Etiquette
Dear Mary
Q. As we attend socially distant events, we expect of our hosts a scrupulous accommodation of our preferences around physical…
Dear Mary
Q. During lockdown I have done my level best to assist with household chores. Last week, while my wife was…
Dear Mary
Q. Just before Covid, we moved out of London with the intention of having a quiet life in the country.…
Dear Mary
Q. How can one politely stop predatory kissers? I am (or was) an affectionate and demonstrative person but I don’t…
Dear Mary
Q. I know it is rude to ask, when invited to a dinner party, ‘who else is coming?’ I assumed,…
Dear Mary
Q. Now we are instructed to mingle again, I’m sure I’m not alone in being surprised to find an awkwardness…
Dear Mary
Q. I own a small, somewhat shabby and antiquated but well-located flat in central London which I have been happy…
Dear Mary
Q. Please can you tell me the correct etiquette about signing the visitors book after you are married? Obviously you…
Dear Mary
Q. For me the hallmark of a really close friend is someone with whom you feel comfortable enough to bring…
Dear Mary
Q To your correspondent with a guest whose table manners offend (2 May), you suggest screening him off with a…
Dear Mary
Q. I am being driven to distraction by a touchy relation who has responded to the lockdown by WhatsApping me…
Dear Mary
Q. Each day while working from home, I have at least one hour-long meeting via Zoom. One of my colleagues…
Dear Mary
Q. Caught in Switzerland as the ski resort shut down around my ears, and feeling like a walking health hazard,…
Dear Mary
Q. Mary, what percentage of cleaners’ normal wages should we pay them when they can’t come in for the foreseeable…
dear mary your problems solved
Q. How can I stop a member of the household from glutting out on the chocolate supply I have stockpiled?…
Dear Mary
Q. I am arranging the seating plan for my daughter’s wedding and have a problem with one of her guests…
Dear Mary
Q. I adore doing jigsaws and these days there’s an added bonus — by posting my progress on Instagram I…
Dear Mary
Q. I see a lot of two of our grandchildren because they live in our London house. We are centrally…
Dear Mary
Q. I am having a drinks party to celebrate the publication of my latest book. I sent out invitations (to…
Dear Mary
Q. I have hired a private room in a restaurant in order to give dinner to a large number of…
Dear Mary
Q. When my mother-in-law visits, she puts newspaper on a dining chair before sitting down. I’m so speechless that someone…
Dear Mary: How can I stop other diners eating my chips?
Q. My husband and I are committed Brexiteers. For many years we have regularly enjoyed friendly bridge evenings with a…
Dear Mary: How can I hang out with smokers at parties without freezing?
Q. As a young woman I tend not to wear that much to social events in the evening, but I…
Dear Mary, from Joan Collins: How do I stop fans asking for selfies in the powder room?
From Dame Joan CollinsQ. Invariably, when I escape to the ladies’ room or powder room or restroom (whatever the current…
Dear Mary: What can we do about our son’s girlfriend’s appalling table manners?
Q. My son has a girlfriend who we like but who has appalling table manners. They come to stay most…
