Loyal Toast

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. There is sometimes a tradition of smashing a glass used for a loyal toast, so that no lesser toast can be made with it.

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Loyal Toast is most commonly composed solely of the words "The Queen" or "The King" (as appropriate), 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." 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. 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," and should an honoured guest be from one of the other Commonwealth member-states, the Loyal Toast is to be recited as "Ladies and gentlemen, the Queen of Canada, Head of the Commonwealth." Other unique cases exist in places such as Lancashire, where the salute may be "Ladies and gentlemen, The Queen, Duke of Lancaster"; in Jersey and Guernsey, where residents will informally say "La reine, notre duc" ("The Queen, our Duke"); on the Isle of Man, where "The Queen, Lord of Mann," is said; and in Cornwall where it is traditional to toast "The Queen and The Duke of Cornwall". Members of the Royal Family neither participate in nor respond to the Loyal Toast, 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. 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." The toast can be adapted for use at some royal foundations. For example, at Christ Church, the first toast is always "The Queen, Visitor of the House."

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