PROTOCOL:THE APPROPRIATE manner in which to address Queen Elizabeth is, initially, as "your majesty" and subsequently as "ma'am", Government sources said last night.
The Duke of Edinburgh should be greeted initially as “your royal highness” and subsequently as “sir”.
It would also be “appropriate”, the sources added, to shake hands when greeting the British royal couple, “in the same manner as one would when greeting the President of Ireland”. However, the sources emphasised that: “It is not the practice in Ireland to bow or curtsy to visiting heads of state.”
This would not apply to British citizens, who would be “entitled to maintain their own traditions in this regard”.
There were no “obligatory codes of behaviour” for greeting the Queen and the Duke. “It is simply expected that the normal courtesies extended to a visiting head of state and their spouse would be observed,” Government sources said.
No formal instructions were issued to politicians and officials meeting the royal couple. However, guidance along the above lines was available yesterday from the Department of Foreign Affairs.