Since we Americans don't have royalty (although we have too many celebrities who think they are royalty, but that's another discussion), I have never fully grasped the nuances of addressing royalty. The question for today is about proper forms of address for kings and queens. I know that upon being introduced to a ruling monarch (male or female), the first time one addresses the monarch the proper form of address is "Your majesty." If the monarch is queen, after that it is permissible and proper to address her as "Ma'am." If the ruler is male, after the initial "Your majesty" my understanding is that he may be addressed as "Sir" or "Sire." Is "Sire" still in use, or is that archaic? In many old books and movies, the king (always the king, not queen) is sometimes addressed as "My liege." Does that term apply only to male monarchs, or can a queen be addressed as "My liege"?
'Liege' simply refers to a feudal superior. I don't believe there's a female form of it, so I don't think you'd use it for a female noble. Opting for 'my Lady' would be a safer bet, unless one is addressing a princess, queen or similar. To my knowledge, 'sire' is archaic. I haven't had many direct dealings with royalty, but you're right that, after the initial address, 'sir' or 'ma'am' will suffice.
It probably depends a lot on the nature of the ruler...some will be happy with sir/maam while others will insist on a your majesty every time, the danish royal family are reputed to use first names , but i can't imagine King Charles 3 being okay with a pleb calling him charlie some royals also have military rank and could be addressed as general or colonel or whatever as appropriate, or sir/maam again in that sense My Leige is more archaic than sire, it stictly applies between an oath sworn man and his leige lord...not something with much applicability in the modern period
"Your/His/Her Majesty" is known as the style, and is how the person is formally referred to. The exact style depends on the title, but the King or Queen regnant will be styled that way. A Queen consort may also be styled as "Her Majesty". There has never been a King Consort of the United Kingdom, all royal husbands who have married an English Queen and had the title of King has been a king in their own right, all other male consorts have held different titles. If they hold a lesser title than King, they are usually styled as "His Royal Highness". Certain royal princes/princesses may also be styled as "His/Her Royal Highness". In the UK, this is usually reserved for the heir to the throne, their consort, and also the eldest daughter of the monarch, Princess Anne the Princess Royal. Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret, was also granted the style of Her Royal Highness". As to how to address the King verbally, here is chapter and verse from Debrett's, the ultimate authority on etiquette: https://debretts.com/royal-family/addressing-the-royal-family/ "Use 'Your Majesty' for the first time and subsequently 'Sir'."
