Page 27 of Forty Days and One Knight
Yup. Knew that one too.
Expressing political views in public.
Easy enough.
Posing for "selfies" with commoners.
No problem. Never do them anyway.
Walking in front of the king or queen. Always walk at least two steps behind and to the right side if possible.
Sigh. I guess that means when I’m with them in a civilian capacity and not guarding any of them.
Royal protocol:
Always use “Your Majesty” or "sir" or "ma'am" when speaking to the king and queen.
Duh.
Bow your head in respect when first approaching the king and/or the queen and again after you’ve been dismissed.
Got that one down.
If the king or queen is standing, then so shall all who are present. If they sit, wait for permission to also sit. If one is sitting and the other is standing, those present shall stand.
Knew that one too—also goes for POTUS. Love that episode ofThe West Wing. “When the president stands, nobody sits.”
When dining with the king or queen, never start eating before they do. Once they are done with their meal, so is everyone else.
Eat fast—got it.
Other rulesthat must be followed:
All social media posts and pictures must be approved by the palace.
Not on social media, so don't need to remember that one.
Always accept gifts graciously.
Common courtesy.
Whenever in the public view, even if it is only for a few moments, your clothes must always be modest and appropriate for the circumstance.
Seriously? Doubt there’ll be many circumstances for my BDUs and sweatpants.
Members of the royal family must learn more than one language.
I speak three—English, Arabic, and Spanish—four if they count Pig Latin.
Sighing,Darius scanned the next few pages of protocols he’d been given by one of the royal staff members, before tossing the stack on the coffee table in the royal estate's reading room. The engagement hadn't even been announced yet and already he felt like he was living in a glass bubble.
"It is a lot to learn, yes?"
Tahira's voice startled him, and he jumped up from the couch, turning to face her. He hadn't heard her walk into the room. Between her fuzzy pink slippers and the plush carpet, she hadn't made a sound. Her straight, silky hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she was wearing heather-gray lounge pants and a matching T-shirt with baby-pink trim. The dark circles under her eyes were much fainter now that she'd slept a majority of the last twenty-four hours. As far as he knew, she'd left her bedroom only twice during that time—last night for dinner, and again, this morning to have breakfast with her parents before they returned to Timasur.
Darius shrugged as she took a seat on the couch. “Half of it’s common sense.”
She patted the seat cushion next to her, that was still warm from his body heat. “Please sit, Darius. When we are alone, you do not need to follow any protocol. I prefer when you are relaxed and just being you. It makes me feel more relaxed.”
