Royal Family Protocol Explained: Titles, Duties and Forms of Address
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In brief
The British monarchy's protocol combines statute, royal custom and long-standing etiquette. The royal household's own guidance sets out how to address the King and other family members, the peerage ranks below royal dukedoms follow centuries-old conventions documented by Debrett's, and succession has followed a 2013 law on equal primogeniture since 2015.
Interest in how the British royal family operates — who holds which title, or how to greet the King — spikes every time a wedding, birth or succession story makes headlines. The rules are a mix of statute, royal decree and custom, much of it published by the royal household itself on royal.uk.
How to greet a member of the royal family
Royal.uk states plainly that there are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the King, Queen or another family member — the traditional forms exist for those who wish to observe them. On first being presented to the King, the correct form is 'Your Majesty', then 'Sir' afterwards; for the Queen it is 'Your Majesty' then 'Ma'am'. For male members of the royal family the first address is 'Your Royal Highness', then 'Sir'; for female members it is 'Your Royal Highness' then 'Ma'am'.
The same page describes the traditional physical gestures: men may perform 'a neck bow (from the head only)', while women may do 'a small curtsy'. Royal.uk also notes that a simple handshake is an accepted alternative for those who prefer it.
There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting The King and Queen or a member of the Royal Family, but many people wish to observe the traditional forms.
— Royal household, royal.uk
The five ranks of the peerage
Below the royal family sits the wider peerage system, described by etiquette authority Debrett's. It lists five ranks in descending order: duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. Debrett's traces duke to the Latin 'dux', meaning leader, formally adopted as a peerage rank in 1337; marquess to a Norman term for border guardians, introduced in England in 1385; earl to a title predating King Canute's reign (c. 994–1035), when earls administered shires for the king; viscount to the deputy of a count, first recorded in the English peerage in 1440; and baron, the lowest and most numerous rank, to the king's tenant. Precedence within each rank is set by how old the specific title is — Debrett's cites the Duke of Norfolk, with precedence from 1397, as premier duke of England.
The five ranks of the British peerage
Rank
Origin (per Debrett's)
Approx. number today
Duke
Latin 'dux' (leader); adopted as a peerage rank in 1337
24 dukes holding 29 dukedoms
Marquess
Norman term for border guardians; introduced in England in 1385
34 marquesses
Earl
Predates King Canute's reign (c. 994–1035); administered shires
195 earldoms
Viscount
Deputy of a count ('vice-comes'); first recorded 1440
111 viscounts
Baron
The king's tenant; lowest, most numerous rank
Over 400 hereditary barons/lords of Parliament
Line of succession and who can become monarch
Succession to the throne is governed by both descent and parliamentary statute, according to royal.uk. Its constitutional basis traces to the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Act of Settlement of 1701, which restrict succession to Protestant descendants of Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover, and require the sovereign to be in communion with the Church of England.
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 ended the historic preference for male heirs, so that an elder daughter now takes precedence over a younger son for those born after 28 October 2011; it also removed the rule disqualifying anyone who marries a Roman Catholic. Royal.uk states the Act took effect across all sixteen Realms in March 2015. As of the royal household's published list, the Prince of Wales is first in line, followed by his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, then the Duke of Sussex.
What 'working royals' actually do
Not every member of the royal family carries out official duties. Those who do are commonly called 'working royals', defined by Newsweek as senior family members who undertake a programme of official duties and engagements on behalf of the Crown throughout the year.
Newsweek's reporting lists 11 working royals and gives individual engagement counts for 2022: the Princess Royal led with 214 engagements that year, followed by King Charles III with 181. The article does not give a combined annual total for all working royals or figures for 2024.
Questions
How should you address the King or Queen?
Royal.uk states the correct first address is 'Your Majesty', followed afterwards by 'Sir' for the King or 'Ma'am' for the Queen; there is no legal requirement to use these forms.
Who is first in line to the British throne?
Per royal.uk's published order, the Prince of Wales is first, followed by his children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, then the Duke of Sussex.
What changed with the Succession to the Crown Act 2013?
The Act ended male preference in succession so an elder daughter outranks a younger son (for those born after 28 October 2011), and it removed disqualification for marrying a Roman Catholic; royal.uk says it took effect across all sixteen Realms in March 2015.
What is a 'working royal'?
It is a term, used by outlets such as Newsweek, for senior family members who carry out official duties and engagements on the monarch's behalf; Newsweek's count puts the number at 11, with Princess Anne and King Charles III recording the most individual engagements in 2022 (214 and 181 respectively).
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