Interviews On board with Cunard Food and drink

A lesson in Afternoon Tea

To celebrate Afternoon Tea Week, Cunard’s Captain Aseem Hashmi teamed up with Grant Harrold, the UK’s pre-eminent etiquette expert, for the ultimate masterclass in one of Britain’s favourite pastimes.

6 min 18 Aug 2023

Cunard

Author

Having been a member of the Royal household of Their Majesties King Charles III and the Queen Consort at Highgrove House in the Cotswolds for seven years, Grant Harrold is the UK's authority voice on etiquette, service, and protocol.

With Cunard being world renowned for its iconic White Star Service, it was a perfect pairing when Grant joined Captain Hashmi on board Queen Mary 2 to compare notes on royal etiquette and cruise ship dining for Afternoon Tea Week (7-13 August).

The masterclass is reflective of Cunard’s unique timelessness, where guests on board don’t have to indulge in the theatre of an Afternoon Tea, but if they do, they can rest assured that it’ll be done properly.

Former royal butler Grant steered Captain Hashmi through the major dos and don’ts of a quintessential Afternoon Tea service in his characteristically cheeky manner. The lesson includes his top tips on the proper way to stir your tea at sea, the official order one should devour the treats, as well as the most common etiquette mistake that people make, and the one thing you should never, never do when serving tea....

This ultimate etiquette lesson served as a timely reminder of the luxury, glamour and royally tremendous treatment that can be enjoyed aboard a Cunard ship as the iconic cruise line counts down to the launch of its newest ship, Queen Anne, in May 2024.

“It was a real pleasure to join Captain Hashmi for Afternoon Tea, and as expected, he conducted himself like a true gentleman – he certainly doesn’t need my help. It was a pleasure to share my unique perspective on the British monarchy and its traditions with Cunard guests, especially on ships that boast Queen Elizabeth II, and the Queen Consort, as their godmothers.”

Grant Harrold

Grant Harrold is regarded as a leading UK Etiquette Expert, Royal Commentator, British Entertainer, and Broadcaster. Previously, Grant was a member of the Royal household of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Based at their country Highgrove House in The Cotswolds, his duties included butlering for The King and Queen, The Prince and Princess of Wales and The Duke of Sussex. On occasions, he also had the honour to Butler for the Late Queen Elizabeth II and her Husband The Late Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. Grant's character 'The Royal Butler' has been described in the media as 'Defender of Etiquette' and 'Britain's Official Etiquette Expert'. For the last 10 years, Grant has personally been learning and developing his passion for etiquette, which he shares in his courses at The Royal School of Etiquette and The Royal School of Butlers.

Grant now advises royal households across the globe, and joined guests on board Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in 2023 for sailings to the Canary Islands and Japan respectively. In his Insight Speaker talks, The Life of The Royal Butler, Grant recounted his experiences working for the most famous family in the world, regaling guests with tales from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace.