The Royal Elegance
For the World’s High Society
For Those at the Summit of Society
A programme for those who move at the very summit of societyThose received at royal banquets. Those seated at ambassadorial receptions. Those who move through the Rose Ball of Monaco, the balls of Vienna, the salons of London. Those who, as members of distinguished families, share their table with the eminent of the world —
The Royal Elegance is the highest programme of ICPA, composed for the wealthy themselves who stand at the summit of international society.
This is not a course in social accomplishment. It is the single path by which those already at the heights bring their bearing and grace to completion — unshakeable upon every stage, whether of royalty, of state, or of international society.
What is asked of you is not knowledge, but the very air you carry: the power to embody, and to command, the grace of the moment. It is a height reached only through the direct and personal guidance of the Founding Principal.
The codes of this world are, for the most part, unspoken understandings. Even those who already move within it find that only by making its subtleties truly their own does an unshakeable confidence arise. And to those drawn to the beauty of this world, who wish to become truly part of it — The Royal Elegance extends the same regard to each.
The Royal Elegance is offered solely as bespoke, one-to-one tuition under the direct guidance of the Founding Principal. There are no group or introductory formats. As this is a height attainable only through guidance shaped entirely for one, admission follows a personal interview with the Founding Principal, by selection.
As Though Born to It
To move through the highest circles as though born to themWhat The Royal Elegance seeks is not the mere performance of etiquette. It is the state of moving with complete ease — as though one had been raised within this world from birth.
To exchange quiet words with an ambassador at a royal dinner. To carry oneself more gracefully than any other upon the ballroom floor. To be received at a private salon by the great families, and to stand at its very centre. For one who has built a fortune to become one who is truly esteemed — this is the vista that lies beyond the learning.
In time, people will speak not of your wealth,
but of your grace.
The Six Domains
The domains mastered by those who belong at the summitThe curriculum is composed in accordance with the reality of life at the summit of society. Each of the six domains carries its own weight, and together they form a single, unshakeable grace.
Royal banquets, state receptions, investitures — the ceremonial of the highest occasions. Forms of address, precedence and hierarchy, mastered as a whole.
Balls, gala dinners, and the art of conversation in society. The practised ease to move without hesitation through Monaco, Vienna and London.
Posture, movement, deportment, and the use of silence. The unspoken charisma that conveys one’s grace before a word is spoken.
Dress codes, jewellery, art and wine. The cultural literacy that underpins one’s attire and conversation, refined to the standard of international society.
Private dinners, the design of receptions, and the reception of distinguished guests. The manner and grace of one who stands as host.
To carry the Japanese sense of beauty and the spirit of hospitality into the salons of the world. The Eastern spirit deepens and enriches the Western form.
The six domains are not separate subjects. Through the royal banquet, the occasion of international society, and the role of host alike, a single grace runs as a continuous thread. What The Royal Elegance refines is that unshakeable grace itself.
Mirei Cecilia Hakuba
Founding Principal of ICPAFounder of ICPA, she has instructed protocol chiefly among the wealthy, and has produced certified graduates in countries across the world.
At the Rose Ball of Monaco, where the celebrated of the world gather, she has instructed participants in the protocol of the ball. She has herself devised and led royal tours to Austria and to England, and has hosted balls of her own.
Through her association with those of the highest circles — among them, individuals formerly of royal households — she conveys the very world in which they move. For those about to make their debut in society, she has offered her personal support, from preparation through to accompaniment on the occasion itself.
Her instruction extends to the protocol officers of the United States government, to the United Nations, and to the heads of distinguished families. In partnership with The English Manner of Britain, she continues to bring protocol education of international standard from Japan to the world.
Guided by the Principal, Enriched by Masters
Guided by the Principal, enriched by masters of each fieldThroughout every hour of The Royal Elegance, the Founding Principal guides you without interruption. To this, for each domain, are invited specialists who have reached the summit of their own worlds — a sommelier for wine, an authority in fine jewellery, experts in the protocol of royal courts. To touch, in each field, the genuine article: this is a luxury unique to The Royal Elegance.
What Sets You Apart in the Salons of the World
What sets you apart in the salons of the worldThe wealthy of the world all acquire the Western forms of society. The bearing of the ballroom, the conduct of the gala dinner — these are no longer rare.
What, then — among others who stand at the same summit — sets you apart? It is that, beneath the Western polish, you carry an Eastern grace.
ICPA is the only institution in the world able to unite, within a single person, the forms of international society and the Japanese sense of beauty and hospitality. A serene Japanese poise at the ball in Monaco; the heart of Japanese hospitality at the dinner in London — the Eastern spirit deepens and enriches the Western form.
This is no borrowed knowledge. It is the power to stand, with unshakeable grace, in the salons of East and West alike — the true internationalism that only those at the summit may carry.
The true cosmopolitan knows their own country deeply, and the world widely.
One who has mastered the graces of both East and West stands, in any salon of the world, with a quiet dignity.
The Four Graces of Those at the Summit
The bearings and graces of those who move at the summitA presence that changes the air of a room the moment you enter; a bearing that conveys your grace before you speak. To possess an ease and dignity that remain unshaken even at the height of occasion.
The assured confidence to be present, naturally, at a royal dinner or a ball of international society alike, without hesitation. To carry yourself, upon whatever stage you are received, as though in your own home.
A singular presence that, beneath its Western polish, holds a serene Japanese grace, and stands apart in any salon. The power to leave an unforgettable impression at any summit of the world.
The grace of one who stands as host. From the private dinner to the international reception, the standing of a host who receives distinguished guests and commands the occasion.
