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When a member of the public meets the Queen, men are required to bow their neck while women must do a small curtsey (see Theresa May’s recent examples of what not to do).
People are permitted to shake her hand, but must first refer to her as ‘Your Majesty’, followed by ‘Ma’am’ in conversation.
But for those close to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, a more familial tone is permitted with the 92-year-old.
Her oldest nickname is one she in fact gave herself.
As a small child, Princess Elizabeth struggled to pronounce her full name, so she called herself ‘Lilibet’, a name which stuck with her for life.
Her parents used the name for her, with her father King George VI famously saying Lilibet was his pride, while her sister Margaret was his joy.
The name became so ubiquitous, the young princess even used it to sign off on letters.
In a letter to her grandmother, Queen Mary, a young Elizabeth wrote: “Darling Granny. Thank you very much for the lovely doll’s house.
“I do love it, and I have unpacked the dining room and the hall. Love from Lilibet xxx.”
And in another when Queen Mary was feeling poorly, she wrote: “I am very sorry to hear that you have a sore throat. I do hope it will not develop into influenza.
“That would be a great bore during this cold spell of weather.
“I expect we will be seeing you at Windsor soon, it does come round so quickly and to think I am already going to be thirteen.
“Your very loving grand-daughter, Lilibet.”
The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, uses Lilibet too, though he also has a rather odd term of affection for his wife of 71 years: Cabbage.
There has been speculation the hilarious nickname comes from the French ‘mon petit chou’ which translates to the common endearment ‘my little cream puff’.
However, ‘chou’ in French literally translates to cabbage, so there’s a chance what started as a cute nickname from Prince Philip soon turned silly.
For the little ones in the family, there are a whole host of special names, with ‘Granny’ being just one of them.
William and Harry famously cheered on their grandmother in her unexpected, show-stealing role in the the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony.
As they saw their grandmother alongside then-James Bond Daniel Craig, they belted out “Go, Granny!” in unison.
Another nickname from the boys comes from Prince William who once as a child, after seeing the Queen take a tumble at Buckingham Palace, is said to have yelled out “Gary!”
When someone enquired who Gary was, the Queen reportedly said: “I’m Gary,” as she swooped in to assure the little prince she was unharmed.
She said it was as he hadn’t mastered the word ‘Granny’ just yet.
Now, as she sees a whole new generation coming into the family as William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, start their family, the Queen has a new nickname.
Her great-grandson, Prince George, is reported to all her ‘Gan Gan’, a tidbit Kate revealed in an ITV interview to make the Queen’s 90th birthday.
While she might be happy to bend the rules for her family, don’t be fooled, if you get to meet the Queen, be sure to call her ‘Your Majesty’, not Gan Gan, and certainly not Cabbage or Gary.
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