Venom star Riz Ahmed has some helpful hints for any of his fellow citizens who have the pleasure of meeting Queen Elizabeth. First would be to have a game plan in mind before meeting the monarch. Ahmed recently made an appearance on The Late Late Show With James Corden and told the fellow Brit about meeting the queen and Prince Charles.
Vanity Fair is reporting that Ahmed got flummoxed when meeting Queen Elizabeth, and read the extension of her hand, palm down, as a signal that she might want a fist bump.
“It’s very unclear what you should do.”
So he went for the fist bump, but after reading the horror on the face of onlookers, he switched things up at the last minute.
“I last-minute pivoted.”
He says he switched from a fist bump to stroke her fingers, petting her hand as if he were “petting, for example, a royal corgi.”
Ahmed says that before he met Queen Elizabeth, he took his mother to an event to meet Prince Charles (Ahmed added that his mother believes that their family is “distantly related” to the royal family).
“When she meets Prince Charles, on one hand she’s like [a] very reverential, British subject, but on another level she’s kind of behaving like she’s his auntie. So, she’s like, ‘We never see you anymore. You’re looking very skinny. You’re looking very skinny.’”
Dont Fist-Bump the Queen ? https://t.co/U7Vx3VQ09J
— angie goff (@OhMyGOFF) October 4, 2018
So what are you supposed to do if you find yourself meeting Queen Elizabeth? BBC has some key things you should do, and other things to never do, and it’s best to remember the dos and don’ts.
DO:
- Curtsey or bow (the head only) – although you can also shake hands or do a combination of the two
- Take the Queen’s lead, and don’t speak unless spoken to, and don’t sit until the queen sits, or eat until the queen has eaten.
- Use the right greetings. On presentation to the Queen, the correct address is Your Majesty and subsequently Ma’am, pronounced like jam.
DON’T:
- Touch the queen. Only shake her hand if she offers it to you.
- Turn your back on Her Majesty – it is considered rude.
- Get too excited. Even though you might be nervous, avoid alcohol.
The best idea is always to let the monarch indicate the level of familiarity or friendliness. No conversation should ever go beyond small talk. All of these rules are good guidelines with any members of the royal family.
