A Wingham resident said she was surprised to receive a phone call last week asking her if she would like to meet Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip yesterday in a ceremony at Queen’s Park.
Heather Pham said she received the call last week from the premier’s office saying she had been selected to meet the Queen as a guest of Premier Dalton McQuinty as a representative of the police of Ontario.
Some of the protocol for meeting the queen, according to the guide provided to Pham, said that while there are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting the queen or the prince, it is customary for women to curtsy and men to bow.
The guide noted many people do observe the traditional forms when greeting the queen.
The guide also said “It is not acceptable to offer a handshake; extend a hand, it should be taken briefly and gently without a vigorous pumping action. Apart from a gentle handshake, avoid physical contact, but maintain eye contact.”
Other protocols for the visit said that on presentation to the queen, the correct formal address is “Your Majesty” and subsequently “Ma’am” and for the prince, the same rules apply, with the title used in the first instance being “Your Royal Highness” and thereafter “Sir.”
Pham said the ceremony would also see other invitees presented with medals they have been awarded over the past year, as well as representatives of firefighters and the military to represent their fallen.