Please don’t use the words “cutlery” “cruets” “condiments” and “crockery “. A Nancy Mitford moment.
However, all ladies should know how to select a diamond, by looking at the colour, cut, carat and clarity of the stone. All girls should be taught this useful skill at school.

http://www.morethangoodmanners.com/manners-and-etiquette-courses

I am delighted to be able to offer 3 courses to my clients, to be held at the Bloomsbury Hotel on the 28 September, 12 October and the 19 November 2018. Full details can be found on More Than Good Manner s website, see the link above, or do email me veronica@morethangoodmanners.com for further information.

I had a fascinating day with a Japanese Lady, Sakura, a few weeks ago in Cambridge. An able student, who wanted to know more about the British way of life, language and manners. We also discovered that we shared a keen interest in gemmology. I am organising a trip for Sakura in the Autumn to look at various auction houses. A happy way to spend time.

I spent a delightful afternoon with a group of Australian visitors at the Bentley Hotel, enjoying a delicious tea, and talking to the group about The History of Afternoon Tea. Ably assisted by William Hanson, who is always a star .

I spent a happy afternoon talking to Irina of Elegant Manners in Kiev.  She is very keen to learn more about British manners, history and culture, and I look forward to meeting her in Russia one day.

91 years ago HRH The Duchess of York was safely delivered of a princess. No-one at the time thought that Princess Elizabeth would be Queen as her Uncle David, The Prince of Wales was the heir apparent. But this all changed some 10 years later when The Prince of Wales abdicated, making Princess Elizabeth heir presumptive. ( She was never the heir apparent, just in case her parents had a son, who would have taken precedence. ). Great Britain has been blessed to have such a great Queen, the second Elizabethan age now spans 65 years. We all wish Her Majesty a very happy birthday.
God save the Queen.

Have you made your plans for this summer and the busy ” Social Season ” ? You can still apply for vouchers for the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, up until the 17 May, and if you would like lunch in the Windsor Grey dining room then you need to book a table as soon as you can as it is very popular. Then the next big question is what to wear, and remember it can be very cold in June, and wet !

June in the UK is awash with social events requiring both manners and etiquette!

Courses

Up and coming in July and September are two fantastic courses for Manners and Etiquette.  If you know a group of visitors coming to London who would like to find out more about English Society, how to handle themselves in any situation, meeting and greeting people, or just need to know how to dress correctly for certain situations, then this course definitely fits the bill. For more information on this course, please do contact us.

Royal Ascot

If ever there was a chance for the women to dress up in smart clothes and splendid hats and the men to don their morning coats and top hats, then Royal Ascot is that occasion.  With the chance to see many of the Royal Family arrive in open-topped carriages across Windsor Park, entering the racecourse by the Golden Gates, this is one of Britain’s great social events of the year.

If you would like a tour of one of the great Royal Palaces, then Windsor Castle is the place to come to.  Just down the road from Ascot racecourse, we can organise a tour of some of the royal residences including this one.

Queen’s and Wimbledon Tennis Tournaments

The tennis at Queen’s Club in London is the forerunner for Wimbledon and is a week full of excitements, pimms and strawberries and get up close and personal to many of the players, as the surroundings are on an intimate scale.  Queen’s is closely followed by the greatest tennis tournament in the world, played on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon.   Don’t forget that we can organise tickets and arrange a bespoke tour for you around these events in the future.

Trooping the Colour

This is about as British as you can get and it is the British Army performing ceremonial duties at their best.   A tradition that’s been going since the 17^th century, it’s a truly magnificent sight, not a soldier out of step and Her Majesty The Queen standing on, inspecting her troops.  More Than Good Manners will arrange the day for you and guide you through all the Royal and Historical events of the day.  You can find out more on Trooping the Colour here.

Sandringham Flower Show

And while we are on the subject of the Royal Family, then why not let us organise a trip for you to stay in Norfolk which is where Sandringham House is located, one of the Queen’s royal residences.  The Sandringham Flower Show, held this year on 30^th July, is one of the most prestigious horticultural events in the East of England and many of the region’s leading nurseries and horticultural specialists exhibit here.  To find out more about bespoke tours, please do contact us.

May 2014 Newsletter

Spring has finally arrived in Britain, and that means much excitement here!   The wonderful Glyndebourne Festival Opera season starts this month, as well as literary festivals, flower shows and horse shows, open air theatres and so many other fantastic opportunities that you can participate in, here in the UK.

We are so lucky to have such a rich heritage, and I’d love to give you the chance to sample even a small amount on offer throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.  Please feel free to contact me regarding any questions you may have about visits to the UK, I’ll be very happy to try and help.

