British Etiquette for the Royal Christening

 In spirit of the royal birth, it's always good to brush up on our royal etiquette! Check out these helpful tips from Conde Naste- Daily Traveler

A British Etiquette Guide, in Case You Score an Invite to the Royal Christening

It's a busy weekend in the world of royalty: Duchess Kate is due to give birth any minute now, and the Queen is celebrating the 60th anniversary of her crowning at this weekend's Coronation Festival. In light of all the hullabaloo, we turned to David Morgan-Hewitt, the managing director of The Goring hotel in London. The property holds a Royal Warrant—which means Morgan-Hewitt interacts with nobility on the regular—plus, the 22-year veteran of the property is quite the etiquette guru. He gave us a few tips on what to do if you bump into HRH at the Coronation Festival—or (fingers crossed) the christening.

Be interested

"You should always be interesting. But be interested! Absolutely everybody has a story to tell. I've been lucky enough to sit next to the Queen, and I've also sat next to the most junior waiter we employ, who might be very young and has so much to learn and not an awful lot yet to offer. Both have stories to tell."

Keep calm

"Don't panic. It's a wonderful opportunity if you happen to be at the Coronation Festival and a member of the royal family engages you. A lady would curtsy, a gentleman would bow at the waist. It's not the royal family who insist on that—they're very happy if you don't curtsy. But even people who think they're not going to bow, when they meet them, they're spellbound by how charismatic they are and they tend to curtsy."

Turn off your phone

"There's a wonderful story that's told: At a garden party where apparently the Queen was talking to a lady and her husband. The lady's phone rang in her handbag, and the queen apparently went forward and said, 'You better take that, it might be someone important.' Mobile phones can be a problem—make sure your mobile phones are off if you're meeting a member of the royal family."

Respect the queue

"Don't push into the queue. The British queue beautifully; not all the world does. It's very important; there's nothing worse than when you see someone who should be behind you, standing in front of you."

Be aware

"Modern manners are all about how to treat other people, and how what you do affects people with you. It's all about making sure you know what's going on. Open a door for someone today. In an elevator, always ask if you can press the button for someone. If someone walks in, say 'which floor?' Small things make a difference."

Source: Conde Nast Daily Traveler