With informed insights on a range of formal occasions, modern manners and forms of address, Debrett’s Handbook is a trustworthy companion to social life and rites of passage. This weighty 480-page compendium of advice is a stylish hardback book, with a beautiful red and gold-embossed front cover.

This Coronation Edition was revised and updated in 2023 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III.

All formal address guidance has been updated to reflect the accession, the new position of the Queen Consort, and other changes in the Royal Family.

In addition, Debrett’s Handbook addresses many modern dilemmas, including social graces, dress codes, mobile manners and dining etiquette. It offers advice on civilised hosting and entertaining, from formal dinner parties to drinks parties, informal suppers and overnight stays.

Contents are divided as follows:

Correct Form

• Formal Address
• Professions
• Letters after the Name
• Formal Events
• Dress Codes

Rites of Passage

• Births Christenings
• Coming of Age
• Engagements
• Weddings
• Divorce
• Death

Modern Manners

• Correspondence
• Social Graces
• Table Manners
• At Home: How to Entertain Guests
• Public Manners

Appendix

• Sample Letters
• The British Social Season
• Wearing Orders and Decorations
• Order of Precedence
• Surname Pronunciation

• All advice relating to forms of address is fully revised and updated
• Contains a comprehensive guide to invitations and correspondence
• Offers a modern interpretation of traditional manners
• Advice on digital communication includes emails, text messages, social media and WhatsApp groups
• Step-by-step guidance to navigating all the major rites of passage
• Everyday manners are reappraised and codified