A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
. A style, by
tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
or
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or
political office
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated with
monarchies
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy), ...
, where they may be used by a wife of an office holder or of a prince of the blood, for the duration of their
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...
. They are also almost universally used for
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
s in
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s and in many countries for
members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
of
legislative bodies
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
, higher-ranking
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
s, and senior constitutional office holders. Leading
religious
Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...
figures
Figure may refer to:
General
*A shape, drawing, depiction, or geometric configuration
*Figure (wood), wood appearance
*Figure (music), distinguished from musical motif
*Noise figure, in telecommunication
*Dance figure, an elementary dance patter ...
also have styles.
Examples
Academia
Traditional forms of address at
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
-speaking universities:
*His/Her Magnificence – rector (president) of a university
*His/Her Notability (; Professors have the privilege to use the Latin ) – dean of a faculty
Traditional forms of address at
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
-speaking universities:
*His/Her Great Honour () – rector magnificus (president) of a university
*Highly Learned Sir/Madam () – professor or dean of a faculty
*Well (Noble) Very Learned Sir/Madam () – a doctor
*Well (Noble) Learned Sir/Madam () – a
doctorandus
Doctorandus (drs., ; ) is a Dutch academic title according to the pre-Bachelor–Master system. The female form is doctoranda (dra., though this abbreviation is no longer used). The title is acquired by passing the ''doctoraalexamen'', the exam wh ...
*Well (Noble) Strictly Sir/Madam () – a master in laws () or a university engineer ()
Traditional forms of address at
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
-speaking universities:
*Magnificent Rector () – rector (president, chancellor) of a university
*Amplified Headmaster () – dean of a faculty (now uncommon)
*Illustrious/Enlightened Professor () – a full professor
Government
Diplomats
*His
Most Reverend
The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend".
Anglic ...
Excellency (abbreviation ''His Most Rev. Ex.'', oral address ''Your Excellency'') –
apostolic nuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...
s, because their rank is equal to that of an
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and they are simultaneously higher
prelate
A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...
s.
*His/Her
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...
(abbreviation ''HE'', oral address ''Your Excellency'') – most
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
s,
high commissioners and
permanent representative
A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation.
Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...
s to international organizations; sometimes also the presidents of
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
s,
governors-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, governors of provinces and
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
s.
*
The Honorable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
(oral address ''Mr./Madam Ambassador'') – US ambassadors. Typically US ambassadors are addressed as "Your Excellency" by non-US citizens outside the United States.
Judiciaries
* My Lord/Your Honour is used to address judiciary representatives in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
*The Honorable (abbreviation ''The Hon.'', oral address ''Your Honor'') – Judges and justices in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
* Oral address ''Your Excellency'' – Judges of the
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordanc ...
.
* Oral address ''Your Worship'' – All courts in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
(obsolete).
* Oral address ''Your Honour'' – All courts in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
=United Kingdom
=
*
His/Her Honour Judge X (abbreviation ''HHJ X'', oral address ''Your Honour'') – Circuit judges in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
.
*
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
Mr./Ms. Justice X (abbreviation ''X J'', referential ''His Lordship/Her Ladyship''; oral address ''My Lord/Lady'' or ''Your Lordship/Your Ladyship'') – Judges of the
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Courts of England and Wales, Senior Cou ...
of England and Wales.
*
The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
Lord/Lady Justice X (abbreviation ''X LJ'') – Judges of the
Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Courts of England and Wales#Senior Courts of England and Wales, Senior Courts of England and Wal ...
.
* The Lord/Lady/Baroness X (abbreviated to ''Lord/Lady/Baroness X'', referred to as ''His Lordship/Her Ladyship'', addressed orally as ''My Lord/My Lady'') – Judges in the
High Court of Justiciary
The High Court of Justiciary is the supreme criminal court in Scotland. The High Court is both a trial court and a court of appeal. As a trial court, the High Court sits on circuit at Parliament House or in the adjacent former Sheriff Cou ...
and the
Court of Session
The Court of Session is the supreme civil court of Scotland and constitutes part of the College of Justice; the supreme criminal court of Scotland is the High Court of Justiciary. The Court of Session sits in Parliament House in Edinburgh ...
in Scotland, and the
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the Unite ...
.
* Oral address ''
Your Worship
Worship is an honorific prefix for mayors, Justice of the Peace, justices of the peace and magistrates in present or former Commonwealth realms. In spoken address, these officials are addressed as Your Worship or referred to as His Worship, Her Wor ...
'' –
Justices of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
(magistrates) in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, usually by solicitors.
Monarchies
*
Sire
Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French.
The words "sire" a ...
(oral address first ''
Your Majesty
Majesty (abbreviated HM for His Majesty or Her Majesty, oral address Your Majesty; from the Latin ''maiestas'', meaning "greatness") is used as a manner of address by many monarchs, usually kings or queens. Where used, the style outranks the st ...
'' and then ''Sire''; for a queen first ''Your Majesty'' and then ''
Ma'am
Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French ''mada ...
'') – Reigning
king
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
s in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. It has also been used in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
*His/Her
Imperial Majesty
Imperial Majesty (''His/Her Imperial Majesty'', abbreviated as ''HIM'') is a style used by Emperors and Empresses. It distinguishes the status of an emperor/empress from that of a King/Queen, who are simply styled Majesty. Holders of this style h ...
, (abbreviation ''HIM'', oral address ''Your Imperial Majesty'') – Emperors and empresses. Formerly, for example, HIM the Shah of Iran. In modern times, the
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...
more often uses the simpler style of "Majesty".
*His/Her
Imperial and Royal Majesty
Imperial and Royal Majesty (abbreviated as HI&RM) was the style used by King-Emperors and their consorts as heads of imperial dynasties that were simultaneously royal. The style was notably used by the Emperor of Austria (who was also the King of ...
(abbreviation ''HI&RM'', oral address ''Your Imperial and Royal Majesty'') – Until 1918, the rulers of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, who were Emperors/Empresses of Austria while also Kings/Queens of Hungary, and the German emperors/empresses, who were simultaneously
Kings/Queens of Prussia.
*His/Her
Apostolic Majesty His (Royal) Apostolic Majesty was a styled title used by the Kings of Hungary, in the sense of being latter-day apostles of Christianity.
First creation
The origin of this title dates from about A.D. 1000 when it was conferred by Pope Silvester I ...
(abbreviation ''HAM'', oral address ''Your Apostolic Majesty'') – the
King of Hungary
The King of Hungary ( hu, magyar király) was the ruling head of state of the Kingdom of Hungary from 1000 (or 1001) to 1918. The style of title "Apostolic King of Hungary" (''Apostoli Magyar Király'') was endorsed by Pope Clement XIII in 1758 ...
