Not HMQEII but here I´ve shown respect to king Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX for short.
Personally I don´t have any particular feelings of affection for the man, although I´ve seen he´s done a lot for his people; but I can see how revered he is by the Thai people, and everytime I stand up in the theater, or stop doing whatever I was doing if I get caught by the anthem on a public place, or wear a yellow shirt on Mondays; I do it mainly as a sign of respect to the people I live and work with everyday.
For good or bad, there are some persons that are bigger than themselves, and that´s something to keep in mind when dealing with them.
This is how I feel as well, sort of. I think regardless of what you think of the woman, it’s always rude to buck social mores for the sake of personal satisfaction. Calling the Queen “ma’am” when everyone else is showing a greater level of respect is disruptive and selfish; it immediately puts you and your beliefs center-stage, interrupting the ritual and pissing on everybody else’s parade.
I think it would be much, much better to decline to meet the Queen at all if you felt so strongly about it that you had to choose to do the equivalent of showing up for a black tie event in a chicken suit. (Peter vs The Chicken vs The Queen three way cage match, anyone?) It’s disrespectful not just to the person of Her Majesty, but to the whole idea of human ceremonies and symbolic social roles.
The latter happens to be enough for me to personally be comfortable giving the Queen more respect than my barber. Anyone whose life is entirely consumed by a symbolic social role – even more so if they had no real choice in the matter – gets my sympathy. I don’t begrudge her the perks, most of which are available to any rich person; the only thing she gets that nobody else does is you have to treat her like the Queen. I’m fine with that, and I think it’s rude not just to her, not just to everyone in the room, but to the nation she represents to do otherwise.
As you said, I’m unlikely to meet her. How I treat her has nothing to do with what the British think of her, and everything to do with how she acts toward me, and how she wants to be treated. As long as she doesn’t go overboard–and I don’t think she will–I’ll address her as she prefers to be addressed. That’s how I treat everybody: don’t make stupid requests of me, and I’ll go along with what you want in such insignificant matters.
Excuse me, sir, but I’m quite certain that Don Alonso Quijano would never have adressed the Queen of England as “Mrs. Windsor.” He definitely had better manners than that.
I’d follow as much protocol as I know. Definitely wouldn’t courtsy as I don’t think that goes with trousers, but it’s not like a small bow is going to kill my back. My own king is the kind who’s perfectly happy to be adressed in a “hey you” kind of way but I’m under the impression that it’s not the case for Elizabeth II.
Would I back out of the room in order to keep from showing her my back? No. I’m not expected to do it for my own Queen either. After all, as one of her ministers told Spain’s own Elizabeth II, “ladies don’t have backs.” I can remember I’m a lady when it’s convenient; backing up into a wall would definitely not do.
I greet old women with a small bow quite often, as a shorthand for more… between-peers greetings like a kiss-kiss. It definitely doesn’t imply allegiance, for me. Many times they’re quite a lot shorter than me, so even if we’re in very friendly terms, a kiss-kiss would just be uncomfortable to both.
The newish Australian PM and most of his Cabinet drew some attention when they swore an oath to the people of Australia, and not to Her Majesty the Queen. For myself, I regret anything that lessens the bonds of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, but I understand that certainly seems the trend.
I doubt I will ever have occasion to meet the Queen, but I am an American citizen and owe her no fealty. I am her social and moral equal.
I would greet her with a slight bow, shake her hand if she offered it first, and address her as “ma’am”, exactly as I do with any other older woman of good reputation.
I tend towards formality anyway. It does no harm, and occasionally some good.
And it would be Liz when the Queens off duty ,but she’s never off duty.
Can you imagine the reaction if somebody saw her picking her nose with a rollup dangling from her lips while letting rip with a really good fart?
Oh we wont bother publishing ,she’s off duty so its not news.
Ouf of my head, nor Diderot, nor Voltaire. It was written by the priest of some little parish I forgot the name of, who, though he had behaved during his life in a way perfectly fitting with his position, let after his death a vitriolic pamphlet where he expressed all his contempt and hatred for the church and the social order of his time.
I believe Voltaire either had the pamphlet printed or quoted it.
I searched for the name of this priest ( who is the abbot Jean Meslier ) and it tuurns up that I was wrong and ** Captain Amazing ** possibly right, according to wikipedia. Quoting from it :
I would go out of my way to show the proper etiquette and deference, not just out of genuine respect but also as overcompensation for my rural Southern upbringing. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anybody see me as the backwoods hick who doesn’t know how to act around the freakin’ Queen.
QE2 actually spends some time in Kentucky every few years, and I always brush up just in case.
