When I first went to Blenheim Palace to meet Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the eldest daughter of the late 11th Duke of Marlborough, she very graciously asked me to call her Henrietta. We created a television episode together in the private apartments of the Palace. It was the first time these stunning rooms, where Henrietta spent much of her childhood, had been filmed.
The sweetest words to anyone's ears is their name! The most aggravating words, on the other hand, is to hear their name mispronounced! If you are being introduced to someone and are not quite sure you heard it correctly, kindly ask them to repeat their name.
Quite often, people mistake my name as Molly. So, I say, "It's Holly, with an 'H,'" along with a big smile so that they are not embarrassed by their mistake. My precious friend's name is Tita, and when I introduce her to friends she thoughtfully says, "It rhymes with Rita!" which is such a clever technique too!
Married couples are introduced individually. For example, I would be introduced as Holly Holden and my husband would be introduced as Stuart Holden, rather than "Holly and Stuart Holden." If the wife uses her maiden name, then it is considerate to state who her husband is, as in: "this is Peter's wife." This gesture is helpful for all parties to understand the association between a couple.
Many people take offense if you do not introduce them along with their titles. ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady,’ for example, are used in place of ‘Mr.’ and ‘Mrs.’ It would be ‘Lord Foxhaven’ and ‘Lady Foxhaven,’ not ‘Mr. Foxhaven’ and ‘Mrs. Foxhaven.’ It is then up to Lord Foxhaven or Lady Foxhaven, if they wish, to say, "Please, call me by my first name."
Do not assume that an adult wishes to be called by their first name when introduced to someone younger. Out of respect, many of our children's friends, now in their 30's and 40's, continue to call me Mrs. Holden, even though I have asked them "Please, do call me Holly!" Slowly, they are now coming around to it, and it's about time, as their titles (Judge, Doctor, Professor) are much more impressive than mine!