Earlier this week The Londoner called former royal butler Grant Harrold who, with HRH Princess Katarina of Yugoslavia, regularly teaches the finer points of etiquette over high tea.
Our query was about Vince Cable’s wife Rachel Smith, who announced that George Osborne and his wife had failed to RSVP to an invitation three years ago to visit the house. Now it seems decorum panic has set in.
An etiquette expert from the butler and the princess’s office has got in touch to enlighten any readers perplexed by the correct social protocol.
“Since the story broke we’ve had nearly 300 telephone calls from people wanting to know what they should do if someone hasn’t replied to an invitation,” they told me. “The princess says that the correct etiquette is to telephone after 10 days to ask if they have received the invitation.” Perhaps Smith should add the princess to her speed dial.
