Meeting Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of England must be a daunting task. There’s the whole etiquette thing you have to adhere to. What if you say something wrong? What if you accidentally sneeze in the Queen’s face? Luckily for Meghan Markle, boyfriend Prince Harry is teaching her the ins and outs of royal etiquette, e.g. when to curtsy, when to say “thank you”.
There’s certain royal protocol to be followed when meeting Queen Elizabeth. And although there’s no specific rules, it’s still important to know what to do. For instance, women are expected to curtsy while men slightly bow their necks. You address her as Your Royal Highness followed up by ma’am – not jam. One also has to follow the Queen’s lead. You can’t sit down until she has done so, nor can you begin eating until she pops a morsel of food into her mouth. The guests will always arrive after the Queen.
While one is allowed to shake the Queen’s hand, it is absolutely forbidden to touch any member of the monarchy. Dinner is another story. Placement is important, especially the guest of honour who gets to sit opposite the Queen. She will speak to the VIP first before anyone else, followed by the person on her left. Royal protocol has been transgressed in the past like when Michelle Obama hugged the Queen.
Meghan Markle needs to know what to do when meeting with Queen Elizabeth. If she messes it up it’ll not only be an embarrassment to her, but it’ll also be talked about for decades. That’s why the dashing Prince Harry is teaching her the rules. According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, “Harry will have made sure Meghan knew how to address the queen and how to behave in her presence. He calls her ‘Granny,’ but after Meghan had curtsied and called her ‘Your Majesty,’ she would have reverted to ‘ma’am.’”
We’re anxiously awaiting the engagement announcement, which should for all intents and purposes be ready before the end of the year. Prince Harry might be held back by his grandmother’s disapproval, or he just hasn’t proposed yet.
Can Prince Harry and Meghan Markle make it work? Will the Queen give them her blessing? Or is the monarchy a hypocritical institution filled with potato heads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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