royalty etiquette

Just in case...

From Martin Higgins, former butler at Buckingham Palace

The cardinal rule with British royals: Don’t speak unless spoken to. “An absolute no-no,” Higgins says. The first time you meet a royal on any given day, use the highest applicable official address: “Your Majesty” for the queen; “Your Royal Highness” for a prince. For a complete listing of royal and noble titles, consult Burke’s Peerage or DeBrett’s Peerage. The rest of the day, use “sir” or “ma’am” (which rhymes with ham, not hum). Women should curtsy; men can nod their heads. Royals proffer their hands first, and handshakes should be short and not too hard. Avoid turning your back on the queen unless it can’t be helped, as when you’re being introduced in a group setting or if you’re at one of the royals’ large garden parties.

At a meal, the head royal begins to eat first unless there’s a visiting sovereign, which has led to some amusing confusion when the king of Country X waits for the queen to start while she’s waiting for him. Take a bit of each dish, and don’t ask for anything; what you see is what you get. When the head royal is done with her course, you’re done too. If you drop something, pretend nothing happened; servants will discreetly tend to it.

Now that I know, I should expect an invitation to dine at Buckingham Palace.

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Happy Wednesday.

Tonight watched episodes 7-10 from the box set of season six of Smallville. Lex Luthor is not a nice person.