Words That The Royal Family Never Uses
Sounding, looking and acting like a member of the British royal family likely takes more practice than you think. Apparently, there's a list of words that the house of Windsor requests their members avoid. According to SCMP, the 2004 book, Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour, details the vocabulary preferences of the British upper crust — including the royal family.
Apparently, these word swaps include simple ones like "pudding" for the end of the meal as opposed to dessert or sweets. The outlet notes that some might even shorten it to "pud" to show their status. "Food and drink" is the official term for offerings at a dinner party instead of refreshments. Other everyday terms include lavatory or loo for the toilet since the latter comes from the French term. Living rooms are drawing or sitting rooms — never "the lounge" — and the royals refer to the couch as the sofa.
According to Insider, some words are considered too common for royalty to utter themselves. That's why simple terms like "tea" get changed to "dinner" or "supper" since the working class eats this meal between 5 and 7 PM.
Avoid this word at all costs in the presence of royals
Some words of the English language apparently have different meanings to the royals than they do for the rest of us — including "pardon". Insider explains that begging the royal's "pardon" is considered close to a swear and instead, it's better to say things like "sorry" and "sorry, what?"
Indeed, the royal family avoids slang words, which should come as no surprise. But, common words like "posh" and "Mum" and "Dad" are not a thing within the elite circles. Posh becomes "smart" and Mum and Dad will always be Mummy and Daddy or Papa. Even if slightly uncomfortable for the rest of us, tradition is tradition. Finally, perfume is dubbed "scent" and the lowly patio becomes the "terrace" inside the palace walls, Harper's Bazaar reports.
The British aristocracy still goes by the book, especially when it comes to word choice and dress code. If you're ever in the "presence" of a royal, make sure you have a few common terms weeded out of your vocabulary first!