, usually styled Imperial Majesty or Imperial and Royal Majesty as Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, also sometimes Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty.
*His/Her
Britannic Majesty
His Britannic Majesty, or Her Britannic Majesty (HBM), is a treaty title for the monarch of the United Kingdom, a royal style used in international law and diplomacy. It is used on the international plane in the same way that ''His Majesty'' or ' ...
– the
British monarch
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
(not usual); used as a formal and official term in
diplomacy
Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...
, the
law of nation
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
s, and
international relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...
, e.g. in
British passport
A British passport is a travel document issued by the United Kingdom or other British dependencies and territories to individuals holding any form of British nationality. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requ ...
s.
* His/Her
Most Gracious Majesty
Most Gracious Majesty is a form of address in the United Kingdom. It is an elaborate version of Your Majesty and is only used in the most formal of occasions.
Historical background
Around 1519 King Henry VIII decided Majesty should become the s ...
– an elaborate version of His/Her Majesty in the United Kingdom, only used in the most formal of occasions.
* His/Her
Most Excellent Majesty – another elaborate version of His/Her Majesty in the United Kingdom, mainly used in
Acts of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament ...
.
* His/Her
Catholic Majesty
The Latin title ''Rex Catholicissimus'', Anglicized as ''Most Catholic King'' or ''Most Catholic Majesty'', was awarded by the Pope to the Sovereigns of Spain. It was first used by Pope Alexander VI in the papal bull ''Inter caetera'' in 1493 ...
(abbreviation ''HCM'', oral address ''Your Catholic Majesty'') – the
King of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
(not usual).
*His
Most Christian Majesty
Most or Möst or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Most, Kardzhali Province, a village in Bulgaria
* Most (city), a city in the Czech Republic
** Most District, a district surrounding the city
** Most Basin, a lowland named after the city
** A ...
– the
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...
until 1790 and from 1815 to 1830.
*His/Her
Faithful Majesty
Most Faithful Majesty ( pt, Sua Majestade Fidelíssima) was the title used by the Portuguese monarchs, from 1748 to 1910.
The sobriquet Most Faithful King ( la, Rex Fidelissimus, pt, link=no, Rei Fidelíssimo) was a title awarded by the Pope Be ...
(abbreviation ''HFM'', oral address ''Your Faithful Majesty'') – the
King of Portugal
This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution.
Through the n ...
until deposed in 1910.
*His/Her
Majesty
Majesty (abbreviated HM for His Majesty or Her Majesty, oral address Your Majesty; from the Latin ''maiestas'', meaning "greatness") is used as a manner of address by many monarchs, usually kings or queens. Where used, the style outranks the st ...
(abbreviation ''HM'', oral address ''Your Majesty'') – kings, queens and some sultans. For example, HM Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
, HM King
Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to:
* Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902
* Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922
* Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...
or HM King
Willem-Alexander
Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013.
Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatri ...
.
*His/Her
Imperial Highness His/Her Imperial Highness (abbreviation HIH) is a style used by members of an imperial family to denote ''imperial'' – as opposed to ''royal'' – status to show that the holder in question is descended from an emperor rather than a king ( ...
(abbreviation ''HIH'', oral address ''Your Imperial Highness'') – members of an imperial house. Currently used by the
Imperial House of Japan
The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
.
*His/Her
Imperial and Royal Highness
Imperial and Royal Highness (abbreviation HI&RH) is a style possessed by someone who either through birth or marriage holds two individual styles, ''Imperial Highness'' and ''Royal Highness''. ''His/Her Imperial Highness'' is a style used by membe ...
(abbreviation ''HI&RH'', oral address ''Your Imperial and Royal Highness'') – formerly,
archduke
Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...
s of the
House of Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
, the German crown prince/princess and (post-monarchy) members of the deposed
Brazilian Imperial Family
The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 in Brazil, 1822 to 1889 in Brazil, 1889, after the proclamation of indepe ...
; also some women entitled to imperial style by birth and to royal style by marriage (e.g.,
Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (russian: Мария Александровна; – 24 October 1920) was the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she wa ...
, Duchess of Edinburgh.
*His/Her
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''.
When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...
(abbreviation ''HRH'', oral address ''Your Royal Highness'') – some monarchs, members of a
royal family
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
(other than monarchs,
queens consort and
queens dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear ...
);
grand duke
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...
s/duchesses who have
reign
A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Andorra), of a people (e.g., the Franks, the Zulus) or of a spiritual community (e.g., Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism, N ...
ed (but not those grand dukes who were
cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
s of the former Russian Imperial Family), consorts of grand dukes, grand ducal
heirs apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
and, in Luxembourg, all dynastic male-line cadets;
British prince
Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a royal title normally granted to sons and grandsons of reigning and past British monarchs. The title is granted by the reigning monarch, who is the fount of all honours, thro ...
s, their
dynastic
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A d ...
wives (including the princes consort of queens
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
), sons, daughters,
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
grandsons and granddaughters of
Ibn Saud
Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...
of the
House of Saud
The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...
.
*
His/Her Grace (oral address ''Your Grace'') is a style used for various high-ranking personages. It was the style used to address
Kings of England
This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Wessex, one of the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled himself King of the Anglo-Sax ...
until King
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
and the
King or Queen of Scots up to the
Act of Union of 1707
The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...
, which united the
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland (; , ) was a sovereign state in northwest Europe traditionally said to have been founded in 843. Its territories expanded and shrank, but it came to occupy the northern third of the island of Great Britain, sharing a la ...
and the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On 1 ...
. Today, the style is used when referring to non-royal dukes and duchesses, and archbishops, in the United Kingdom. For example, His Grace The
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the Peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This (now the senior) branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the wealthiest British aristocratic families since the 16th century and has be ...
in the United Kingdom, or His Grace The
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
; or ''Your Grace'' in spoken or written address.
Royal duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
s, for example the
Duke of York, are addressed with their higher royal style, ''
Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''.
When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...
''.
*His/Her
Grand Ducal Highness His or Her Grand Ducal Highness (abbreviation: HGDH) is a style of address used by the non-reigning members of some German ruling families headed by a Grand Duke. No currently reigning family employs the style, although it was used most recently by ...
(abbreviation ''HGDH'', oral address ''Your Grand Ducal Highness'') – cadets of some former ruling grand ducal dynasties (
Hesse and by Rhine
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine (german: link=no, Großherzogtum Hessen und bei Rhein) was a grand duchy in western Germany that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Grand Duchy originally formed from the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1806 ...
and
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
).
