Addressing a foreign head of government.

[JayF]

I was working on a story, and in this story I've got a question on how to address a foreign head of government.

For context, the person is holding the title of Chancellor, has no noble title and is subordinate to the MC's departed mother. While the MC would address her as Aunt because she considers her family, how would the rest of her party address her? So far, all my research online indicates that Excellency is the usual style of address for a head of government.

Should a foreign national also address the chancellor by Excellency, or would Ma'am be sufficient in normal, everyday conversation. The character in question doesn't wish to be too informal with, so doesn't wish to address the chancellor by name. The style of government in question is quasi-medieval and a pidgin French is spoken as the common tongue.

 

[Lackofgravitas]

Go with Excellency I was usually advised ordered to be over the visible horizon when any VIP I was visting , can't think why
Oh wait that one reception I attended thats why

 

[Lackofgravitas]

Go with Excellency I was usually advised ordered to be over the visible horizon when any VIP I was visting , can't think why
Oh wait that one reception I attended thats why

Click to shrink...

 

[Blackshard]

Depends on how formal the conversation in question is, really. "Your excellency" is fine for the right kind of appropriately formal discussions (especially in the presence of other dignitaries), but it's a bit of a mouthful for normal everyday conversation, especially about matters not of diplomatic import.

If the speaker in question is worried about it, a common scene would involve that speaker going overboard with "Yes, your excellency" and "No, your excellency", and the dignitary in question responding with something along the lines of "(name) is fine when we're in private"... unless you're wanting to portray them as being overly formal and/or pompous, in which case you get the opposite scene, in which someone gets rebuked for attempted informality.

 

[Volt Cruelerz]

Unless the character in question has some personal connection with the Chancellor or the Chancellor hates formality, the character should call the Chancellor "Your Excellency."

The MC might get away with "Aunt," but that depends on how formal both of them are and the setting they're in. If it's a subordinate Chancellor coming to swear allegiance to the new Empress, that is of course a VERY formal situation. You might have a whispered conversation going on between the MC and Chancellor which could be informal, but the openly spoken words would be as formal as can be.