When an ambassador, a minister or a cardinal comes to a private house, the visit is organised by two offices at once: the guest's and yours. These articles cover your half, in the order the work happens.
Start with the questions to send the guest's office and the forms of address, then the arrival, the room, the staff briefing and the report that makes the next visit easier. The forms and rules are checked against the protocol offices' own guidance, and the sources are listed in each article.
The questions to ask before a guest arrives, why the bed comes first, temperature, darkness and quiet, the practical things nobody packs (plugs and Wi-Fi included), the bathroom, the small welcome and the last walk through the room.
Spoken and written forms for the British King, his family and peers, Italian and Swiss authorities, ambassadors and the Catholic hierarchy, with tables, the places where the guides disagree, and why we always check with the guest's office first.
The protocol we follow when a guest arrives with an office, a driver or a protection officer: the six-week timeline, the questions for the guest's office, the advance visit, the first five minutes, the briefing, diet and religious practice, and the report we write afterwards.
Put it into practice
The Academy guide that goes with these articles, and the service that does the work for you.