King Charles III arrives in France this Sunday, for a three-day official visit.
If you find yourself in Paris or in the Bordeaux region, you might well come across His Majesty (well, "
His Majesty The King
") shaking hands or tasting delicious canelés.
What makes some wonder:
by the way
, what behavior to adopt in front of the monarch?
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Officially, "there is no mandatory code of conduct," says the official website of the British monarchy.
Nevertheless, some rules and formulas of courtesy are in order.
According to tradition, to greet the King of England, men should bow their heads slightly downward.
Women perform a curtsey, which consists of a brief genuflection, the right foot behind the left heel, the head tilted downwards.
However, a handshake may suffice.
In this case, it will be up to Charles III to reach out to you, and not the other way around.
Moreover, if there is little chance that you will come across Charles III inside a building, here is what to remember for all intents and purposes: when the king enters a room, everyone gets up and stand up.
Or more or less the same convenience as the headmistress of primary school suddenly arriving in the classroom to hand over the report cards.
Simply "Sir"
To address him, we immediately forget the "Mr. King of England", which is an abuse of language.
Indeed, Charles III is not “king of England”, but in reality that “of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.
To greet him, simply use "Your Majesty", then if the exchange continues, you can call him "Sir".
Queen Elizabeth II, she called herself "ma'am" (contraction of "madam" to pronounce "maham").
For the rest of the conversation, it is still the king who leads the way.
Moreover, according to the strictest tradition, we do not ask the monarch a question, quite simply, we read in
Paris Match
.
Watch out for selfies!
Another rule to keep in mind, and not the least: it is forbidden to touch the king.
That said, many Britons (especially women) have been seen breaking protocol to hug - even kiss - Charles III, during his walkabouts following the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.
Finally, even if you want to keep a souvenir of your meeting with Charles III, avoid "selfies".
Considered vulgar, autographs and selfies are prohibited for members of the royal family.
Trade with the king, okay;
pose with him in front of the lens, it's "
no
".
And God Save the King.
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