The Regal Rules for Girls by Jerramy Fine Page B

(or “chemist”) and ask for a popular brand of shampoo and be told sorry it’s on order and will take ten days; dry cleaning can take anything from three weeks to three years—but first class letters always miraculously arrive within twenty-four hours of posting.
    Yes, sending an email is easier. But because we are living in a world where even our parents are on Facebook, handwritten correspondence is more important (and more meaningful) than ever before. Princess Diana was known for sending thank-you notes foreven the smallest of deeds and doing it almost immediately. It can’t hurt to emulate this royal icon for a variety of reasons (fashion and philanthropy at the forefront), but getting into her habit of writing thank-you notes is a good place to start. It takes no time at all (you can start and finish a note while your tea is brewing), and even less if you have the proper writing equipment.
    Invest in a box of luxury, watermarked stationery (Crane and Smythson are my favorites); if you can afford to, get it personalized with your address (but never your name).
www.crane.com
www.smythson.com
    Remember that you must always say “writing paper,” never “notepaper.”
    Use a nice, pretty pen (anything that is not a leaky ballpoint will do).
    Write your thank-you note as soon as possible after receiving the gift/hospitality.
    Your note should be personal, sincere, warm, witty, and to the point.
    Thank-you notes should not sound overly formal; instead write as if you’re speaking to the recipient.
    Place a first class stamp of the Queen in the corner of the envelope, and walk it to the nearest red postbox. (If done correctly, you’ll feel like a character in a Jane Austen novel.)
    Kissing Confusion
    It was my junior year in college when I first arrived on British shores. After being housed in a giant flat with nine other American girls, I was desperate to make it through the mandatory “cultural assimilation” week that my university had organized. I couldn’t wait to escape the lectures on which way to look when crossing the street and start my full-time internship at the Houses of Parliament.
    It was during this time that I met an English boy my age named Rupert. Rupert sat at the desk across from me, brought me cups of tea (whether I wanted them or not), and teased me endlessly about my royal obsession. One night we went out drinking with the other parliamentary interns, and afterward Rupert walked me to the tube station like a true gentlemen. As we said good-bye, he leaned in and
kissed me
on both cheeks. I was utterly confused. Did he
like
me? Did he “like me” like me? And if not, why the kisses?
    Then Rupert introduced me to his friends (those Bright Young Things that I was telling about), and I realized that everyone in England kissed everyone on both cheeks when they said hello and good-bye—and that romance had nothing to do with any of it. Girls cheek-kissed their girlfriends; girls cheek-kissed their guy friends; guys cheek-kissed their girlfriends—the only time hands were shaken was when guys greeted other guys. Although this pervasive cheek-kissing movement originated in continental Europe, it is now common practice in the UK. So here’s what you need to know:
    RULES FOR CHEEK-KISSING:
    Do not cheek-kiss anyone you’ve just met; a handshake will suffice. (Though you may find that a cheek-kiss seems more natural when you say good-bye.)
    Do not cheek-kiss anyone that you work with in a professional context. (Rupert and I were more drinking buddies than professional colleagues, which is why it worked in this instance.)
    Do not attempt to cheek-kiss anyone who is wearing a wide-brimmed hat (or if
you
are wearing a wide-brimmed hat).
    Put an arm lightly around the other person’s shoulder and lean in slightly. Usually the right cheek gets kissed first, but this changes depending on the person (and their nationality).
    Air kisses are fine, but there should be no sound effects.
    If you need to