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How to Greet The Queen

Royal Etiquette: This is how we should greet the queen.

Greet asHer Majesty, then asma'am

Do not bow or curtsy if you are not British.

Unless you areBritish, you do not have to curtsy in the presence of the queen.

According to ABC news*, British women do a small curtsy and men bow their heads when

meeting the queen.

"As an American when you're actually meeting the queen you don't have to do a curtsy or a

bow because she's not the head of the state of America," Paul Gauger, the director of regional

press for VisitBritain, offered his advice to 'Good Morning America'.

"What might be a nice sign of respect if you're agentleman, you can do a slight nod...and

some women, if they want to they can do a little bob.

Do not offer a handshake.

Royal Etiquette applies to not touching the queen or any member of the royal family.

We should wait for them to extend their hand. If they do, we must remember not to be excited

and shake too hard. Be nice and gentle.

That means no gripping it tightly or pumping it. Also, no hugs, no kiss on the cheek, no

touching the shoulder.

Let Her Majesty initiate the conversation with you.

Greeting the queen? Use "Your Majesty", then, "ma'am".

Greeting the U.S. president is "Mr President."

No Touch Rule of Royal Etiquette

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The Queen meets thousands of people each year in the UK and overseas. Before meeting Her

Majesty, many people ask how they should behave. The simple answer is that there are no

obligatory codes of behaviour - just courtesy.

However, many people wish to observe the traditional forms of greeting.

For men this is a neck bow (from the head only) whilst women do a small curtsy. Other

people prefer simply to shake hands in the usual way.

On presentation to The Queen, the correct formal address is 'Your Majesty' and subsequently

'Ma'am'.

Clothing wasn't just merely an insignificant thing in the days of Elizabethan England. In fact

it is quite significant that there is even a law related to it. These laws stated the colors as well

as the type of clothing an individual was allowed to own and wear.

These laws were called 'Statutes of Apparel" and was enforced by the Queen herself in

Greenwich on June 1574. The intent was to maintain social structure as well as to keep a firm

restrain on the people's expenditure towards clothing.

Basically, Elizabethan Clothing was a part of the social order. It is also indicative of a

particular person's status not only reflecting how wealthy or poor they are but also of their

social reputation. For example, back then it is absurd for a peasant to copy more well offindividuals through "luxurious" clothing which were only worn by upper classes.

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The upper class of Elizabethan England wore elegant and luxurious clothing that were made

of expensive velvet, exotic silk and satin. Only the members of the Royal Family were

allowed to own robes which were trimmed with ermine. Less noble folk wore clothing

trimmed with either fox or otter.

Quite the contrast to the luxurious clothing of the affluent was the clothing worn by peasants.

They wore clothing made of simple materials such as English cotton, wool and leather.

Woolen clothing was in fact quite popular among the working as well as domestic classes

since it was rather cheap and the wool trade saw a increase during the period.

Elizabethan Life

High Society. Society began to form along new lines in the Tudor years. If feudal Englandwas an age of community, Tudor England was one of individuality. Nobility and knights

were still at the top of the social ladder, but the real growth in society was in the merchant

class.

Nobles old and new. Within the nobility there was a distinction between old families and

new. Most old noble families were Catholic, and most new noble families were Protestant.

The upper classes were exempt from the new oaths of allegiance to the Church of England,

and many Catholic families maintained private chaplains.

Noble obligations. It is easy to think of the nobility as the idle rich. They may have been rich

(though not necessarily), but they certainly weren't allowed to be idle. Often, high office

brought debt rather than profit. Honorific offices were unpaid, and visiting nobles to England

were the responsibility of the English nobility to house and entertain at their own expense.

Appointment to a post of foreign ambassador brought with it terrible financial burdens. The

ambassador was expected to maintain a household of as many as 100 attendants.

Elizabethan progresses. The most expensive "honour" of all was that of housing Queen

Elizabeth and her household. Elizabeth hit on the clever scheme of going on constant

"progresses" about the country. Aside from the benefit of bringing her into closer contact

with her subjects, she saved a great deal of money by making the nobles with whom she

stayed foot the bill for her visit. Many nobles begged off the honour of her stay for fear ofbankruptcy. Incidentally, the "progresses" of Elizabeth account for the fact that there are so

many places today that advertise "Queen Elizabeth slept here". She slept just about

everywhere.

Nobility had other expenses besides the monarch. They maintained huge households, and

conspicuous consumption and lavish entertainment was expected.

