William Hanson's 39 steps to being a gentleman
Many have attempted to update the codes of gentlemanly conduct for 2025, but as, William Hanson shows, the timeless rules are still the best ones
A gentleman…
1) Writes prompt and pithy thank-you letters
2) Never runs for things in public
3) Learns and uses waiters’ names
4) Is a good kisser
5) Enjoys gin in a tumbler, not a balloon
6) Listens more than he speaks
7) Doesn’t modify restaurant orders
8) Believes Roger Moore was the best 007
9) Doesn’t honestly care where someone went to school
10) Takes the nearest canapé on the tray
11) Can poach and scramble eggs without fuss
12) Speaks to an assistant the same way he would a Duke
13) Would never change the seating plan
14) Is comfortable using moisturiser, but never hair gel
15) Knows how to iron a shirt
16) Is always the first person to say hello
17) Doesn’t wear tank tops to the gym
18) Never opens a message without replying to it
19) Thinks Sabrina Carpenter is related to Karen and Richard
20) Is comfortable speaking in public
21) Calls it racing, not horse-racing
22) Would never go to watch a football match dressed in the team shirt
23) Knows when to call it a night
24) Never eats on the go
25) Enjoys any sport he may play, but doesn’t bang on about it
26) Walks on the right-hand side of a country lane
27) Knows that ‘Babe’ is a pig and not a term of endearment
28) Has spare wellies for guests
29) Is happy to carry a handbag for a lady
30) Knows how to pronounce ‘Moët’
31) Agrees that only babies drink from bottles
32) Has a dog who knows their place isn’t on the bed…
33) …and doesn’t include said dog when signing Christmas cards
34) Is pathologically punctual
A gentleman does not drive a Tesla.
35) Doesn’t drive a Tesla
36) Prefers Emma Woodhouse to Elizabeth Bennet, but is secretly in love with Rupert Campbell-Black
37) Isn’t snobby about which airline he flies with
38) Only stops at motorway service stations to use the loo
39) Doesn’t take anything too seriously
William Hanson is a British etiquette coach, a twice Sunday Times bestselling author, and host of podcasts Help I Sexted My Boss and The Luxury Podcast.
-
Can you buy happiness? The latest list of Britain's happiest places, and what you could end up with if you moved thereCan you buy happiness? Of course not, but you can buy a nicer house in a better town... and, well, that's probably going to help quite a bit.
-
Is the British Museum's attempt to save a Tudor-era pendant with links to Henry VIII proof that the institution is on the up?After years of neglect and controversy, Britain's premier cultural institution seems to be finding its feet again.
-
Is the British Museum's attempt to save a Tudor-era pendant with links to Henry VIII proof that the institution is on the up?After years of neglect and controversy, Britain's premier cultural institution seems to be finding its feet again.
-
Suit yourself: I’m a 49 year-old man-about-town and I’ve never owned a suitWhen Hugh Smithson-Wright turned up to Country Life's annual Gentleman's Life party sans suit, it sparked a passionate conversation about why the formal fashion just isn't for everyone.
-
Sweet civilisation: What do you get when you ask architects to compete in a gingerbread competition?The Gingerbread City is back in London’s Kings Cross. Lotte Brundle pays it a visit.
-
Sophia Money-Coutts: A snob's guide to meeting your in-laws for the first timeThere's little more daunting than meeting your (future) in-laws for the first time. Here's how to make the right kind of impression.
-
This machine is what happens when the Rolls-Royce of motorbikes and the most innovative of watchmakers join forcesBrough Superior and Richard Mille, two brands renowned for perfection, have created something that is exactly that.
-
‘Each one is different depending on what mood I’m in, how I'm feeling and how my energy is’ — meet the carver behind Westminster Hall's angel statuesBespoke woodcarver William Barsley makes unique scale replicas of the angels that gaze over Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace of Westminster.
-
I was Jeremy Hunt’s main political adviser and helped put together multiple Autumn Statements and Budgets. This is what I think Rachel Reeves’s Budget means for the countrysideAdam Smith, former chief of staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, reflects on what last week's Budget means for the countryside and how we ensure the rural voice is heard loudly inside Budget preparations.
-
What is everyone talking about this week: Thanks to modern-day technology, people were far happier in the days when Nero was setting Rome ablazeWas the ancient world's superior happiness down to its ‘superior production of art’?
