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Jessica Brown
Mar 07, 2017
GETTY / DOMINIC LIPINSKI / WPA POOL
Apparently, there are words that royal family just don’t use, according to social anthropologist Kate Fox.
She tells Diply that these are the words to avoid if you don’t want to be caught out as a mere commoner:
1. Toilet
This word is hated for its French origins, and the royals prefer to say “loo” or “lavatory”. Also avoid “ladies,” “gents,” “powder room” and “bathroom”.
2. Refreshment
Royal events have “food and drink,” never refreshments.
3. Serviette
Never refer to a napkin as a “serviette,” which is used by those darned middle class types.
4. Posh
Royals say “smart” instead of “posh,” which is only spoken in a joking manner, knowing it’s a lower-class word.
5. Patio
You might have a “patio,” but the royals have “terraces”.
6. Dessert
Do not call it “dessert” or any derivative of; it’s called “pudding”.
7. Portions
You might have a “portion” of food, you commoner, you. The royals, on the other hand, have “helpings”.
8. Tea or dinner
The evening meal is always referred to as “supper”. “Dinner” is only ever used to refer to a formal occasion (never “dinner party”).
9. Perfume
A royal wouldn’t be caught dead in perfume. Refer to it as “scent” or don’t bother wearing it at all.
10. Mum and dad
Royal children say “mummy and daddy”. Even then-64-year-old Prince Charles was no exception to this rule when addressing the Queen at her Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
11. Pardon
"Pardon", Fox says, is derived from the French language, and to utter it is looked down upon as an attempt by the retched middle class to sound posher. Royals, she says, prefer “sorry” and “what,” preferably both used together.
12. Function
It’s not a “function”, or a “do,” it’s a “party”.
13. Living room/lounge
Royals refer to it as the “drawing room,” or “sitting room” at a push.
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