Afternoon Tea at Caprice Lounge

A REGAL history

Jo Caruana is a business etiquette and protocol consultant for Finesse Consulta, who regularly hosts afternoon tea events at our very own Villa Corinthia. Here she shares a little about the history of the tradition, as well as the etiquette associated with it...

"It was around the 1830s that drinking tea graduated from a simple practice to a social occasion – although celebrated author Jane Austen did hint at the concept of afternoon tea in one of her unpublished novels well before that. Regardless of when it all began, it is largely believed that Anna Maria Russell, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, really moved things along. The reason for its origin is actually pretty simple: with the dawn of electricity, Victorians could eat later and later into the evening but found they were getting peckish in the afternoon. It is said that Duchess Anna would retire to her bedroom for a pot of tea and a slice of cake. As things went on, she would invite friends to join her and, over time, the idea took off with other hostesses welcoming guests for tea and a light meal in the afternoon."