The idea of meeting a member of the royal family is a daunting one. With strict protocols in place and an emphasis on the correct etiquette, it's hard to know what the right thing to say is – and, it turns out, there are some words best avoided if you are speaking to King Charles or the Princess of Wales.
Social anthropologist Kate Fox, author of Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour, has studied the linguistic quirks of the upper classes, and identified a list of verbal dos and don'ts when speaking to a royal. Let's take a look…
Kate Fox has identified some dos and don'ts when speaking to the British royals
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© Samir Hussein/WireImage'Pardon'
As children, we were taught that 'pardon' was the politest response if we'd misheard someone – but that's not the case in royal circles.
Instead, they will simply say 'Sorry?' or 'What?' if they wish the speaker to repeat themselves.
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© Getty Images'Posh'
It's a word that most of us would use to describe the upper classes, but the royal themselves would never opt to say 'posh'.
Instead, they would use the word 'smart'. According to Kate, 'posh' would only ever be used "ironically, in a jokey tone, to show that you know it's a low-class word".
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© POOL/AFP via Getty Images'Perfume'
Female members of the royal household, including Queen Camilla and Princess Kate, never wear perfume. Instead, they spritz on a favoured 'scent'.
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© Getty Images'Tea'
The royals would never refer to their evening meal as 'tea'. At the palace, they sit down at the end of the day to their 'dinner' or 'supper'.
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© Getty Images'Lounge'
Buckingham Palace has a huge number of rooms, but you won't find a single 'lounge'.
Instead, the Windsors relax in a 'sitting room' or a 'drawing room'. As a side note, 'sofa' is apparently the appropriate term for a 'settee' or a 'couch'.
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© Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis'Toilet'
The word 'toilet' is also never used by members of the royal family – 'lavatory' or 'loo' are the preferred terms. According to Kate, the royals historically avoided using 'toilet' because of its French origins.
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© Getty'Mum and Dad'
Different people have different names for their parents as they're growing up, but for the most part, they become 'mum and dad' as we get older.
This isn't the case in the royal family. King Charles touchingly referred to his late mother as 'mummy', while Prince George calls Prince William 'Pops' – adorable!