*His/Her
Highness
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...
(abbreviation ''HH'', oral address, ''Your Highness'') – some monarchs, i.e.,
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...
s, some
sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
s, the
Aga Khan
Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...
; formerly reigning dukes, some
maharajah
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
s and
rajah
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...
s and the members of their dynasties; cadets of most former grand ducal houses; male-line grandchildren and remoter male-line descendants of some kingly dynasties (i.e., Denmark and formerly Brazil, Italy, Japan, UK, Yugoslavia); Belgium's
House of Ligne
The House of Ligne is one of the oldest Belgian noble families, dating back to the eleventh century.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIV. "Ligne". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1991, pp. 495-500. . The family's name comes from the ...
; members of France's former
Foreign Prince
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* United S ...
ly class, members of
cadet branch
In history and heraldry, a cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets— realm, title ...
es of the
House of Saud
The House of Saud ( ar, آل سُعُود, ʾĀl Suʿūd ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818), and ...
.
*His/Her
Ducal Serene Highness
His/Her Ducal Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HDSH) was a style used by members of certain ducal families, such as those of Nassau, Braganza, and the Ernestine duchies (until 1844). This treatment is superior to Serene Highness because it takes t ...
(abbreviation ''HDSH'', oral address, ''Your Ducal Serene Highness'') – members of the formerly reigning ducal
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
The House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (; german: Haus Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha) is a European royal house. It takes its name from its oldest domain, the Ernestine duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, its members later sat on the thrones of Belgium, Bu ...
.
*His/Her
Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...
(abbreviation ''HSH'', oral address ''Your Serene Highness'') – German: ; Italian: ; Russian: . Sovereigns of a
principality
A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...
(i.e., Liechtenstein, Monaco); members of formerly reigning princely families (Lippe, Schaumburg-Lippe, Waldeck and Pyrmont and Schwarzburg); members of
mediatized Mediatization or mediatisation may refer to:
* German mediatisation
German mediatisation (; german: deutsche Mediatisierung) was the major territorial restructuring that took place between 1802 and 1814 in Germany and the surrounding region by ...
families headed by a ("prince"); members of several formerly noble, princely families of Austria, Germany, Bohemia, Hungary and Poland; and a few formerly noble families granted the princely title in Imperial Russia (the style is more literally translated "His/Her Serenity").
*His
Most Serene Highness
His/Her Serene Highness (abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...
(abbreviation ''HMSH'', oral address, ''Your Most Serene Highness'') –
Prince-elector
The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...
s of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
.
*His/Her
Illustrious Highness
His/Her Illustrious Highness ( abbreviation: H.Ill.H.) is the usual English-language translation for ''Erlaucht'', a style historically attributed to certain members of the European aristocracy. It is not a literal translation, as the German wor ...
(abbreviation ''HIllH'', oral address ''Your Illustrious Highness'', German: ); Italian: ; Spanish: ; Russian: . Mediatized
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
s and, sometimes, members of their families.
*His/Her Princely Grace () - former style for members of a few noble families of monarchical Germany.
*The High-born () – counts in some Scandinavian and Benelux monarchies and, formerly, Germany and Austria.
*The High Well-born () – Dutch barons; knights and untitled members of the lower nobility in German-speaking monarchies.
*His/Her
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...
(abbreviation ''HE'', oral address ''Your Excellency'') –
governors-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, British colonial governors, state officials, and generals of Imperial Russia. Occasionally,
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
s and cabinet ministers. For example, the
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The prime minister of the Netherlands ( nl, Minister-president van Nederland) is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the ''de jure'' head of government, the prime minister ''de facto'' ...
; in Denmark, a few high-ranked nobles (e.g.,
Counts af Danneskiold-Samsø,
Counts of Rosenborg
The Danish royal family is the dynastic family of the monarch. All members of the Danish royal family except Queen Margrethe II hold the title of ''Prince/Princess of Denmark''. Dynastic children of the monarch and of the heir apparent are accor ...
, , knights of the
Order of the Elephant
The Order of the Elephant ( da, Elefantordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional ...
).
*''
Don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
'' (, , pt, Dom, links=no ), from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
word (roughly, "Lord"), is an
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
title used in Spain, Portugal, Italy,
Iberoamerica and the Philippines. The female equivalent is (), (), and (), abbreviated as "Dª" or simply "D." Although originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, a person of significant wealth, or a
noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
, but it may also be used
ironically. As a style, rather than a
title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
or
rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
, it is used with, and not instead of, a person's name.
*In Portugal and Brazil, () is used for certain
hierarchs
An ordinary (from Latin ''ordinarius'') is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws.
Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ...
of the Roman Catholic Church and for
laymen who belong to the royal and imperial families (for example, the
House of Aviz
The House of Aviz (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Casa de Avis''), also known as the Joanine Dynasty (''Dinastia Joanina''), was a dynasty of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which flourished during the Portuguese Renaissance, Renaissance ...
in Portugal and the
House of Braganza
The Most Serene House of Braganza ( pt, Sereníssima Casa de Bragança), also known as the Brigantine Dynasty (''Dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Ame ...
in Portugal and Brazil). It was also accorded to members of families of the titled
Portuguese nobility
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
.
Unless ennobling
letters patent
Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
specifically authorised its use, was not attributed to members of Portugal's untitled nobility. Since hereditary titles in Portugal descended according to
primogeniture
Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
, the right to the style of was the only apparent distinction between
cadet
A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
s of titled families and members of untitled noble families.
* Most High, Mighty, and Illustrious Prince – for royal dukes, oral address Your Royal Highness.
*
Son of Heaven
Son of Heaven, or ''Tianzi'' (), was the sacred monarchical title of the Chinese sovereign. It originated with the Zhou dynasty and was founded on the political and spiritual doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven. Since the Qin dynasty, the secula ...
– Used by Chinese and some Japanese emperors.
*
High King
*
Great King
Great king, and the equivalent in many languages, refers to historical titles of certain monarchs, suggesting an elevated status among the host of kings and princes. This title is most usually associated with the '' shahanshah'' (shah of shahs ...
*
King of Kings
King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...
– Used by especially Semitic, Persian and some Indian rulers.
* "Taewang" "Greatest of Kings" – was used by the later rulers of the Korean kingdom of
Koguryo.
*
Lord of the Isles
The Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles
( gd, Triath nan Eilean or ) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title w ...
– Used by an
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
of the
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
.
