William Hanson names most poorly behaved celebs of 2017

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my annual Bad Manners Awards.

These are the awards those in the public eye wish to avoid attending, being associated with, or indeed, winning.

The judging committee (of one) has spent weeks deciding which celebrities, politicians and those who ought to know better deserve one of these most galling of gongs to mark a grievous breach of protocol or lapse in mannerly judgement in 2017.

Please, finish mincing down the red carpet of shame; find your seats and hush your voices, as we begin the proceedings…

Etiquette expert William Hanson reveals which celebrities have had the worst manners in 2017 with his very special awards ceremony 

SHOULD KNOW BETTER AWARD

Recipient: Meghan Markle

Meghan 'should have known better' than to walk ahead of Prince Harry on their first public walkabout in Nottingham, says etiquette expert William Hanson

Meghan ‘should have known better’ than to walk ahead of Prince Harry on their first public walkabout in Nottingham, says etiquette expert William Hanson

Meghan Markle won praise for her poise and confidence on her first public walkabout with her Prince - but not from William Hanson...

Meghan Markle won praise for her poise and confidence on her first public walkabout with her Prince – but not from William Hanson…

As good news for the British royal family as Meghan is, she should have known better in November than to walk AHEAD of her fiancé, Prince Harry, when they visited the city of Nottingham.

And on the day of their engagement the American actress shunned the unwritten royal rule that decrees that women wear hosiery. Had the engagement come at the height of summer this judging committee may have been more lenient, but tights or stockings should have been worn, especially when poncing around a pond, in winter.

But everyone makes mistakes, even the now Duchess of Cambridge used to make a few silly slip-ups during her engagement to Prince William.

They soon learn, as I am sure Meghan will, but… something as basic as knowing her place in relation to blood royalty and a brazen display of bare legs sadly means we hand her this award.

Meghan Markle was criticised for not wearing tights during her engagement announcement

Meghan Markle was criticised for not wearing tights during her engagement announcement

WORST BREACH OF ROYAL PROTOCOL

Recipient: Ed Sheeran MBE, singer

Pop star Ed Sheeran risked breaching royal protocol when he touched the Prince of Wales' arm as was made an MBE

Pop star Ed Sheeran risked breaching royal protocol when he touched the Prince of Wales’ arm as was made an MBE

Earlier this month singer Ed Sheeran was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

Sheeran got all too handsy with the first in-line to the throne and decided to use his left hand to support The Prince of Wales’s left hand, which was a callous a breach of royal protocol.

Sheeran has already famously had a run in with Princess Beatrice and a sword, and I would suggest Princess Beatrice picks up the sword and lops off the singer’s left hand as punishment. Just a suggestion.

CRIMES AGAINST SCONES

Recipient: Netflix’s The Crown

Claire Foy is seen cutting a scone as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown - something William insists the actual monarch would never do

Claire Foy is seen cutting a scone as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown – something William insists the actual monarch would never do

A scone, and any other bread-like item, is always broken, never cut, says William 

A scone, and any other bread-like item, is always broken, never cut, says William 

As much as I enjoy the Netflix masterpiece The Crown, I recently spat out my delicate pekoe as I watched Claire Foy’s Queen CUT a scone during one of the new episodes.

I can reluctantly forgive The Crown’s advisors for having royal staff turn their backs on The Queen left, right and centre (that would not have happened in the 1950s) and I will overlook Ms Foy’s Queen popping her handbag on a table.

But I am afraid the buck stops with representing our Monarch cutting into a scone when she should (and would) break a scone in half with her hands. Bread – or by-products of – are always broken, never cut.

William says The Crown is a masterpiece - but the scone incident isn't the only etiquette oversight, he notes 

William says The Crown is a masterpiece – but the scone incident isn’t the only etiquette oversight, he notes 

SLOPPY STANDARDS

Joint recipients: Zoella & Tanya Burr 

Heading to the supermarket in your pjs will earn you a rap on the knuckles from William Hanson - even if you are a vlogging millionaire

Heading to the supermarket in your pjs will earn you a rap on the knuckles from William Hanson – even if you are a vlogging millionaire

YouTubers Zoella and Tanya Burr were recently snapped in a supermarket in the UK wearing their pyjamas.

