King Charles II, receiving from the Royal Gardener, John Rose, the first pineapple grown in England in 1675. Painting by Hendrick Danckerts.
While exiled in England, the Duke of Grammont attended a lunch of Charles II. The protocol of the time demanded that the officers serve the king on their knees. The king noticed the duke’s surprise and commented:
― “This is a sign of respect that no other king receives.”
Since, from time immemorial, French and English have been trading barbs on the quality of the other country’s cuisine, the duke replied:
― “Your Majesty, I thought it was to beg pardon for the poor quality of the food they serve you.”
Edmond Guérard, Dictionnaire encyclopédique d’anécdotes (Paris: Firmin Didot, 1872), Vol. 1, 397. (Nobility.org)
Short Stories on Honor, Chivalry, and the World of Nobility—no. 438