*
High Steward of Scotland
The title of High Steward or Great Steward is that of an officer who controls the domestic affairs of a royal household. In the 12th century King David I of Scotland gave the title to Walter fitz Alan, a nobleman from Brittany, whose descendan ...
– Used by an
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
of the
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
.
*
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (abbreviation ''CTHM''; ar, خَادِمُ ٱلْحَرَمَيْنِ ٱلشَّرِيفَيْنِ, '), Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a royal style that has been u ...
(abbreviation CTHM) ( ar, خادم الحرمين الشريفين ), sometimes translated as Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a
royal style that has been used by many Islamic rulers including the
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...
, the
Mamluk Sultans of Egypt, the
Ottoman Sultans
The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...
, and the modern
Saudi kings.
The title refers to the ruler taking the responsibility of guarding and maintaining the two holiest
mosques
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, i ...
in
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
,
Al-Masjid al-Haram
, native_name_lang = ar
, religious_affiliation = Islam
, image = Al-Haram mosque - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg
, image_upright = 1.25
, caption = Aerial view of the Great Mosque of Mecca
, ma ...
(the Sacred Mosque) in
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
and
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (), known in English as the Prophet's Mosque, is a mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the city of Medina in the Al Madinah Province of Saudi Arabia. It was the second mosque built by Muhammad in Medina, after Qub ...
(the Prophet's Mosque) in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
.
In
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, it is used as the official title of the king, in place of "His Majesty".
*
Amīr al-Mu'minīn
Amir al-Mu'minin ( ar, أَمِير ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين, amīr al-muʾminīn) is an Arabic title designating the supreme leader of an Islamic community. It is usually translated as "Commander of the Faithful", though sometimes also as "Prin ...
( ar, أمير المؤمنين), usually translated Commander of the Faithful or Leader of the Faithful, is the Arabic style of some
Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
s and other independent sovereign
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
rulers that claim legitimacy from a community of Muslims. It has been claimed as the title of rulers in Muslim countries and empires and is still used for some Muslim leaders. The use of the title does not necessarily signify a claim to caliphate as it is usually taken to be, but described a certain form of activist leadership which may have been attached to a caliph but also could signify a level of authority beneath that. The Ottoman sultans, in particular, made scant use of it. Moreover, the term was used by men who made no claim to be caliphs.
Used by the former leader of
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...
, the Ahmadiyya Muslim leader
Mirza Masroor Ahmad
Mirza Masroor Ahmad ( ur, ; born 15 September 1950) is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Fifth Caliph of the Messiah ( ar, خليفة المسيح الخامس, ''khal ...
,
the
King of Morocco
This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used.
The present King of Moroc ...
, the
Sultan of Sokoto
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
, and the supreme leaders of the Afghan
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
.
*Kabiyesi (variously translated as His or Her Royal Majesty, His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Highness, lit. ''The One whose words are beyond question'') – Used by the
Obas of
Yorubaland
Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...
, other aboriginal
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
high chiefs of royal background, and their counterparts in the tribe's diaspora communities.
=Styles and titles of deposed monarchs
=
General tradition indicates that monarchs who have ceased to reign but not renounced their hereditary titles, retain the use of their style and title for the duration of their lifetimes, but both die with them. Hence Greece's deposed king is often still styled ''His Majesty
King Constantine II
Constantine II ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Βʹ, ''Konstantínos II''; 2 June 1940) reigned as the last King of Greece, from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973.
Constantine is the only son of King Paul an ...
'', as a ''personal'' title, not as occupant of a constitutional office, since the abolition of the monarchy by the Hellenic Republic in 1974. Similarly, until his death, the last King of Italy,
Umberto II
en, Albert Nicholas Thomas John Maria of Savoy
, house = Savoy
, father = Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
, mother = Princess Elena of Montenegro
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Racconigi, Piedmont, Kingdom of Italy
, d ...
, was widely referred to as ''King Umberto II'' and sometimes addressed as ''Your Majesty''. In contrast,
Simeon of Bulgaria who, subsequent to the loss of his throne in 1947, was elected to and held the premiership of his former realm as "Simeon Sakskoburggotski", and therefore is as often referred to by the latter name as by his former royal title and style.
While this rule is generally observed, and indeed some exiled monarchs are allowed diplomatic passports by their former realm, other republics officially object to the use of such titles which are, nonetheless, generally accorded by extant monarchical regimes. In 1981, the then Greek President
Konstantinos Karamanlis
Konstantinos G. Karamanlis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Γ. Καραμανλής, ; 8 March 1907 – 23 April 1998), commonly Anglicisation, anglicised to Constantine Karamanlis or just Caramanlis, was a four-time prime minister and List of he ...
declined to attend the wedding of
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...
when it was revealed that Greece's deposed monarch, a cousin of the Prince, had been referred to as "King" in his invitation. The current Hellenic Republic has challenged King Constantine's right to use his title and his passport was revoked in 1994 because he did not use a surname, as his passport at the time stated "Constantine, former King of the Hellenes". However, Constantine II now travels in and out of Greece on a
Danish diplomatic passport as a descendant of
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX (8 April 181829 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 1863 until his death in 1906. From 1863 to 1864, he was concurrently Duke of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg.
A younger son of Frederick William, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein- ...
, by the name ''Constantino de Grecia'' (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
for "Constantine of Greece").
Republics
*His/Her
Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...
(abbreviation ''HE'', oral address ''Your Excellency'') –
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
s of republics (historically, this was first used to refer to George Washington during his tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the Army during the American War of Independence; its use for presidents of republics was established as he was the first president of the first modern republic). In some countries also the prime minister, ministers, governors, ambassadors and
high commissioners also use this style.
*The
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
is properly directly addressed as "Mr./Madam President" and introduced as "The President of the United States"; however, His/Her/Your Excellency may properly be used in written communications and is sometimes used in official documents.
*The custom in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
is to call office holders acting within their official capacity or followed by the name of their offices. Thus, the President of the Republic is called or if a male, and if a female. Styles such as "excellency" or similar are not used, except for talking about foreign dignitaries. Traditionally after "Madame", the name of the office is not put into the feminine form, but this is becoming less common (hence, "Madame le président" is being replaced by "Madame la présidente").
*In
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, members of the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of the
Parliament of Italy
The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...
are styled ''Honourable'' ( it, Onorevole, abbreviation ). The correct form to address a member of the upper house (Senate) is ''Senator'' ( it, Senatore, abbreviation ; even though, for gravitas, they may also be addressed ''Honourable Senator'').
*The incumbent president of Finland is addressed (Mr./Ms. President of the Republic), while a former president is addressed as just .
*The style used for the
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
is normally His Excellency/Her Excellency ( ga, A Shoilse/A Soilse); sometimes people may orally address the President as 'Your Excellency' ( ga, A Shoilse
ˈhəʎʃə, or simply 'President' ( ga, A Uachtaráin
ˈuəxt̪ˠəɾˠaːnˠ(vocative case)).
* During the
Republic of the United Netherlands, the
States-General were collectively addressed as "Their High and Mighty Lords" ( nl, Hoogmogende Heren).
* The Honourable – Presidents, prime ministers, ministers, governors, members of parliament, senate and congress in some countries. (Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka.)
Medicine
*Doctor – In the United Kingdom, university degrees supporting medical and dental licensure are all bachelor's degrees (MB, MBBS, BDS, MB BS BAO, BMed, etc.). These graduates are addressed as 'doctor' by courtesy and convention.
*Mr/Miss/Mrs – Surgeons in the UK revert to the title 'Mr', 'Miss' or 'Mrs' after obtaining the postgraduate qualification
MRCS. Other doctors, on the other hand, retain the title 'Doctor' after obtaining other postgraduate qualifications, such as
MRCP.
Nautical and aeronautical
*Captain – a person who commands and is responsible for the lives of crew and passengers on a naval or civil vessel or aircraft. In the US military, ''captain'' is used regardless of the actual rank of the person being addressed. For example, on a US naval vessel commanded by someone holding a rank of
lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
or lower is addressed as "Captain", in reference to his position in command of the ship, not his military rank. This would apply even to an
enlisted man
An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States mi ...
in charge of a small boat.
Religious
*
His Holiness
The title His Holiness (and the associated form of address Your Holiness) is an official title or style referring to the pope; this use can be traced back several hundred years. It is also an official title for Oriental Orthodox patriarchs or ...
(abbreviation HH), oral address ''Your Holiness'', or ''Holy Father'' – the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
and the
Pope Emeritus
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy Orders, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of Holy orders in the Catholic Church, holy orders and is responsible ...
(but ''Holy Father'' is not used for the latter).
*
His All Holiness
The title His Holiness (and the associated form of address Your Holiness) is an official title or style referring to the pope; this use can be traced back several hundred years. It is also an official title for Oriental Orthodox patriarchs or ...
(abbreviation ''HAH''), oral address ''Your All Holiness'' – the
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
.
*His Holiness (abbreviation ''HH''), oral address ''Your Holiness'' – the
,
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia
The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' (russian: Патриарх Московский и всея Руси, translit=Patriarkh Moskovskij i vseja Rusi), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the official title of the Bishop of Mo ...
,
Patriarch of Peć and the Serbs,
Catholicos of All Armenians
The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arme ...
,
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
''Catholicos-Patriarch'' has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I (1010–1033). In the 15th century the Georgian Orthodox Church was divided into th ...
,
Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Malankara Orthodox Catholicos and some other patriarchs of the
Christian Church
In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...
.
*His Holiness (abbreviation ''HH''), oral address ''Your Holiness'' – the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
, the
Panchen Lama
The Panchen Lama () is a tulku of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Panchen Lama is one of the most important figures in the Gelug tradition, with its spiritual authority second only to Dalai Lama. Along with the council of high lamas, he ...
, the
Karmapa
The Karmapa (honorific title '' His Holiness the Gyalwa'' ྒྱལ་བ་, Victorious One''Karmapa'', more formally as ''Gyalwang'' ྒྱལ་དབང་ཀརྨ་པ་, King of Victorious Ones''Karmapa'', and informally as the ' ...
, the
Sakya Trizin
Sakya Trizin ( "Sakya Throne-Holder") is the traditional title of the head of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism.''Holy Biographies of the Great Founders of the Glorious Sakya Order'', translated by Venerable Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen, Ani Kunga ...
, and other holders of certain other
Tibetan Buddhist
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
lineages.
*His Highness the
Aga Khan
Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Karim ...
(abbreviation ''HH the Aga Khan.''), oral address ''Your Highness'' and then ''Sir'' – The Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
*His Beatitude ''or'' The Most Blessed, oral address ''Your Beatitude'' –
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
,
Syriac Orthodox Catholicos of India,
Oriental Orthodox
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent o ...
and
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...
s,
Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...
and the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic
, native_name_lang = uk
, caption_background =
, image = StGeorgeCathedral Lviv.JPG
, imagewidth =
, type = Particular church (sui iuris)
, alt =
, caption = St. George's C ...
Major Archbishop of Kyiv-Halych. If they have been elevated to the cardinalate by the Pope, they use the traditional "His Eminence" like other cardinals (more properly and formally, "His Beatitude and Eminence").
*
His Most Eminent Royal Highness (abbreviation ''HMERH''), oral address ''Your Most Eminent Royal Highness'' - The Lord of the
Rasulid Order.
*
His Most Eminent Highness (abbreviation ''HMEH''), oral address ''Your Most Eminent Highness'' – The
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
and
Grand Master of the
Sovereign Military Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
.
*
His Eminence
His Eminence (abbreviation H.Em. or H.E. or HE) is a style (manner of address), style of reference for high nobility, still in use in various religious contexts.
Catholicism
The style remains in use as the official style or standard form of a ...
(abbreviation "H.Em."), oral address ''Your Eminence'' or ''Most Reverend Eminence'' –
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cardinals
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
*His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") ''or'' The Most Reverend (abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Your Eminence'' –
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
metropolitans and
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s who are not the first
hierarch
An ordinary (from Latin ''ordinarius'') is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws.
Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ...
of an
autocephalous
Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern Ort ...
church;
*His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – Certain high
lama
Lama (; "chief") is a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term ''guru'', meaning "heavy one", endowed with qualities the student will eventually embody. The Tibetan word "lama" means "hi ...
s or
rinpoche
Rinpoche, also spelled Rimboche and Rinboku (), is an honorific term used in the Tibetan language. It literally means "precious one", and may refer to a person, place, or thing—like the words "gem" or "jewel" (Sanskrit: ''Ratna'').
The word con ...
s in
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
as well as presiding head bishops or priests of
Japanese Buddhist
Buddhism has been practiced in Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while exten ...
schools.
*His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – The
Sultan of Sokoto
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
, spiritual leader of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
's Muslims, as well as those of his fellow
Fula
Fula may refer to:
*Fula people (or Fulani, Fulɓe)
*Fula language (or Pulaar, Fulfulde, Fulani)
**The Fula variety known as the Pulaar language
**The Fula variety known as the Pular language
**The Fula variety known as Maasina Fulfulde
*Al-Fula ...
high chiefs that choose not to style themselves as HRHs.
