Some ideas for Royal Etiquette · 10:52pm Dec 4th, 2016
Forms Of Address
In the show, other ponies have referred to Princess Celestia as both "Your Highness" and "Your Majesty", so authors have their choice of titles. My preference for full titles is to use "Your Royal Majesty" for Celestia and Luna (as co-rules of the entire nation of Equestria), "Your Royal Highness" for Cadence (as co-ruler of The Crystal Empire, which seems to be a principality of Equestria), and "Your Highness" for Twilight Sparkle (because she doesn't rule anything). The word "Royal" can be dropped in any but the most formal circumstances.
Events
For event protocol, I created the following based on Protocol Guidelines For Events And Functions for the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. I substituted Princess for Lieutenant Governor and made edits to simplify things. Check out the source page for more details.
For any formal procession into a function, the Princess and any accompanying guests enter the hall or room last. The group is preceded by an Aide-de-Camp.
Once the guests and head table/other dignitaries have entered the function, all attendees will be requested to rise, and the entrance of the Princess should be announced.
It is appropriate for the chairperson or master of ceremonies to make a simple announcement such as: "Mares and Gentlecolts, please rise for the entrance of Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria."
During official events, and once the Princess is announced and reaches her seat, the Aide-de-Camp will signal the orchestra/pianist/organist to commence playing the Royal Salute. The Royal Salute should never be played until the Princess has reached her seat. The Royal Salute is comprised of the first full verse of "Equestria My Home".
The preference is to have a musician play the Royal Salute. A recorded version of the Royal Salute should not be used. If the host is unable to provide a musician, the Royal Salute should be omitted from the programme.
When a reception is held prior to an event, the Princess will arrive 20-30 minutes before. When attending a choral, theatrical, or other performance, or a religious event, the Princess will arrive approximately 5-10 minutes prior to the start.
If the event is held in a building other than the castle, the host and/or hostess will meet the Princess at the door of the building. When the venue for a function is in a hotel, the Princess should also be met by the manager or duty manager.
While the Princess will know the name of the host and/or hostess, it is the duty of the Aide-de-Camp to introduce them. It is also customary to ensure the Princess knows the names of all principals for the function.
