How to Address the King of Saudi Arabia?
      This afternoon I am to draft a congratulatory message for the National Day of Saudi Arabia to the King of Saudi Arabia in his capacity as Prime Minister and would welcome your expertise.  What would be the appropriate form of address both on the envelope and in the salutation?
             -- Renata Bankoff

Dear Ms. Bankoff:
   The King of Saudi Arabia has a special courtesy title all to himself and there is a form of address to use it:
       Envelope:     The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques
                             The King of Saudi Arabia
                             (Address)
       Salutation:   Your Majesty:
    Two holy mosques are the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.
    I suppose you could list under his name that he was also prime minister, but being king pretty much trumps being the PM.
    FYI, your question is answered in my book on page 420 in a chapter where I cover the forms of address for every current noble head of state in the world.
               -- 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 royal chief of state in the United States or in the monarch’s country -- should simply offer a nod of their head (the sort of acknowledgement one might grant to anyone when you meet them as a sign of respect) and shake the hand of the monarch if it was offered. This contrasts with whatever might be an appropriate sign of fealty from a subject of the royal chief of state -- such as an actual bow or curtsy
    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 actually 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

Back to directory of titles  /  See who is using Honor & Respect

For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

Copyright © 2013 Robert Hickey.     All Rights Reserved.
Photo: Marc Goodman.