| How Do I Address a Knight?
Dear Mr. Hickey:
We are having a guest who was recently knighted in Great Britain. What do I call him when I am speaking to him? Is it correct to address him as a knight in the US where there are no knights?
-- ATC, Summit, New Jersey
Dear ATC:
Use the forms on page 404. If you are sending an invitation, write his name as:
Sir (full name), (initials of the order, honors, decorations)
(Address)
You should be able to get the correct post-nominals (the initials of the order) when you get his name from your contact. If you are uncertain of what the initials mean, today it is very easy to do an internet search. You will find exactly what they mean in a matter of seconds.
If you are speaking to the knight, call him in conversation:
Sir (first name)
If your guest is not a subject (a citizen) of the United Kingdom -- see page 405. An American citizen would not be addressed as a knight in the US. For example, Rudolf Giuliani was knighted, but he's not orally address as "Sir Rudy". He is orally addressed as Mr. Guiliani and in a biography or introduction you could include he has been knighted by the Queen.
-- Robert Hickey
Privy Counselor? Privy Counsellor? or Privy Councillor?
Dear Mr. Hickey:
Which is the correct spelling of a member of the Privy Council? "counselor", "counsellor" or "councillor"?
--- JM in Ottawa
Dear JM:
In the United States "counselor" standard spelling for the word, but then again in the United States there is no Privy Council.
In the United Kingdom -- where there is one -- a member of the Privy Council is a "Privy Counsellor"
Link to the U.K. Privy Council Office's site where they use "counsellor"
In Canada, a member of the Privy Council is s "Privy Councillor"
Link to the Canadian Privy Council Office's site where they use "councillor"
I don't understand where the variant come from ... I just try and get them correct!
The correct Canadian form appears in my book as are the forms for the Speaker of the Senate, Senator, and members of the House of Commons who are Privy Councillors.
The correct British forms for Privy Counsellors appear on pages 362-363.
-- Robert Hickey
How Do I Introduce a Former British Prime Minister to a Former Mexican President?
Dear Mr. Hickey:
Your material is fascinating and very helpful. In the case of wishing to introduce the former British Prime Minister and former President of Mexico during a spoken address, what's the right form?
--- Katherine Littefield, New York
Dear Ms. Littlefield:
You didn't mention which individuals, but I am going to answer using Tony Blair and Vicente Fox. If you were going to introduce them to the audience -- here are some good forms:
Tony Blair would be The Right Honourable Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007. A British prime minister will have been appointed to the Privy Council, and as a Privy Counsellor is The Right Honourable for life.
Vicente Fox would be Vicente Fox, President of the United States of Mexico from 2000-2006. Mexicans don't use the courtesy titles when addressing their officials, so I'd use just (first name)+(last name) for Vincente Fox.
Of course you could describe them as formers. Or the United States we identify former Presidents by their number, e.g., the 43rd President. But maybe including the years provides a bit more information? So, do it however you like.
Using the formal country names (e.g., United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is correct .... just like we most formally say "The President of the United States of America."
FYI, I cover all this in my book: the UK, Mexico and more than 180 other countries.
-- Robert Hickey
Does a US Citizen Bow to a Foreign Head of State?
Does the President Bow to a Foreign King or Queen?
Mr. Hickey,
How deeply does a US citizen bow or curtsy when meeting a king or queen? Then as a follow-up, does the President of the United States bow or curtsy when meeting a king or queen on an official visit to their country?
-- Jennifer Ripley, Winchester, Tennessee
Dear Ms. Ripley,
I would follow the advice of Chris Young, President of the Protocol Diplomacy International / Protocol officers Association (he's also Chief of Protocol of the State of Georgia, and Director of International Affairs) when he says “Look no further than the U.S. Constitution, which states in Article I, Section 9, that ‘No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States.’ Those weren’t just words that prohibited Congress from naming someone a prince or princess, duke or duchess, lord or lady. Those words were clear signals that in the U.S. all persons are on equal footing: that no nobility would exist here and thus no one had to bow to anyone. Certainly people here have titles such as president, chief executive officer, mayor, chancellor, and the like, but none of those titles was encoded on someone’s DNA. Titles were to be ascending, earned through one’s own sweat equity and remarkable character, rather than descending, simply a generational bequeath to one’s progeny.”
So a US citizen when meeting a king or queen – in the United States or in the monarch’s country -- should simply offer nod of the head as a sign of respect and shake the hand of the monarch if it was offered. This contrasts with either a deep bow or curtsy which would be an appropriate sign of fealty from a subject.
