I have been asked to be a Vice President at my squadron dinner. I am aware that I have to do a loyal toast but I have no idea what this is and what is said.
Please could you give me an idea?
When summoned by whoever is master of ceremonies, stand up and say âLadies and gentlemen, The Kingâ
Everyone else should then stand up and say âThe Kingâ, hold up their glass/charge and take a sip.
Then sit down again.
The Vice is also responsibile for the social entertainment for the evening and generally up to vice what they choose to do.
1 Like
In Lancashire the toast is or will be âThe King, The Duke of Lancasterâ.
Mister Vice is instructed when to rise for the loyal toast. Mister Vice also when the Mess President (PMC) retires with guests to another room or bar for first crack at the post dinner drinks, Mr Vice and a selected group or cronies move the places where the PMC and guests seated and demolish the Port/Madiera.
1 Like
My old unit had a navy section. Our toast was âThe Queen and all who still within herâ to which the response was 'Philip". Iâm pretty sure that was wrong though
2 Likes
Rather than âPhilipâ it was the Lord High Admiral?
1 Like
Although, for a Squadron dinner, and where the Vice is a cadet, that may very well not be a required part of the job.
Most Sqn dinners Iâve seen, they just ask âMr Viceâ to propose the toast.
2 Likes
for the protection of the Vice and the guests!!
Most times I have seen this allowed has not ended wellâŚ
1 Like
We must have lucked out with our choices of Vice then - never had a problem with the âentertainmentâ portion.
1 Like
and watch out for people holding a glass of water underneath the wine/port glass while drinking the toastâŚ
Which interestingly merges when Prince William ascends as he is a descendant on his mothers sideâŚ
Heâs not the âtopâ pretender, though, is he? (Wikipedia says itâs Franz, Duke of Bavaria.)
Fun fact: donât be surprised when the Navy, should you have any present, remain seated.
They donât stand, lest they nut their heads on a low ceilingâŚ
Also, everyone seems to make this up as they go along. So, rather than start an argument about the correct call and response of the thing, just make sure you brief everyone in advance so youâre all on the same page. Importantly, whether or not a band will play the national anthem in between Vice saying âthe Kingâ and everyone else copying.
Edit: I realise my minor profanity has been censored. Apologies to the mods if I done a bad thingâŚ
1 Like
It was the same in the Royal Welch Fusiliers, although I donât know about their post-amalgamation successor, The Royal Welsh.
1 Like
Same goes for quite a few Army Regiments, there is even one do the old Cavalry Regiments (canât remember which one) who actively used to talk through the National Anthem/Loyal Toast. Donât k ow if they survived Options for Change but saw it on a documentary make in the late 1980âs. You also have the Rocket Troop of the Royal Artillery who toast the King of Sweden on certain days rather than our own Monarch due to some detached duty they did.
1 Like
I donât know the reasons, but the Queenâs Royal Hussars are permitted to ignore both the toast and the national anthem. They formed as a result of Options for Change, through the merging of The Queenâs Own Hussars and the Queenâs Royal Irish Hussars.
Thatâs who I was thinking about the Irish Hussars.
Like all of these things the claim is that itâs because their loyalty isnât in question.
1 Like
I have been privileged to be at an event where I have not had to participate in this toast.
As a first timer it felt very strange.
1 Like
Had a CCF dinner where the SSI was from the royal Irish regiment.
Port was passed to the right!
Error. Error. Not. Compute.
1 Like
No alcohol though if cadets present if I understand the new rules recently.