We look forward to seeing you Ma’am, we need some cheering up

YOUR Majesty, Before I get on to saying that you’re welcome, I should probably admit that I did a bit of research into the proper mode of address for an open letter to the British queen.

We look forward to seeing you Ma’am, we need some cheering up

I don’t want to be impolite or anything, but I do want to get it right. We’re all citizens of a republic here, after all — it might be a bit down on its luck, but it’s been a republic now for just over 62 years. There must be, I’m sure, a correct way for a citizen of a republic to address a queen.

I couldn’t find one, though. When I was trawling through the web, I did notice that a former Minister for Justice of ours, Michael McDowell (who always prided himself on his true republicanism, even if he had a slightly different view of the notion of equality than most republicans do) changed the way us citizens are supposed to address judges. We used to call them “My Lord”, but thanks to the former Minister, we now just call them “judge” (It doesn’t seem to have had any effect on their pay, mind you.

Already a subscriber? Sign in

You have reached your article limit.

Unlimited access. Half the price.

Annual €130 €65

Best value

Monthly €12€6 / month

More in this section

Revoiced

Newsletter

Sign up to the best reads of the week from irishexaminer.com selected just for you.

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited