In last night’s episode, when the State Department geek presented Lord John to the Prez for accreditation as the British Ambassador, he referred to the Queen as “Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth.”
That’s incorrect, isn’t it? I thought her honorific was simply “Her Majesty,” and that “Royal” is used for the lesser members of the royal family, like “His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”
Anyone got any thoughts?
Not that I care anything for the Royal family or protocol, but the Queen is usually referred to as Her Majesty the Queenis whereas the rest of the Royal family are referred to as His/Her Royal Highness. They seem to have conflated two different modes of address.
Who really cares in reality; except for accuracy of the TV series? The pettiness was of this language shown with the formal removal of HRH from Fergie, and possibly IIRC from the Princess of Wales.
BTW The West Wing has only just had its first episode shown in Britain this week- looks good. Ali McBeal has also started this week. Always six months to a year behind.
I looked at several sites, and there isn’t really any protocal on the address outside the UK. It’s sufficient to refer to her as “Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.” Adding all the additional honorifics was just typical US sucking up to royalty (as evidenced in the young lady drooling over the Brit ambassador in last night’s episode).
Now, for real title overkill, you need HRH’s title in the UK: “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”
I do believe though that Royal Majesty works as well, since it would diffrentiate between a royal and imperial monarch.
Royal would be the full term, probably.