*His Eminence (abbreviation "H.Em.") – The Grand Master of the
Murjite Order.
*His Excellency ''or''
The Most Reverend
The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend".
Anglic ...
(abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Your Excellency'' –
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s and
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s in the United States and Canada (the oral address is not recognized by Canadian civil authorities, who prescribe ''Archbishop/Bishop'' instead
); or,
*His Grace ''or''
The Most Reverend
The Most Reverend is a style applied to certain religious figures, primarily within the historic denominations of Christianity, but occasionally in some more modern traditions also. It is a variant of the more common style "The Reverend".
Anglic ...
(abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Your Grace'' –
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s in
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries except Canada;
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
; and Mar Thoma Metropolitans
*His Grace ''or''
The Right Reverend
The Right Reverend (abbreviated The Rt Revd, The Rt Rev'd, The Rt Rev.) is a style (manner of address), style applied to certain religion, religious figures.
Overview
*In the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom, ...
(abbreviation ''The Rt. Rev.''), oral address ''Your Grace'' –
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s.
*Kabiyesi (variously translated as His or Her Royal Majesty, His or Her Royal Highness or His or Her Highness, lit. ''The One whose words are beyond question'') – The
Obas of
Yorubaland
Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...
, other aboriginal
Yoruba
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
high chiefs of royal background, and their counterparts in the tribe's diaspora communities.
*His Lordship ''or'' The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev.''), oral address ''My Lord'' –
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
and
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s in Commonwealth countries other than Canada.
*The Most Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation ''The Most Rev. and Rt Hon.''), oral address ''Your Grace'' –
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
(Anglican)
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s who are
privy counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
s, usually the
Archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s of
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
and
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
*The Most Reverend (abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Your Grace'' –
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
archbishop
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
s,
primates
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
,
metropolitans and
presiding bishops. Canadian Anglican (arch)bishops are orally addressed simply as ''Archbishop/Bishop''.
[ Also moderators.
*The Most Reverend (abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''My Lord'' – ]Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
(Anglican) Bishop of Meath and Kildare
The United Dioceses of Meath and Kildare is a diocese in the Church of Ireland located in the Republic of Ireland. The diocese is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Alone of English and Irish bishops who are not also archbishops, the Bis ...
(due to being, historically, the most senior bishop in Ireland)
*The Most Reverend (abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Presiding Bishop'' – the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana
The Methodist Church Ghana is one of the largest and oldest mainline Protestant denominations in Ghana. It traces its roots back to the landing of the Rev. Joseph Dunwell on 1 January 1835 in Cape Coast, in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). The Re ...
*The Most Reverend (abbreviation ''The Most Rev.''), oral address ''Bishop'' – the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...
*The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Monsignor
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
(abbreviation ''The Rt Rev. and Rt Hon. Mgr''), oral address ''Monsignor'', or according to personal preference – Prelate of Honour who is also a privy counsellor
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the British monarchy, sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises Politics of the United King ...
(The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Monsignor Graham Leonard
Graham Douglas Leonard (8 May 1921 – 6 January 2010) was an English Roman Catholic priest and former Anglican bishop. His principal ministry was as a bishop of the Church of England but, after his retirement as the Bishop of London, he becam ...
KCVO).
*The Right Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev. and Rt Hon.''), oral address ''Bishop'' or ''My Lord'' (old-fashioned) – Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
(Anglican) bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s who are members of the Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
, usually the Bishop of London
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
.
*The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev.''), oral address ''Bishop'' or ''My Lord'' (old-fashioned) – other Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s
*The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev.''), oral address ''Bishop'' – bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
s Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
*The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev.''), oral address ''Mr./Mrs./Ms. (surname)''[ – ]Moderator of the United Church of Canada
The Moderator of the United Church of Canada is the most senior elected official within the United Church of Canada. He or she may be a lay person or a member of the Order of Ministry and is elected to a three-year term by commissioners attend ...
or of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
*The Right Reverend Father (abbreviation ''The Rt. Rev. Fr.''), oral address ''Father'' – Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
s.
*The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt. Rev.''), oral address ''Father'' or ''Father Abbot'' – Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
s.
*The Right Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rt Rev.''), oral address ''Bishop'' – diocesan bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of the Methodist Church Ghana
The Methodist Church Ghana is one of the largest and oldest mainline Protestant denominations in Ghana. It traces its roots back to the landing of the Rev. Joseph Dunwell on 1 January 1835 in Cape Coast, in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). The Re ...
*Bishop, oral address ''Bishop'' – an area bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
in the United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...
. The Right Reverend has never been pervasive in the United Methodist Church.
*His Divine Worship, or (His) Divine Worship: The Bishop (abbreviation ''DW:TB''), oral address ''Your Divine Worship'', afterwards ''My Lord'', ''My Lord Bishop'', or ''Bishop'' – a bishop in one of the Personal Ordinariates
A personal ordinariate for former Anglicans, shortened as personal ordinariate or Anglican ordinariate,"...the liturgies approved for the Anglican ordinariates..." "Bishop Stephen Lopes of the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter..." ...
for former Anglicans, especially the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter
The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter is a special Catholic diocese for Anglican and Methodist converts in the United States and Canada. It allows these parishioners to maintain elements of Anglican liturgy and tradition in their ...
. If the ordinary is merely a priest and not a bishop, then he is styled His Divine Worship, or (His) Divine Worship: The Ordinary (abbreviation ''DW:TO''), also His Divine Worship: the Reverend Monsignor, as applicable. The first oral address remains ''Your Divine Worship'', but afterwards reverts simply to ''Father'' or ''Monsignor''.
*The Very Reverend
The Very Reverend is a Style (manner of address), style given to members of the clergy. The definite article "The" should always precede "Reverend" as "Reverend" is a style or fashion and not a title.
Catholic
In the Catholic Church, the style i ...
(abbreviation ''The Very Rev. ''), oral address ''Father'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
vicars general
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
, judicial vicars, judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
s, rectors of seminaries, vicars forane
A dean, in an ecclesiastical context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and many Lutheran denominations. A dean's assist ...
, episcopal vicars, general superiors of religious orders of priests, provincial superiors, priors of monasteries or friaries
*The Very Reverend Father (abbreviation ''The Very Rev. Fr.''), oral address ''Father'' – Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
archpriest
The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...
s
*The Very Reverend (abbreviation ''The Very Rev.''), oral address ''Mr/Madam Dean'' or ''Mr/Madam Provost'', as appropriate, or ''Very Reverend Sir/Madam'' – Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
deans and provosts of cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
s, the deans of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
and St George's Chapel, Windsor
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gart ...