The Glyndebourne Festival

The Glyndebourne Festival is celebrating its’ 80^th anniversary this year.  Glyndebourne is recognised as one of the world’s best opera houses, and is a totally unique experience.  During an extended interval, you can enjoy an elaborate picnic in the gardens, dressed in your evening finery, or you could choose the restaurant for a sumptuous meal.  With quality at the forefront of the owners’ minds, it attracts the world’s best artists and is really an extremely enjoyable evening.  It’s an event that certainly won’t disappoint.

We are also very fortunate to have  the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Central London, which also starts this month.  An exciting event in the middle of London and open to the elements, an umbrella is often a good accessory to bring to one of these plays!  But nothing is more enjoyable than participating in an open air play.

You can find out more about a visit to Glyndebourne and the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre here.

Royal Residence Tours

The exciting Royal Windsor Horse Show is held this month in the beautiful private grounds of Her Majesty the Queen’s Windsor Castle.  This is an extremely popular event held over 5 days.   There is so much to see with an exciting full 5 days of entertainment, action and top class horse riding.   Royal Residence Tours are one of our specialities, so please don’t hesitate to contact us regarding a tour around Windsor Castle, as well as any other Royal Residencies you would like to see, which we can tailor to suit your requirements.

Manners and Etiquette Courses

Etiquette courses are fast becoming very popular.  With manners gradually declining throughout the world, some believe that knowing the correct manners and etiquette is still an essential part of one’s life, be it in business or social circumstances.

We are now pleased to offer “The London Lady and English Gentleman Course”, designed to help you learn the correct etiquette for all situations you may encounter in your everyday life.  The first of these courses is on 9^th July, held at the prestigious Landsdowne Club in Central London and is getting very booked up.   The second one is on 25^th September.   Don’t hesitate to book your place now one one of our Manners and Etiquette Courses.    You could combine it with a bespoke tour we could arrange especially for you.

All the best for the month of May, and please don’t forget to call us for any of the above that we can help you with.  Courses on Manners, and bespoke tours and travel accommodation are our forte.

Just out, my newsletter for April 2014.

April 2014 Newsletter

April has arrived quickly and the English Social Season is now in full swing.  As the weather is getting slightly warmer, so we have the water events.  There are various highlights in the social calendar, and the one that really gets everybody excited is the Boat Race which is on 6^th April, followed by Henley Royal Regatta and other Regattas in July and on to the extremely social event of Cowes Week on the Isle of Wight in August.  To be part of any of these, do please contact us.

The Boat Race

April 6^th is our annual Oxford vs Cambridge boat race. This is a thrilling spectacle and one to definitely come along to and watch if you’re in London.   Grabbing a place besides the river to watch this hard fought and very tough 6.8km mile race between the two oldest and illustrious universities in the UK is an exciting chance to be amongst a great crowd on the banks of the River Thames.   This wonderful event draws in over a quarter of a million spectators, something not to be missed.

And if you can’t get to that, then you can always get tickets to the rowing social event of the year, Henley Royal Regatta, another exhibition of rowing at the highest standards.   Do get in touch with us for more information on bespoke tours we can arrange for you.

For more information about the Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta, why not take a look here.

Royal Residence Tours

We are very lucky in the United Kingdom to have the Royal Family.  For most travellers to the UK, visiting a Royal Residence is top of their list, and I can understand why.  We arrange bespoke tours of Royal Residences to fit in with the traveller.  We could include Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Holyrood House in Scotland, Sandringham in Norfolk and a few others as well.  We tailor our tours to fit your requirements.  Feel free to speak to us about any of the Royal Residence Tours that we can help you with.

Stately Home Accommodation

England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales have a plethora of grand stately homes, Old Rectories and historical houses.  Base yourself somewhere in the United Kingdom and let us help you arrange your stay in one or two or three of these wonderful houses and organise a tour around your base.  It’s exciting to think that you can stay in houses with history, glamour and splendour, rather than a hotel room that looks the same the world over.  Here is an example of one Castle in England.

Manners and Etiquette Course

Finally, we have our new course which we are very excited about.  This is titled “The London Lady and English Gentleman Course”.  Learning the correct manners and etiquette these days is vitally important in all walks of life, and here, on this one day course in London, you’ll learn all you need to know about how to act and behave in the right social occasions.  Click here to book your course.

I hope you have an enjoyable April, and please don’t forget to call us for any of the above that we can help you with.  Courses on Manners, and bespoke tours and travel accommodation are our forte.

Best,

Veronica Levett-Scrivener

If you would like to be added to my list for the monthly newsletters, please email me at veronica@morethangoodmanners.com