12mo ago

What happens if you refuse to use the right title when talking to royalty?

So as with all things, I'm watching the episode of Bluey where they dress up as the Queen. It got me wandering.

What happens if you refuse to use the right title when talking to the King, Queen and other prominent Royals?

In my head you're arrested, imprisoned in the ToL, given a faux-trial and then find your head quickly removed from your body. I'm wrong right?

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People look down their nose at you with a slightly pitying expression and you don’t get invited back. I’m told execution is preferable

Not UK, but I remember a cringy clip where a journalist attempted to interview the prince of Denmark (not the current king, his younger brother), and the prince keeps interrupting the journalist by saying "let's try that again" because the journalist used "you" in singular form.
- Ugh, the "let's try that again" move is so demeaning and rude. Royal families have no place in this world anymore.
- So what do y’all think about that?
  
  I'd say it's not out of character for him. He's always been a bit of an unpopular asshole.
  On the other side, it was for national TV, so if they let it slip that one time, that'd be newsworthy itself and impossible for them to gain back. So he had to do it for the sake of the whole institution.
  While there are groups being against the monarchy, the general consensus is that part of their functions are irreplaceable by paid or elected officials. The Danes are pro-monarchy because the alternative is worse. They have a role to play in upholding morality and uniting the people which politicians never can or should do.
  The new king is well liked by most people. They also demoted the titles of his brothers children recently which goes to show that they understand that "being born into it" isn't enough. Along with some out of the ordinary moves by the previous queen, they seem to understand that they serve the people and not vice versa.
- Oof
- The journalist used "ye"?
  
  No, he said "you" when he should have used "ye" in the honorific meaning.
  It was in Danish though.

In reality land, not much. There are probably hundreds of American tourists who were simply unaware or intentionally tried to be smartasses to whom nothing happened. The queen's guards have some authority to detain someone at least until actual police arrives, but at the topmost of the worst you'd be looking at a court date, but no prosecutor would in their right mind bring a case like this to trial, it would be a diplomatic incident if the accused if foreign, or a national debate if they are from the UK.
I guess the worse outcome that could realistically happen is a fine, and even that's stretching it.

You find that you do, no matter your best intentions because of social pressure (or saurian mind-powers, you decide). My Mum met Andy and Fergie when they visited her school and she swore she wouldn't curtsy. So the big day comes and the royal duo are working their way down the line of teachers who all curtsied and when they came to my Mum, she crumbled. I think the photographers even captured it on film. She was disgusted with herself and I'd be giving her shit about to this day (especially after the Epstein business) if she hadn't been inconsiderate and died. If there's an afterlife I am sure she's there thinking "he wouldn't it lie!"
- Easier if you're younger, I suspect. My sister met the queen as part of the golden jubilee celebrations when she was 11 and didn't curtsey, partly because she was disgusted that Liz didn't say thank you when gifted a golden owl by the city.

You're not wrong. You should know better than to insult your ~~Queen~~ King and Country!
(Jokes aside, they actually don't care)

I suspect they'd probably just pretend they hadn't noticed.

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