, and, for historical reasons, a few parish priests, such as the Dean of Bocking. Sometimes an Anglican cathedral dean has previously been a bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
, in which case he or she is styled as a bishop, but on formal occasions may be addressed ''Mr/Madam Dean''. Canadian deans are orally addressed as ''Dean'' only.[
*The Very Reverend (abbreviation ''The Very Rev.''), oral address ''Very Reverend Sir/Madam'' or ''Mr/Madam Dean'' – Deans of some Anglican ]seminaries
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
, especially those in the United States
*The Very Reverend (abbreviation ''The Very Rev.''), oral address ''Osofo Panin'' – Superintendent minister in the Methodist Church Ghana
The Methodist Church Ghana is one of the largest and oldest mainline Protestant denominations in Ghana. It traces its roots back to the landing of the Rev. Joseph Dunwell on 1 January 1835 in Cape Coast, in the Gold Coast (now Ghana). The Re ...
*The Very Reverend (abbreviation ''The Very Rev.''), oral address ''Reverend'' – former moderators of the United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...
and of the Presbyterian Church in Canada; the Canadian government prescribes the oral address ''Mr./Mrs./Ms. (surname)''[
*The Reverend Monsignor (abbreviation ''The Rev. Msgr.''), oral address ''Monsignor'' – ]Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
protonotaries apostolic, honorary prelates, chaplains of his holiness
*The Venerable
The Venerable (''venerabilis'' in Latin) is a style, a title, or an epithet which is used in some Western Christian churches, or it is a translation of similar terms for clerics in Eastern Orthodoxy and monastics in Buddhism.
Christianity
Cathol ...
, oral address ''Venerable Sir/Madam'' or ''Mr/Madam Archdeacon'' – Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
archdeacons; in Canada, they are orally addressed as ''Archdeacon'' only[
*Venerable (abbreviation "Ven."), oral address "Venerable" or "Venerable <name or title>" – fully ordained ]Buddhist monks
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist c ...
and nuns
A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
, the title of ''Venerable Master'' or ''Most Venerable'' is sometimes appended for senior monks and nuns or monks/nuns acting in their capacity as an abbot/abbess of a monastery
*The Reverend and Right Honourable (abbreviation ''The Revd and Rt Hon.'') – Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
ordained ministers who are members of the Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
(e.g. the late Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First ...
)
*The Reverend the Honourable (abbreviation ''The Rev. the Hon.''), oral address according to ecclesiastical or other status – ordained son of an earl, viscount, or baron, or ordained daughter of a viscount or baron (unless also a privy counsellor or peer)
*The Very Reverend (abbreviation "The Very Rev."), oral address: "Overseer" – in the Anglican-Apostolic Communion (Pentecostal) tradition, the overseer is the lowest level of prelate (only non–consecrated bishop prelate), with oversight to a specific work or department, directly responsible to the primate/presiding bishop or an ordinary/diocesan bishop.
*The Reverend (abbreviation ''The Rev.'' or ''The Rev'd'') – Protestant and Anglican
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
ordained ministers (common variants include ''Pastor'', ''Parson'', ''Vicar'', or simply ''Reverend'' (Rev.), as used in American English; see: The Reverend
The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...
) ); some Jewish cantors also use this style, almost all Buddhist ministers in Japan use this style
*The Reverend Canon (abbreviation ''The Rev. Canon''), oral address ''Canon'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
canons
*The Reverend Doctor (abbreviation ''The Rev. Dr.''), oral address ''Father'' or ''Doctor'' – Priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s and other ordained clergy with a doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
*The Reverend Father (abbreviation ''The Rev. Fr.''), oral address ''Father'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
(and many Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
) priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s
*The Reverend Mother (abbreviation ''The Rev. Mo.''), oral address ''Mother'' – Abbess
An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey.
Description
In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...
es (also, some female Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s )
*The Reverend Deacon (abbreviation ''Rev. Deacon''), oral address ''Deacon'' Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
permanent Deacons.
*The Reverend Mister (abbreviation ''The Rev. Mr.''), oral address ''Deacon'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
transitional deacons, i.e. those preparing for priesthood. Transitional deacons belonging to religious orders (monastic and non-monastic) are titled Reverend Brother, (similar situations and modifications apply to Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
deacons as in ''The Rev. Fr./Mthr'', above; since women can be deacons, these may be ''The Revd Ms'')
*Mother, oral address ''Mother'' – heads of some female Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
religious convents and other communities who are not abbesses
*Mister (abbreviation ''Mr.''), oral address ''Mister'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Sulpician
The Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice (french: Compagnie des Prêtres de Saint-Sulpice), abbreviated PSS also known as the Sulpicians is a society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men, named after the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris ...
priests
*Mister (abbreviation ''Mr.''), oral address often ''Mister'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
seminarians and scholastics (members preparing for priesthood) of ''some'' religious orders (notably, Jesuits
The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
).
*Father (pater)
*Brother (abbreviation ''Bro.''), oral address ''Brother'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
members of religious orders under vows (both monastic and non-monastic) who are not priests.
*Sister (abbreviation ''Sr.''), oral address ''Sister'' – Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
members of religious orders under vows (both monastic and non-monastic) who are not abbesses.
* Elder: used generally for male missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church) and for members of the adult leadership known as the general authorities. Although most all male adults of the LDS church are elders, the title is reserved for the prior mentioned groups.
*Grand Rabbi, oral address ''Rabbi'' – Hasidic
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s, who are scions of a Hasidic Dynasty.
*''Don'' (, , pt, Dom, links=no ) from Latin ''dominus'', (roughly, "Lord") is an honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
title used in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Iberoamerica and the Philippines. The female equivalent is ''doña'' (), ''donna'' (), and ''dona'' (), abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D." Although originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, it is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person of personal, social or official distinction, such as a community leader of long standing, a person of significant wealth, or a noble
A noble is a member of the nobility.
Noble may also refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Noble Glacier, King George Island
* Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Noble Peak, Wiencke Island
* Noble Rocks, Graham Land
Australia
* Noble Island, Great B ...
, but may also be used ironically. As a style, rather than a title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
or rank
Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as:
Level or position in a hierarchical organization
* Academic rank
* Diplomatic rank
* Hierarchy
* H ...
, it is used with, and not instead of, a person's name.
* Dom Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
is an honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
prefix
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the Word stem, stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy'' ...
ed to the given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...
