‘The Crown gets etiquette all wrong – I know because I served the Queen Melba toast’

‘the crown gets etiquette all wrong – i know because i served the queen melba toast’

William Hanson, 34, offers advice on etiquette and good manners – Handout via agent Matilda Waring

William Hanson, 34, appears regularly on radio and television offering advice on etiquette and good manners.

He is perhaps best known for co-presenting with Jordan North the popular comedy podcast Help I Sexted My Boss, in which he helps listeners navigate everyday social dilemmas. He is also a bestselling author.

He joined The English Manner, a leading provider of protocol and etiquette training, in 2008 before taking ownership in 2019.

He lives in London with his husband, Michael.

Do you have an aristocratic background?

People assume that just because I speak nicely I’m listed in Burke’s Peerage or Debrett’s.

At school, just before one parents’ evening, one of my teachers said she was apprehensive about meeting my parents because they had titles. I said: “Well, they do – Mr and Mrs.”

Did you have a good financial start in life?

I was born in Bristol. My father is a property developer and land agent, and my mother worked in retail management for House of Fraser.

We had a comfortable lifestyle, although it wasn’t Downton Abbey. The main thing is that my parents were very supportive.

Before I decided that etiquette was going to be the thing, I had resolved I was going to be the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Why did you become interested in etiquette?

When I was 12 my maternal granny – picture Dame Maggie Smith in Downton Abbey – gave me Debrett’s New Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners by John Morgan.

‘the crown gets etiquette all wrong – i know because i served the queen melba toast’

William says his maternal grandmother had a similar aura to Dame Maggie Smith’s character in Downton Abbey – Alamy

I didn’t race to read the book, but whenever she stayed with us she would say: “Have you read the bit about how to cut asparagus? And do you know how to address a bishop during Lent?”

When I did finally read it I found it very funny. But I wanted to find out more about the logic behind these rules, so I bought other etiquette books.

When did you start to attract media attention?

One of my teachers at Clifton College asked whether I would teach the younger years how to set a table.

I had never mentioned my interest in etiquette. He just assumed I would know my way round a table, possibly because I’d had my polyester sixth-form ties made in silk, to the right proportions.

I was quite publicity-minded so I tipped off the Bristol Evening Post. When they discovered it was a student running the class, they ran a double-page spread.

This came to the attention of The One Show, who invited me to the BBC to teach etiquette to its roving reporter, Dominic Littlewood.

How did you become a professional etiquette coach?

The English Manner had read about me in Tatler and The Telegraph in the same week and thought: “If this guy is going to be doing this, he should come and do it for us.”

The business was originally Lucie Clayton’s finishing school – a secretarial college that branched off into finishing. Joanna Lumley went there. But it never moved with the times so by the late 1990s it was on its knees.

‘the crown gets etiquette all wrong – i know because i served the queen melba toast’

William took over a secretarial college attended by Joanna Lumley – Dave Benett/Getty Images Europe

That’s when Alexandra Messervy, who had worked for the Royal Household, took over. The English Manner was born in 2001.

Were you well paid?

Teaching etiquette, certainly during the first half of my career, was never as lucrative as people thought.

Sometimes that was because in-between parties were charging me out for thousands of pounds but I was only receiving a tiny percentage.

What was your biggest financial turning point?

When I left The English Manner as director of training in 2017 and started working for myself.

I bought the company two years later when it came up for sale.

How did you raise the money?

I had some good business partners who gave me half the equity once we’d bought the company. Very sweetly, they said: “We know we can only do what we want to do with you.”

Who are your clients?

We do a lot of one-to-one tuition – people just wanting to add some social polish or professional graces.

We also work within royal and other VIP households and coach diplomats, businessmen, embassies, schools, colleges and multinational brands.

I once worked with a famous bank because a graduate was seen eating peas with his knife. Quite rightly, someone senior turned to the head of HR and said: “We can’t have that.”

Have you worked for British royalty?

In 2011 I was asked to fill in as an under-butler for a prominent aristocratic family who were expecting the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh as guests.

‘the crown gets etiquette all wrong – i know because i served the queen melba toast’

‘I offered Queen Elizabeth Melba toast. She was perfectly nice’ – Fiona Hanson/PA

I offered Queen Elizabeth Melba toast. She was perfectly nice. We were given 48 minutes to serve a three-course lunch. It couldn’t be a minute later. It certainly couldn’t be a minute shorter.

Have you advised British royalty?

I can’t talk about that.

Does the Netflix drama The Crown make etiquette mistakes?

Yes, but that won’t be news to anybody.

It’s frustrating because many of the things are easy to get right – such as where you should position the bread knife or how you direct Claire Foy, as the young Queen Elizabeth, to break a scone. In fact, they filmed her cutting a scone, which is a huge no-no. The Queen supposedly didn’t even like scones.

I have sympathy with anyone hired as a film consultant because I worked on the American romantic comedy Red, White & Royal Blue. I had a huge argument about the shape of the toast.

‘the crown gets etiquette all wrong – i know because i served the queen melba toast’

‘The Crown filmed Claire Foy cutting a scone – a huge no-no’ – Robert Viglasky/Netflix

I said: “We’re trying to recreate breakfast at Kensington Palace. If we’re going to do it nicely, the toast will have the crusts cut off and be square. It should not look like it has been served at a Premier Inn in a toast rack.”

Have you worked for royalty overseas?

I’ve worked with five royal households across the world.

During lockdown I spent six weeks in Oman working on international etiquette and protocol with what they call the Diwan of Royal Court.

They’d had a change of sultan and had brought in a new broom. They wanted to make sure they were on the right lines when it came to international diplomacy.

And the very wealthy?

I’ve done training on superyachts and worked in beautiful houses in central London for many different nationalities.

It doesn’t make me wish to emulate the very wealthy. To maintain that lifestyle you have to keep the money coming in at a high level.

What earns you the most money?

The glittery side of my career is the most lucrative at the moment – podcasts, television and the live shows I do with Jordan North.

Jordan and I are fortunate to be doing a sell-out tour this year, including a date at the London Palladium.

I’m also bringing out another book. I might even become a cosy crime writer.

Your podcast is quite near the knuckle – did you worry it would damage your brand?

For the first two series I kept thinking I’d never work again, but actually no one seems to mind.

For now, our podcast appears to be riding high in the comedy charts.

Help I S*xted My Boss: A Hilarious Guide to Avoiding Life’s Awkward Moments by William Hanson and Jordan North is out now (Century, £20)

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