The new merchant class. The Tudor era saw the rise of modern commerce with cloth and

weaving leading the way. A prosperous merchant class emerged from the ashes of theWars

of the Roses. The prosperity of the wool trade led to a surge in building in the active wool

areas. "Wool churches" can be seen today in theCotswolds,Lavenham, Leominster, andStamford, among others. The importance of the wool trade in late medieval and Tudor

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England cannot be overstated. Witness the inscription carved on a monument in a wool

church, "I thank God and ever shall, it was the sheep that payed for all".

Houses. House designs became more balanced and symmetrical, with E and H shapes

common, (possibly as a tribute to Elizabeth and Henry VIII). For the first time greater

attention was paid to comfort and less to defence. Battlements disappeared, arches becameflattened, and bay and oriel windows grew in size. Houses were often built around an inner

courtyard. The hall was still the centre of life, though now space was made in lofts for

servants to sleep. The winter parlour appeared, a forerunner of the modern dining room. It

acted as a family retreat area, and privacy began to be more prized. The walls were

commonly decorated with linen fold panelling and adorned with freshly cut boughs for scent.

Tudor houses were generally timber-framed. The oak timbers were usually left to the weather

rather than tarred black as is commonly seen in modern restorations and imitations. A new

feature of manor houses was the long gallery running the length of the upper floor. It was a

place for walks, games, and displaying art. There were few passages; one room opened

directly into the next. This also meant that privacy tended to be a foreign concept to mostpeople.

Houses began to be built with many more windows.Hardwick Hallin

Derbyshire was known by the rhyme, "Hardwick Hall, more glass than

wall". Elaborately carved oak staircases began to be featured in houses,

replacing circular stone stairwells.

Gardens were a vital feature of Tudor life. Both flower and herb

gardens were popular, with formal layouts of straight lines and walks.

Topiary made an appearance.

Meals were elaborate and large. Breakfast was simply a light snack,

while the main meal of the day was dinner, which began at 11 o'clock

and lasted for three hours. A smaller supper was usual at 6 o'clock. The lower classes had

dinner at noon and supper at 7 or 8 in the evening. The poor ate off wooden vessels, or

pewter, the rich off silver, glass, or delft from Holland. China ware was unknown.

Food was cooked over open fires. Meat was cooked on a spit which was sometimes turned by

a dog running on a circular treadmill attached to the spit end. Baking was done in iron boxes

laid on the fire or in a brick oven set into the side of the fireplace.

House Interiors. If the medieval period was one of beautiful work in stone the Tudor period

was one of beautiful woodwork. The movement began in the 15th century with church

carvings (screens, stalls, and pulpits), and by Elizabeth's time the carvings had spread to

house interiors. Walls were heavily panelled and furniture grew more elaborate, though it was

still heavy and sparse by modern standards. Sideboards became fashionable as a way to

display plate.

There were few chairs; stools or chests were used instead. Rushes, loose or plaited together to

form a rug, were used on the floors. These rushes were swept or replaced haphazardly, if at

all, early in Tudor times. They accumulated layers of filth and fleas over the years. By the

end of Elizabeth's reign, however, things changed, and the English acquired a reputation forcleanliness.

Tudor townhouse

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Great attention was paid to beds. The feather bed made an appearance, replacing the straw

mattress. Elaborate four poster beds were the mode, and were so highly valued that they are

given special mention in the wills of the time.

Literature. Latin was still the language of literacy, despite the success of Geoffrey Chaucer.

In 1589 Spenser's Faerie Queen was a revelation of the possibilities of the English languagein prose.

Plays and playwrights proliferated after 1580, notably Christopher Marlowe and William

Shakespeare. Plays were originally performed in the courtyard of inns, whose galleried

design influenced the later design of playhouses such as Shakespeare's The Globe (1599).

These theatres were open to the air in the centre, or pit. Performances were given in daylight,

due to the difficulty of lighting the stage and the unsafe nature of travel after dark.

Popular games included bowls, paume (the ancestor of tennis), tilting at quintain, bull and

bear-baiting, and cockfighting. Medieval tournaments were replaced by masques, a sort of

play or spectacle full of allegory. Sometimes fireworks, which had just been invented, were apart of the masque.

Practice with a long bow was still encouraged despite the advent of gunpowder and cannon.

Accuracy was expected; a law of Henry VIII decreed that no one 24 years of age or older

should shoot at a target less than 220 yards away. Early guns were incredibly slow and

proved useless in wet weather. Bowmen could afford to laugh at them.

wwworks/CC BY 2.0

Like shaking hands, the queen's visitors have to wait until she extends her hand to them.

As mentioned, no gripping or pumping handshakes. And definitely no hugs, no kiss on the

cheek, no touching the shoulder, putting your arm around the queen.

It is not socially acceptable to even take her elbow to direct her.

Recently, President Obama and Michelle Obama visited the Queen. Even when posing for a

picture, they stood apart with hands in the front without touching.

