the opportunity to use cursive writing. I know that CA has opted to keep cursive for now, but none of the teachers that I know really have time to teach it properly.