How to speak like Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles or Prince William – 15 surprisingly common words to avoid if you want to sound royal

Which words will you never, ever, hear Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the rest of the British royals utter? Surprisingly, some common English words are simply never said in high society. 16 of Meghan Markle’s best and worst looks Social anthropologist Kate Fox, in her 2004 book Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour, came up with a list of verbal dos and don’ts when interacting with the Windsors and others in high society. So if you want to talk like a royal, take note, here are 15 words one would never use. 5 things to know about Queen Elizabeth Posh Most of us would describe a royal as “posh”, but they themselves would never be heard using the word unless they were being ironic. No, they would describe someone as “smart”. British royals with normal jobs – there are more than you think Serviette The word “serviette” already sounds “posh”, but if you want to be elevated to royal circles, you need to refer to it as a napkin. Inside the royal purse: how Britain’s Queen Elizabeth spends her riches Sweet, dessert The upper crust of society would never ask for dessert or sweet: they would refer to the end of a meal as pudding. Or some very “smart” people would shorten it to pud. How did Prince Louis celebrate his third birthday? Portion Another foodie word to avoid when hanging out at Windsor Castle would be the word “portion”. One would never ask for a small portion of food, no, we would ask for a small “helping” of food. Prince Philip’s many years of royal achievement, from creating a new sport to founding a global youth programme Refreshments When inviting a royal to a wedding or a fancy party, you would never write “refreshments will be served”, you would have to write “food and drink”. Loved The Crown? Then try these 10 British royal dramas and films Function Most people in the UK, depending where you live, talk about going to a do or function when referring to a celebratory event, but the royals would only ever go to a party. The world’s richest royals, ranked – spoiler alert: Queen Elizabeth didn’t even make the cut Toilet If you are looking for the restroom next time you are at Buckingham Palace, ask for the loo or lavatory. The word “toilet” is frowned upon, as it comes from the French language. Queen Elizabeth’s favourite TV shows – and what she really thinks of Netflix’s The Crown Patio While many people have patios near their house, the royals describe such concrete or stone landscaping as a terrace. Queen Elizabeth and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge both love rubies – 5 jewellery pieces for a royal look Lounge, living room Most people in Britain refer to their main room for relaxing and watching television as the living room, others would say lounge. However the royals use neither: they describe the front room as the drawing room or sitting room. Princesses in distress: royals from Princess Diana to Dubai’s Princess Latifa who have struggled with palace life Couch, settee When you are relaxing in the sitting room, it would most probably be on a couch or settee in most homes in Britain. But for the royals, it would be a sofa. What does Kitty Spencer’s London mansion look like? Princess Diana’s niece shows us all on Instagram Perfume It’s scent, my dear! Netflix’s The Crown exposed the British royal family’s mental health struggles and Princes William and Harry are speaking up Mum Who’s the greenest British royal? From Prince Charles to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle You may have heard Prince Charles on several occasions refer to his mother, Queen Elizabeth, as mummy. Most famously, during her 92nd birthday party, the queen was seen looking wide-eyed after he referred to her as mummy in public. Usually the royals refer to the queen as Her Majesty or mother when talking about her in public. But it seems that her adult children call her mummy, not mum. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.