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Since Obamas are not subjects of the royal family, they did not need to bow or curtsy, though

President Obama was gracious to bow slightly from the waist as he met the queen and her

husband.

Royal Gift Giving EtiquetteGift giving is also part of the etiquette when meeting royalty. See alsoGift Giving Etiquette.

According to ABC news, The President and first lady gave the queen a video iPod with an

inscription with uploaded songs and accessories, plus a rare musical songbook signed by

Richard Rodgers.

The queen gave the president a silver framed photograph of herself and her husband, the

official picture she gives all visiting dignitaries.

What To Wear

Royal Etiquette'sdress codeis generally conservative though it is acceptable for women to

sport little sleeveless dresses.

In the article, "U.S. guide to royal etiquette: Don't call the Queen Liz", it says that the

Officials for the Governor of Virginia Tim Kaine seem apprehensive enough to devote an

entire page to royal etiquette for dresscode on his website.

It quotes, "Members of the Royal Family do not wish anyone to be put to unnecessary

expense by buying special clothes, hats or gloves."

I thought that was extra nice of them to think of others. :)

(There is even a Royal Welcome hotline for extra advice.)

ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-451559/U-S-guide-royal-etiquette-Dont-Queen-Liz.html

Royal Etiquette When In Conversation

If the queen chooses engage in politeconversationwith you, you should never ask anything

about their personal life for example her famous grand children, Prince Harry and Prince

William.

Never try to call her 'Queen' or "Elizabeth" or "Liz" whatever name you have heard in the

media.

Be natural, you don't have to mimic her british accent back to her when speaking.

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During the conversation, make gentle eye contact, look happy and be light hearted. But you

don't have to go and let loose your barrage of jokes either.

And oh, never turn your back on the queen.

Invited To Tea With The Queen

Teais usually served accompanied by small snacks, usually in a beautiful garden.

You might want to read up ontea etiquette. Such as, raising only the teacup to drink, not the

cup and saucer, and to return the cup to teh sauce after each sip.

Remember not to chew loudly, close your mouth with you chew, to take small bites, not

slurping, or talking with your mouth full. Also, remember not to stacking too much on one

plate! LOL.

Oh and last one, we should all stop eating after the queen takes her last bite.

SMALL TALK

When you first meet someone it can be difficult to know how to start a conversation,

especially if your first language is not English.

Which topics are safe for small talk?

- Introductions, eg "Hello. May I introduce myself? My name is Mark"

- Travel, eg "Did you manage to find here OK?" or "Did you have a good journey?"

- Family, eg "How is your family?" (but only if you already know about the person's family)

- Hospitality, eg "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

- The weather, eg "It's a lovely day today, isn't it?"

- Holidays, eg "Are you going anywhere this weekend?" or "Are you going anywhere on

holiday this year?"

- Nature, eg "The garden looks lovely, doesn't it?"

- Pets, eg "What a lovely dog. What is his name?" (British people love dogs or cats)

- General news, eg "What do you think about the recent floods?" (but safer to avoid gossipand politics)

- Films, eg "Have you seen the film Bridget Jones's Diary?"

- Television, eg "Did you see The X Factor last night?"

- Music, eg "What sort of music do you like?"

- Books, eg "Have you read any good books recently?" (but only if you know the person likes

reading)

- Sport, eg "Have you been watching Wimbledon?" (note that many British people, especially

men, enjoy talking about football)

- Hobbies, eg "What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?"

- Business, eg "How's your business going?" (but only ask if you know the person has a

business)- Studies, eg "What are you studying?" (but only ask if you know the person is a student)

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- Work, eg "What sort of work do you do?"

- Food, eg "I had a lovely Chinese meal last night - do you like Chinese food?"

- General matters about the person you are talking to, eg "Have you lived in this area long?"

- General matters on subjects that you know that interests the person you are talking to, eg

cars, film stars etc

Which topics are best avoided for small talk?

You may need to be careful when you talk about some topics, especially with people that

you've only just met, people who are older than you, people who appear to have strong

religious or political views, or people who may have some personal problems or sensitivities.

For example, be cautious if you discuss these subjects:

- Age, eg "How old are you?"

- Appearance or weight, eg "You seem to have put on some weight"

- Personal gossip about somebody you know

- Jokes that might offend (especially sexist or racist jokes)

- Money, eg "How much do you earn?"

- Sex (some people have strong religious views about this, or are embarrassed by the subject)

- Previous or current relationships, eg "Do you have a girlfriend?"

- Politics, eg "Who did you vote for at the last election?"

- Religion, eg "Do you believe in God?"

- Criticisms or complaints, eg "Why is British food so bad?"