A new guide for the modern man of manners has been unveiled — and it’s causing quite the stir. According to Country Life magazine, true gentlemen in 2025 are polite, stylish, and ever so slightly self-aware.
The tongue-in-cheek guide, edited by etiquette expert William Hanson, celebrates “old-school manners with a modern twist,” proving that chivalry isn’t dead — it’s just had an update.
But not everyone is convinced. Some readers find it “charming” and “refreshingly proper,” while others dismiss it as “outdated nonsense.” Still, if you thought holding open a door made you the perfect gentleman, think again — you’ve got 39 rules to master.
From carrying a partner’s handbag to believing Roger Moore was the best James Bond, this playful list is, as editor-in-chief Mark Hedges puts it, “a light-hearted look at gentlemanly behaviour in 2025.”
Writes prompt and pithy thank-you letters
Never runs for things in public
Learns and uses waiters’ names
Is a good kisser
Enjoys gin in a tumbler, not a balloon
Listens more than he speaks
Doesn’t modify restaurant orders
Believes Roger Moore was the best 007
Doesn’t honestly care where someone went to school
Takes the nearest canapé on the tray
Can poach and scramble eggs without fuss
Speaks to an assistant the same way he would a Duke
Would never change the seating plan
Is comfortable using moisturiser, but never hair gel
Knows how to iron a shirt
Is always the first person to say hello
Doesn’t wear tank tops to the gym
Never opens a message without replying
Thinks Sabrina Carpenter is related to Karen and Richard
Is comfortable speaking in public
Calls it racing, not horse racing
Would never go to watch a football match dressed in the team shirt
Knows when to call it a night
Never eats on the go
Enjoys any sport he may play, but doesn’t bang on about it
Walks on the right-hand side of a country lane
Knows that “Babe” is a pig and not a term of endearment
Has spare wellies for guests
Is happy to carry a handbag for a lady
Knows how to pronounce Moët
Agrees that only babies drink from bottles
Has a dog who knows their place isn’t on the bed...
...and doesn’t include said dog when signing Christmas cards
Is pathologically punctual
Doesn’t drive a Tesla
Prefers Emma Woodhouse to Elizabeth Bennet — but is secretly in love with Rupert Campbell-Black
Isn’t snobby about which airline he flies with
Only stops at motorway service stations to use the loo
Doesn’t take anything too seriously
The result? A portrait of the modern gentleman who is polite but never pompous, stylish but never showy, and always in on the joke.
After all, as the guide reminds us, “good manners never go out of fashion — they just adapt to the times.”
