Loyal toast

A formal occasion at St John's College, Cambridge, where, beneath the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, the Loyal Toast would be given.

A dinner hosted by John Craig Eaton at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto in 1919; the Loyal Toast would have been given to King Edward VII.

A loyal toast is a salute given to the head of state of the country in which a formal gathering is being given, or by expatriates of that country, whether or not the particular head of state is present. It is usually a matter of protocol at state and military occasions, and a display of patriotic sentiment at civilian events. The toast is usually initiated and recited by the host before being repeated by the assembled guests in unison; the composition varying between regions and types of gathering.

Commonwealth of Nations

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Loyal Toast is most commonly comprised solely of the words "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen,"^[1] though this may be elaborated with mention of the monarch's position as head of a particular state, such as in Canada, where the Department of National Defence codifies the Loyal Toast as "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen of Canada."^[2] If the sovereign holds an honorary position within a Canadian Forces regiment, in that regiment's mess the toast is: "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen of Canada, our Captain-General," or whatever rank the monarch may hold.^[2] As Queen Elizabeth II is recognized as the symbolic head of the Commonwealth of Nations, at any event where the guest of honour is a dignitary from any of the 16 Commonwealth realms, the Loyal Toast is adapted to be "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth,"^[3] and should an honoured guest be from one of the other Commonwealth member-states, the Loyal Toast is be recited as "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen of Canada, Head of the Commonwealth."^[2] More unique cases exist in places such as Lancashire, where the salute may be "ladies and gentlemen, the Queen, Duke of Lancaster"; on the Channel Islands, where residents will say "la reine, notre duc" ("the Queen, our Duke"); and on the Isle of Man, where "the Queen, Lord of Mann," is said. Members of the Royal Family neither participate in nor respond to the Loyal Toast,^[1] and the honour may be followed by a playing of "God Save the Queen", which is either the national and/or Royal Anthem of most Commonwealth realms.^[4] When ambassadors or similarly senior representatives of other heads of state are present, it has become customary for a toast to be proposed after the Loyal Toast to "heads of state of other countries here represented."^[3]

Official etiquette dictates that the Loyal Toast may be given following either the introduction of honoured guests and opening remarks or the the completion of all courses of the meal,^[5] that it be the first toast given, and that a glass of any beverage other than a cocktail be used.^[1] It is also customary not to smoke until the sovereign has been toasted. In carrying out the toast, the event's host will rise and request the audience's attention. Once accomplished and the guests are standing, the host raises his or her glass and recites the toast without any other words or music. The audience then responds to the toast by repeating "the Queen" or, in Canada, "la reine", drinking the toast, and seating themselves once more. In the Royal Navy, however, the toast is given with all attendees seated, a custom practiced since King William IV, who had served as a naval officer and experienced the discomfort of standing suddenly on board a vessel at sea, authorized all in the navy to toast him while sitting down. This practice is also carried out on board the ships of the Canadian Forces Maritime Command, so long as neither the Queen or any other member of the Canadian Royal Family is present, in which case the toast is given while sitting only if the royal guest so requests it.^[3] The lawyers of Lincoln's Inn also traditionally take the toast sitting down, commemorating an occasion when King Charles II dined at the inn and the entire company was too drunk to stand up.^{[citation needed]}

The toast in dispute

The Loyal Toast was the catalyst for international friction in 1948, when the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, then John A. Costello, made an official visit to Canada. There, at a formal function, Governor General of Canada The Earl Alexander of Tunis steadfastly refused the directions of Irish officials to toast the President of Ireland, then Seán T. O'Kelly, instead of the King of Ireland, George VI, who was the actual Irish head of state at the time. An irked Costello stated to a reporter the following day that he would prompt the Irish parliament to repeal the Executive Authority Act and declare Ireland as a republic,^[6] which was done later that year.

In 2000, Captain Aralt Mac Giolla Chainnigh, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, petitioned to be personally excused from, amongst other displays of loyalty, having to stand and participate in the Loyal Toast.^[7] The Canadian Forces Grievance Board, the Chief of the Defence Staff, and the Federal Court of Canada all upheld the Canadian Forces' requirements that members respect the Canadian head of state and Commander-in-Chief.^[8][9]

Within some sections of Scottish society, individuals will, after standing, wave their drink over a glass or jug of water on the table. This symbolises "the king over the water," which is a reference to the pretender to the thrones of Great Britain and Ireland, Charles Edward Stuart, and is intended as a sign of solidarity with the Jacobite cause and a protest against the Hanoverian succession.^{[citation needed]}

United States

In the United States, particularly at formal occasions among military personnel, the first toast of the evening is customarily and simply "ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States."^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Canadian royal symbols

References