Regarding the President. again I would quote of Chris Young, when he says both are “equals on the world stage. Both are heads of state …. the only order of precedence that exists between the two is usually an alphabetical one rather than one of rank.”
Since they are peers neither would bow to the other. So no, the President of the United States would perhaps offer nod of the head as a sign of respect and shake hands.
-- Robert Hickey Meeting The Queen and Prince Philip?
Touching the Queen of the United Kingdom?
Dear Mr. Hickey
When Barack Obama met Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip he called them “Your Majesty” and “Your Highness.” Was that right? Was Michelle Obama putting her arm around the queen wrong? I think it was nice.
-- Dana Harriman
Dear Ms.Harriman
First the form of address question -- a protocol question: The Queen of the United Kingdom, and every queen in the world, is directly addressed as Your Majesty. A queen's name is never used in direct address. When you hear “Queen Elizabeth” in the media, it’s sort of shorthand for Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom and Her Other Realms and Territories – which is a mouthful.
The Prince Philip is not a Highness, he is a Royal Highness, and the correct address would have been Your Royal Highness.
Even though The President's addres was a mistake, I am certain the whole thing was unimportant to the The Prince Philip. British royals are imminently familiar with Americans and our lack of practice with the forms of address used when addressing nobility.
Second the touching question -- an etiquette question: Mrs. Obama putting her arm around the Queen was a more "familiar" gesture than would be correct by British tradition. Ms. Obama's action does indicate that the Obamas were not as knowledgeable of British traditions as they might have been.
No one questions the Obamas sincerity or warmth, but the visit was not a personal visit for Barack, Elizabeth, Philip and Michelle ... it was an official, symbolic, photographed (and as such public) first meeting between heads of state. As such, a formal approach would have been appropriate for the situation.
If I met The President I would not go up and give him the big hug that is common between men in the US nowadays. Out of respect for him and his office ... I would not. He's entitled to his space!
Same with the Queen. There are a many ways to express warmth, sincerity, interest, and respect without touching -- and touching a royal person is not their tradition.
-- Robert Hickey
How to Address a Married Woman: Ms? or Mrs.?
In my country, we use the British forms of grammar etc. but I’m sure you can help with regard to the usage of the word “Ms.”
I will use it if I’m not sure that the lady is married e.g. “Ms. Jane Jones”
When I know she’s married and chooses to hyphenate her maiden and married names e.g. Jane Smith-Jones, I will address her as “Mrs. Jane Smith-Jones”.
However, I have been told that in this circumstance, she should be addressed as “Ms. Jane Smith-Jones”. Which is correct? With thanks,
Mary Lister (Miss) in the Trinidad
Dear Miss Lister:
I am not sure I can advise you of what to do in Trinidad & Tobago but I can tell you what I know is happening in the USA.
In the USA it is acceptable to address any woman you don't know personally as Ms. .... e.g., "Ms. Nancy Jones." "Ms." is an equivalent to "Mr." which defines gender but not marital status. Since it's against the law to discriminate on the basis of sex, age, marital status, etc. in employment .... Ms. removes non-pertinent info from the name.
When marital status is pertinent as in family activities (social), "Ms. Nancy Jones" may use "Mrs. Henry Jones" and "Mrs. Jones" too.
You may run into a woman who wants to be addressed as "Mrs. Nancy Jones" ... but it's increasingly more rare.
I have friends where the wife does not like "Mrs. Henry Jones" ... EVER .... she likes:
Mr. Henry Jones
and Ms. Nancy Jones
Address
Re: Hyphenated Names: If you encounter someone with a hyphenated name ... in the US we'd just use it as presented with "Ms." like you note: "Ms. Nancy Smith-Jones." Whether that's her married name ... or birth-family name ... doesn't enter into the use of honorific.
In the USA the use of "Miss" has been reduced to addressing girls of under ten or twelve years of age ... and once they have become a teenager ... they want to be "Ms." which they see as adult. I just taught a class of 42 students .. none knew anyone who used "Miss" professionally ... and only two people knew anyone who used "Miss" socially -- and they were elderly women. Full disclosure: I met one woman in her 30's last fall in New York at a speaking engagement who used "Miss" professionally.
All this said ... in doing the research on my book I found that women in the UK, Australia and Canada use "Miss" and "Mrs." professionally. But you don't see it in the USA: "Ms." has come ubiquitous.
-- Robert Hickey
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