From our Founder: The English Manner at 25

It seems impossible and incredible that what started as a tiny seed in helping charities and organisations navigate an already modernising social scene has grown into the international organisation we are today, not just offering etiquette courses in London but around the world and online.

I began my career in The Royal Household of Queen Elizabeth II and, at that time, it was only a few years after the celebration of the Silver Jubilee – and now The English Manner has its own! 

Whilst I was working for The Royal Household, I was constantly asked by individuals and committees I was involved with about guest lists, seating plans and dress codes, as the accepted lines of what was expected in the 50s, 60s and 70s were beginning to blur. Trousers had become de rigeur for ladies (though not yet quite in the formal office environment) and men were beginning to wear chinos to their City offices for ‘dress down Friday’. As a result, confusion reigned. 

I was then asked to act as a consultant for what was at the time the only remaining English ‘finishing school’ course and, when that became subsumed into a secretarial college, I decided to try to go it alone. With the help of a dear friend in Washington, I launched our first classes in manners for children, with the backing of many in the USA.  

I thought up the name ‘The English Manner’ in the bath!  I was overwhelmed by the interest not only from the general public but also the press. I was asked to do media interviews all over the USA, and we quickly realised that our main market at that time was the USA, who were keen to understand the nuances of ‘how to behave at home or in the office’.  

My background in Royal Protocol started to come to the fore and it was not long before I needed to take on tutors and expand our offering. We were approached by business organisations and individuals to offer etiquette courses in London, and this grew to consulting for whole households and organisations who knew they needed to know but didn’t quite know what it was they needed to know.

In 2008 I had read about William Hanson in Tatler, and thought that if he was trying to enter the world of etiquette tuition that I should meet him and assess if he was competition, or whether we wanted him with us! The answer was firmly the latter.

William joined The English Manner, along with Diana Mather, and we just kept on growing. The rest, as they say, is history. Today we are proud to have partners and alumni all over the world and to know that we remain the best-known international organisation offering etiquette and protocol training and advice.  

Here is to the next 25 years and beyond!