Titles and Styles in the French Royal and Imperial Houses

[Naslednik Norvezhskiy]

Yeah, they were more like styles.

What about the titled nobility?
In addition to "Si madame permet....", do you have to say "Si madame la comtesse permet..." or can you say "Si la comtesse permet...", when adressing her?

Anyone who knows?

[Naslednik Norvezhskiy]

A usage of titles quite à la russe was the alleged reply of Alexandre Dumas fils to Prince Metternich when the latter won that Imperial spelling bee known as la Dictée de Mérimée:
« Quand allez-vous, prince, vous présenter à l’Académie pour nous apprendre l’orthographe ? »

[Naslednik Norvezhskiy]

In addition to "Si madame permet....", do you have to say "Si madame la comtesse permet..." or can you say "Si la comtesse permet...", when adressing her?

Anyone who knows?

Nobody?

[Tony de Gandarillas]

Hello,

In France, "Si madame la comtesse permet?"  would only be used by family retainers, servants, and journalists from PdeV.  A respectable gentleman or lady would simply call her Madame de (family name).

kindest regards

[Naslednik Norvezhskiy]

Thanks! I was thinking mostly of historical usage, adressing somebody as "madame la comtesse" would certainly seem very archaïc today! But it would be "madame la comtesse" (like in Swedish "fru grevinnan") also when speaking to her as a subordinate - and not "madame comtesse" (like in Elizabethan English "my lady countess"), right?

[Tony de Gandarillas]

Yes, you are correct.  "Madame la comtesse" would be correct French.