Stay standing as long as all royalty is standing unless you are directed to sit down. For example, if you are going to be having dinner, wait until all the royalty is seated before you pop a squat. If you’re unable to stand, remain seated, but be sure to devote your attention to the royal when they enter the room, and bow your head to show respect.
If you might meet a royal soon and you’ve never curtsied before, maybe practice it a little beforehand. The only thing worse than forgetting to bow or curtsy in a royal’s presence would be stumbling while doing so!
You only need to use “Your Majesty” and “Your Royal Highness” when addressing a royal for the first time. If you address them after the first time, call them “Ma’am” if addressing a woman (it rhymes with “jam”) or “Sir” if addressing a man. If you mess up, don’t stress too much: you’re not the first one to forget the rules, and most royalty will overlook it. They may even find it refreshing!
The best alternative is to simply say “Hello,” or you can use the widely accepted “How do you do?” Definitely avoid overly casual greetings like “What’s up?” or “What’s shakin’, Your Majesty?”
There have been one or two instances where the Queen of England put her arm around someone and the person reciprocated the action, but don’t count on this. Follow the lead of royalty, but never do something like this unless they do it first. This is partly a security measure, but it’s also a matter of respect. It’s considered unbefitting to touch royalty.
If you do have tea and snacks with royalty, never slurp your tea loudly, and take small bites of the food. Slurping and crunching loudly are sure ways to look foolish in front of royalty. As a matter of fact, don’t slurp or crunch in front of anyone, ever. Never chew gum when you are meeting royalty, as this is disrespectful. (You could pull a Violet Beauregard and stick it behind your ear, but it might be seen this way, so best to just spit it out. )
Though many traditions around interacting with royalty serve as reminders of their class, remember that royals, like celebrities, are people too: you don’t want strangers poking around in your personal life, and neither do they!
If you’re a man, wear a suit, or at least dress pants, and a button-up shirt and tie. If you’re a woman, dress conservatively in either a pantsuit, slacks with a blouse that covers well, or a long dress paired with a sweater or cardigan. Of course, if you see King Charles strolling through the park and you’re wearing your nasty, tattered sweats, it can’t be helped. Take a little bow. He understands.
