Wellwishers cheering The Queen were startled when the soldier she’d just spoken to suddenly sat himself down in the road.
Many thought he’d collapsed with heat exhaustion during the royal tour of Kendal, Cumbria.
But Her Majesty knew exactly what was going on and didn’t bat an eyelid.
The monarch understood what the crowds didn’t - that it was Fijian mark of respect for royalty.
Sgt Rusiate Bolavucu, 32, representing the Burma Company, part of the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster Regiment, was following an ancient tradition from his South Pacific homeland.
He said: ‘It is a traditional and cultural thing for people from Fiji to do when they meet a head of state. It is a way of showing respect.
‘The Queen has been to Fiji so she knows about it, and she had asked me where I was from, so she smiled when she saw what I was doing.’
It is very important to show respect to one’s elders or to those in authority in Fijian culture.
This is done through a variety of actions taking into account body posture and position, clothing and gestures.
In Fijian culture it is thought that good things come through the head and are passed down to the feet. It is important to make sure that one’s head is not above others in the room.
Men sit cross legged as it is rude to draw one’s knees up to the chest.
He was among other solders from the 1st Battalion, who had just returned from Afghanistan, and those from 4th Battalion the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, who all managed to say a few words to The Queen, who was accompanied by Princess Anne.
SOURCE: DAILYMAIL
"A gesture of respect accorded to Queen Elizabeth by a Fijian soldier serving in the Royal British Forces has gone viral on the internet."
Well, I learned something today!