The two supposedly positive role models for the younger generations flaunted their sub-slovenly sartorial standards in Waitrose, of all places. Not a supermarket that is at one with seeing their shoppers in nightwear.

I am sure they were escorted off the premises before they got as far as the dairy aisle. 

Zoella and Tanya Burr were criticised for going into Waitrose in their pyjamas

Zoella and Tanya Burr were criticised for going into Waitrose in their pyjamas

WORST TABLE MANNERS

Recipient: Peter Crouch, footballer

Even his own wife jokingly branded Peter Crouch a 'scally' when she shared a video of him scoffing his food on social media 

Even his own wife jokingly branded Peter Crouch a ‘scally’ when she shared a video of him scoffing his food on social media 

In September, Peter Crouch’s wife Abby Clancy shared a video of her footballer husband dining at home with appalling table manners.

There were elbows on the table (I thought everyone knew not to do this?), his mouth was open and he was eating in the American style. I don’t know which is worse.

Such a shame that a father eats like that in front of his child, although I was pleased to see that Sophia Ruby’s own dining etiquette is far greater than her daddy’s.

Many footballers’ children now attend public schools and gain some social polish – it’s a shame their parents can’t go back to school too. 

Peter Crouch (pictured with his model wife Abbey Clancy) had the worst table manners of the year

Peter Crouch (pictured with his model wife Abbey Clancy) had the worst table manners of the year

PRETENTIOUSNESS

Recipient: Geri Horner (neé Halliwell)

Geri Horner was criticised for wearing a signet ring, which are traditionally worn by men

Geri Horner was criticised for wearing a signet ring, which are traditionally worn by men

It’s an accessory usually confined to upper class men or those with a prestigious family history.

But this is 2017 and the Watford-born former Spice Girl Geri Horner this year eschewed convention and took to wearing a signet ring on her little finger.

The ring doesn’t have a family crest – which is bad enough – but women simply do not wear signet rings. It is the height of pretension but hardly suspiring if the rumours that Ginger Spice now insists on being referred to as ‘Geraldine’ and has taken up shooting are to be believed. 

DISSERVICE TO DRESS CODES

Recipient: John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons

In June John Bercow decreed that male MPs no longer had to wear ties - so long as they stick to business-like attire

In June John Bercow decreed that male MPs no longer had to wear ties – so long as they stick to business-like attire

John Bercow, seen at Wimbledon in 2015, wants to bring a more off-duty vibe to the House of Commons

John Bercow, seen at Wimbledon in 2015, wants to bring a more off-duty vibe to the House of Commons

Back in June, the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, decreed that male MPs will no longer be required to wear ties, so long as they are dressed in ‘business-like attire’. Awful.

The House of Commons is where the laws of the land are made and, out of respect for the office which the MPs hold and the electorate they serve, they should jolly well still wear ties.

It’s unsurprising that Bercow made up this rule, given that when he first assumed office in 2009 he announced he wouldn’t be wearing the traditional court gown that speakers are meant to wear.

There’ll be a green light for flip-flops and onesies next year, I suspect.

No wonder it’s called the ‘lower’ chamber.  

CHURLISHNESS

Recipient: George Osborne, newspaper editor and former MP

George Osborne was criticised for churlishness for criticising Theresa May

George Osborne was criticised for churlishness for criticising Theresa May

It’s never enjoyable being sacked but George Osborne has spent the past year as newly-appointed editor of London Evening Standard being nothing short of childish and churlish, not to mention a sore loser with his tediously predictable attacks on the person who sacked him, the Prime Minister, Theresa May.

Rather than turning the other cheek or displaying good breeding by staying glacially quiet about the matter, his toys have been thrown out of his pram for too long. 

Off with their heads!

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION TO ETIQUETTE

Recipient: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge

Finally, I am pleased to present this rare – and special – positive award to the Duchess of Cambridge, who in February proved that politeness never goes out of fashion by sending heartfelt thank you cards to birthday well-wishers.

Gratitude is dying in modern Britain so I am pleased to see that Kensington Palace is attempting to keep it alive. 

The Duchess of Cambridge thanked well-wishers

The thank you note

Model etiquette: The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured left at the BAFTAs on Sunday, sent thank you notes, right, to supporters who wrote to wish her well for her birthday in January



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