The Shape of the Learning
A bespoke path, shaped and guided by the Principal aloneThe Royal Elegance is a wholly private tuition, designed and guided throughout by the Founding Principal, for one who stands at the summit. Seven days, some fifty hours — each day held as a one-to-one occasion with the Principal, its content shaped entirely to your background, your purpose, and the stage of society upon which you will stand. A programme without a second, for one alone.
In Person · Seven Days
In the private rooms of first-class five-star hotels — the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, the Palace Hotel, Tokyo, and others — the Founding Principal guides you throughout. Seven days of complete immersion; a serene and unhurried time of learning, appointed for one alone.
Online
For those residing abroad, or who require tuition at a distance, a form centred upon online sessions may also be arranged. Wherever in the world you may be, the guidance of the Founding Principal is brought to you.
Upon completion of the full programme,
the ICPA Certificate
is conferred
A Setting Befitting the Summit
The setting itself befits the summitEvery lesson is held in the private rooms of first-class five-star hotels — the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo, the Palace Hotel, Tokyo, and others. To learn in the very place where the highest society gathers: the setting, the air, the very bearing of the surroundings are themselves part of the education.
The serenity and dignity that only a wholly private room affords. In surroundings worthy of receiving the most distinguished of the world, you pass your time, one to one, with the Founding Principal.
The summit of Japanese hospitality; historic private rooms that have long received the guests of state.
A serene and storied name overlooking the Imperial Palace; learning in rooms of consummate refinement.
Where desired, a first-class setting worthy of distinguished guests is arranged, individually.
To the Heartlands of High Society
An optional immersion in the heartlands of European high societyWhere desired, immersive study in the heartlands of upper-class culture — in England, in Austria, and beyond — may be arranged individually. The manners that live on in the English country house; the traditions of the court carried on in the balls of Vienna — an experience of being present within the genuine air, never to be found in books alone, is composed for you.
England — the manners of the country house, the traditions of aristocratic society, the air of royal culture
Austria — the balls of Vienna, the culture of the court, the grace of the Habsburgs
For Those Who Belong at the Summit
For those who belong at the summit of international society- Those who attend the social occasions of royalty and distinguished guests
- The wealthy themselves who move in earnest through international society
- Those who already move in society, and wish to make its manners more surely their own
- Those drawn to the beauty of this world, who wish to become truly part of it
- Those present at the balls and galas of Monaco, Vienna and London
- Those who stand as hosts of dinners and receptions
- Those who, as distinguished international families, move among the eminent of the world
- Those who share international society together as husband and wife
- Those about to make their debut in society, or to step onto a new stage
Completion, and What Lies Beyond
Beyond a certificate — a lifelong accompanimentUpon completion of the full programme, the ICPA Certificate is conferred. The Royal Elegance is not a programme whose purpose is a qualification. For one who stands at the summit, a title is not required. What is asked is one thing alone — the completion of grace itself, unshakeable in any salon.
And the learning of ICPA does not end upon completion. The Founding Principal continues thereafter, as one of your professional family, to guide you at your side for years to come — a companion for life to those who stand at the summit. This is the essence of ICPA’s membership.
The Privileges of This Path
The privileges reserved for those at the summitPreparation for the true occasions of society, and, where fitting, accompaniment. From the Rose Ball of Monaco onward, you advance toward the summit of the world’s society.
Even after completion, you may consult the Founding Principal, occasion by occasion — for the coming dinner or ball — as a personal counsellor in society, for life.
A gathering of grace, in which only those at the summit assemble. A lifelong bond, as one of the professional family.
Dress, jewellery, wine — first-class specialists in each field advise you, individually, for one alone.
Through the honorary patron, and the network of The English Manner, the way to introduction within international society is also opened.
The Highest Record of Instruction, and Distinguished Patronage
The institutions and individuals who have entrusted usLEPSW Accreditation
The sole accredited institution in Japan of the Leading Etiquette and Protocol Schools of the World — the global standard in protocol education.
H.E. Ambassador Ayman Kamel
Honorary patron of ICPA. Former Ambassador of Egypt to Japan, now Ambassador to Slovakia. Recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun (2024) — a rare honour for a serving ambassador.
The English Manner — William Hanson
A strategic partnership with The English Manner, the foremost etiquette consultancy of Britain. We hold the personal recommendation of its Director, Mr William Hanson.
The Rose Ball of Monaco · International Society
Our graduates are guided toward the summit of the world’s society, from the Rose Ball of Monaco onward — those who stand at the forefront of international society.
Instruction to Distinguished Families
Executive instruction to Toyoda Trike Corporation, led by descendants of Toyota’s founding family, among a record of instruction to distinguished international families.
The United Nations · US Forces / AFSOC
Bespoke instruction to the staff of the United Nations, and to the Chiefs of Protocol of the US Forces and the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
Voices of Our Graduates
Reflections from those we have accompanied to the summitAs an executive, I long sought a way to enter the highest reaches of international society with the dignity they demand. Through my studies at ICPA, I came to attend the Rose Ball of Monaco with confidence, and truly to be present there. The mastery of social protocol I gained here is to be found nowhere else.
The Founding Principal’s instruction was without equal in its depth and precision. The conduct of an executive, dining with diplomatic ceremony, dress codes, body language — every facet asked of a global executive was taught with precision and with grace.
ICPA’s instruction transformed the way I approach my international work. To learn the union of Eastern wisdom and Western protocol, with a rare authority, gave me an unshakeable foundation for my work at the highest level.
An Invitation to the Few at the Summit
An invitation to those who belong at the very summitThe Royal Elegance is a special programme for the wealthy themselves who stand at the summit of society. Enrolment requires membership at the Standard level or above, and admission following a personal interview with the Founding Principal.
For enquiries, requests for materials, or to arrange an interview with the Founding Principal, please contact us below.