Proper Behaviour for Royal Visit

dublin | animal rights | feature Thursday February 21, 2008 21:57 by HRH

Good behaviour will result in more Royal Visits

How not to do it: man in hat pulls
princess to floor in breach of etiquette

An Indymedia contributor has kindly presented a guide for proper behaviour during the visit of a middle aged British woman this weekend. Selection below:

How to address the Royal Person:
The Princess Royal should be addressed simply as "Your Royal Highness" initially, and "Ma'am" as the conversation progresses.

Curtsy/Bow
Gentlemen should acknowledge the Royal presence with a bow, ladies with a curtsy.

Men: lower the shoulders and tip the head forward with just a little more than a nod of the head; start with eye contact, then lower the gaze to the floor.

Women: the right foot is placed behind the left heel, and the knees bent. Lower the gaze.

........
1. There is no requirement for hats to be worn, though it is entirely acceptable to do so. Hats are not normally worn at functions after 6:30 p.m.

Use the comments to add your own tips

The Full Guide:
It is announced that Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, The Princess Anne, Colonel-in-Chief of the The King's Royal Hussars, The Royal Corps of Signals, The Royal Logistic Corps, and The Royal Army Veterinary Corps; Colonel of the The Blues and Royals, Royal Colonel of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland and of the The 52nd Lowland Regiment, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, will be visiting the city of Dublin, Ireland, at the weekend.

The Princess Royal will be a guest of the Irish Rugby Football Union, at the match against Scotland being held in Croke Park in Dublin's North Inner City.

Members of the public and readers of indymedia.ie may come in contact with the Princess Royal, so there follows a brief guide to protocol and procedures which should be followed:

How to address the Royal Person:
The Princess Royal should be addressed simply as "Your Royal Highness" initially, and "Ma'am" as the conversation progresses.

Curtsy/Bow
Gentlemen should acknowledge the Royal presence with a bow, ladies with a curtsy.

Men: lower the shoulders and tip the head forward with just a little more than a nod of the head; start with eye contact, then lower the gaze to the floor.

Women: the right foot is placed behind the left heel, and the knees bent. Lower the gaze.

It is quite in order to shake hands if the opportunity presents itself and a member of the Royal Family offers to do so. It is however advisable to wait for the Princess to offer to shake hands before proffering your own hand. It is preferred otherwise that the Princess should not be touched.

Dress
The Princess Royal does not wish anyone to be put to unnecessary expense by buying special clothes, hats or gloves. The following points may, however, be of use in answering queries:

1. There is no requirement for hats to be worn, though it is entirely acceptable to do so. Hats are not normally worn at functions after 6:30 p.m.
2. There is no requirement for gloves to be worn. However, if a woman wishes to wear gloves, they need not be white and should not be taken off before the wearer is presented.
3. Where black tie and long evening dress are called for, cocktail dress, national dress and dark lounge suit are also acceptable.