Protocol (diplomacy)

These well-established and time-honored rules have made it easier for nations and people to live and work together.

[1][2] The term protocol is derived, via French and Medieval Latin, from the Greek word πρωτόκολλον protokollon "first glued sheet of or onto a papyrus-roll".

This comes from the act of gluing a sheet of paper to the front of a document to preserve it when it was sealed, which imparted additional authenticity to it.

In the beginning, the term protocol related to the various forms of interaction observed in official correspondence between states, which were often elaborate in nature.

The events and rituals, for example, of the formal start of the parliamentary year and the monarch’s speech in the United Kingdom are meant to symbolise the democratic values of the country.