RULES OF PROTOCOL AND ETIQUETTE

Who can substitute as First Lady

Who can accompany the President when the First Lady can not travel with him on an official visit she was invited to, what are the rules of diplomatic receptions and entertainment and which are the rules of diplomatic protocol dressing that one can not break.

Recently I read in a daily magazine an explanation of the fact that President Mesic’s granddaughter accompanied him on an official visit to Cuba. The explanation was that the President is allowed to choose one person to go with him on a trip, but the international practice and the common rules say differently.

If the President of a country has been invited to an official visit with his wife, and the First Lady is not a position to come, the President can be accompanied by an adult and not married female member of his family (daughter, granddaughter, sister...). Of course, if the host county invites the presidential family, it is a matter of choice whether the whole family or only a part of it will accept the invitation.

In respect to diplomacy and protocol, the choice of President's granddaughter for a foreign visit was correct. The duty of someone who accompanies the President is in accordance with diplomatic protocol of behavior, as well as dressing. The host county will prepare a special programme for accompanying person, which will conform with the main programme to some extent, but will also include less formal events.

 
Protocol regarding receptions

As we approach the season of receptions, I would like to give notice to the protocol regarding these occasions. Only persons invited can attend the reception, no matter how formal or informal the event will be. We are not given the opportunity to bring anyone who is not named in the invitation. If our spouse is not invited, he or she can not come. Should the need arise for company that is not invited, we must notify our host and ask for his approval. This is not considered to be well-mannered, but is possible.

The host sends an invitation card on which, in the lower right corner, there can be a note specifying if the host expects you to confirm your attendance. In that case, we have to reply as soon as possible. The customary abbreviations are «R.S.V.P.» ( Répondez sۥil vous plait), meaning "please respond" or "respond if you'd please». We have to respond to this request, whether confirming attendance or declining, as soon as possible. Another common abbreviation is «Regrets only», in which case we only have to notify of our absence. Once we send our response, either that we are or that we are not coming, it is not polite or allowed to change our minds at the last moment.

The constituent part of an invitation card is a national coat of arms and/or a logo, name of a person that is inviting, name of a person invited, occasion, time and duration, as well as reception location, dress code, response abbreviation and telephone number to refer to in response. One can not come to the reception before time noted, and one can not stay longer than noted reception duration. The receptions usually last from one and a half to two hours.

Dressing guidelines

The invitation card usually indicates the dress code for man, which also determines the dress code for woman. If there is no reference in the invitation card, we dress formally, depending on the occasion and the time of the reception. The most general rule to follow in that case is: more formal the occasion, darker the clothing.

Clothing is an aspect of basic courtesy for other people and it is advised to be decent, classical, neat, comfortable for wearing and pleasant to see. That way we can concentrate on what we will talk about at the reception, and not think about something that is bothering us about our clothes.

I would also like to emphasise the 10 DONT'S of diplomatic and business dressing. You can NOT wear:

• short
• too long
• no sleeves
• too high heels
• sandals
• lace stockings, lace blouses
• tight pants
• cheap jewelry
• jeans