. It derives from the Latin ''Dominus
Dominus or domini may refer to:
* Dominus (title), a title of sovereignty, clergy and other uses
Art, entertainment, and media
* Dominus (band), a Danish death metal band
* Dominus (DC Comics), an alien character in DC Comics
* Dominus (Mar ...
''. It is used in English for certain Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
(including some communities which follow the Rule of St. Benedict
The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' ( la, Regula Sancti Benedicti) is a book of precepts written in Latin in 516 by St Benedict of Nursia ( AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot.
The spirit of Saint Benedict's Ru ...
) and Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...
monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...
, and for members of certain communities of Canons Regular
Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...
. Examples include Benedictine monks of the English Benedictine Congregation
The English Benedictine Congregation (EBC) unites autonomous Roman Catholic Benedictine communities of monks and nuns and is technically the oldest of the nineteen congregations that are affiliated in the Benedictine Confederation.
History and ...
(e.g. Dom John Chapman, late Abbot of Downside). The equivalent female usage for such a monastic is "Dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
" (e.g. Dame Laurentia McLachlan
Dame Laurentia McLachlan, OSB, ''née'' Margaret McLachlan, (11 January 1866 – 23 August 1953) was a Scottish Benedictine nun, Abbess of Stanbrook Abbey, and an authority on church music. She became posthumously known to a wide public when po ...
, late Abbess of Stanbrook, or Dame Felicitas Corrigan
Dame Felicitas Corrigan OSB (6 March 1908 – 7 October 2003, Kathleen Corrigan) was an English Benedictine nun, author and humanitarian.
Biography
Corrigan was born in Liverpool in 1908 to a large family. She learned to play the organ at an ...
, author).
**''Dom'' has historically been used on occasions in French, as an honorific for Benedictine monks, such as the famous ''Dom Pérignon
Dom Pérignon (; ) is a brand of vintage Champagne. It is named after Dom Pérignon, a Benedictine monk who was an important quality pioneer for Champagne wine but who, contrary to popular myths, did not discover the Champagne method for making ...
''.
*Rabbi, oral address ''Rabbi'' (or, if holder of the appropriate degree, ''Doctor'' both in oral and written communication) – rabbis
*Grand Ayatullah, oral address ''Ayatullah'' or ''Ayatullah al-Uzma'' – Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
Ayatullah
Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیتالله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Etymology
The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...
s, who have accomplished the highest religious jurisprudent knowledge degree called as marja'
Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...
and some people officially follow them.
*Ayatullah, oral address ''Ayatullah'' – Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
religious degree who has accomplished a religious high course of lessons and is capable of individually issuing religious verdicts.
*Amīr al-Mu'minīn ( ar, أمير المؤمنين), usually translated Commander of the Faithful or Leader of the Faithful, is the Arabic style of some Caliph
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
s and other independent sovereign Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
rulers that claim legitimacy from a community of Muslims. It has been claimed as the title of rulers in Muslim countries and empires and is still used for some Muslim leaders. The use of the title does not necessarily signify a claim to caliphate as it is usually taken to be, but described a certain form of activist leadership which may have been attached to a caliph but also could signify a level of authority beneath that. The Ottoman sultans, in particular, made scant use of it. Moreover, the term was used by men who made no claim to be caliphs. Currently used by the Caliph of ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...
, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliph, Mirza Masroor Ahmad
Mirza Masroor Ahmad ( ur, ; born 15 September 1950) is the current and fifth leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His official title within the movement is Fifth Caliph of the Messiah ( ar, خليفة المسيح الخامس, ''khal ...
, the King of Morocco
This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used.
The present King of Moroc ...
, The Sultan of Sokoto
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
, The supreme leaders of the Afghan Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
.
*Cantor, oral address ''Cantor'' (some cantors use ''The Reverend'' as style, as above) – Jewish cantors
A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. In formal Jewish worship, a cantor is a person who sings solo verses or passages to which the choir or congregation responds.
In Judaism, a cantor sings and lead ...
*Reverend, oral address ''Reverend'', ''Mister'' or ''Brother'' – ordained ministers/pastors
*Pastor (abbreviation "Pr"), oral address 'Pastor" – minister responsible for caring for the "flock" in Lutheran churches
*Pandit (sometimes spelled ''Pundit'') – Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
priests
*Swami
Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eith ...
– in Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into a religious monastic order. Informally, "Swamiji".
*Officers of The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
are addressed by their rank, e.g. "Captain" (Capt.), "Major" (Maj.), etc.
*A wide variety of titles for Neo-pagan religions; Lord/Lady, Father/Mother, and High Priest/Priestess are common
In different countries
Australia
* His/Her Majesty – The King or Queen of Australia
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...
* His/Her Excellency The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
– Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
and his or her spouse, and The Honourable or His/Her Excellency for the rest of state governors (but not their spouse)
*The Honourable – all current and former governors-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
and Administrators of the Northern Territory, Justices of the High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution.
The High Court was established fol ...
, the Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law (with the exception of family law matters), along with some summary (less serious) and indic ...
, the Family Court of Australia
The Family Court of Australia was a superior Australian federal court of record which deals with family law matters, such as divorce applications, parenting disputes, and the division of property when a couple separate. Together with the Fede ...
and state supreme courts
*The Honourable – all current and former members of the Federal Executive Council and all current members of state executive councils and certain former members of state executive councils and long-serving members of state Legislative Councils (upper houses of state parliaments) that have been given the right to keep the title by permission of the governor of that state.
*His/Her Honour (oral address ''Your Honour'') – magistrates and judges in appellate, district and county courts.
*The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor – Lord mayors of Australian cities
*His/Her Worship – Administrators of territories (obsolete), magistrates (obsolete) and mayors.
Brunei
Known as ''terasul'' in the Malay language.
* ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia (Kebawah DYMM)'', equivalent to His or Her Majesty (HM) – for Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
and his first royal consort. The style is added more depends on the situation:
**Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Sultan, for Sultan before coronation.
**Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan, for Sultan after coronation.
**Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Isteri for the queen consort before coronation
**Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Raja Isteri for the queen consort after coronation
**Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Raja — for the second wife of the Sultan during coronation
* ''Kebawah Duli'', for a Sultan that has not gone through puberty.
* ''Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Isteri'', for the second wife of the Sultan after coronation
* ''Duli Yang Teramat Mulia (DYTM)'', equivalent to His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) – for the Crown Prince and his consort and for the abdicated Sultan and his consort.
** Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan — for Sultan that abdicated from the throne
** Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Suri Seri Begawan Raja — for the Sultan's consort when the Sultan abdicated from the throne
** Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Muda Mahkota — for the Crown Prince
** Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri — for the Crown Prince's consort
* ''Yang Teramat Mulia (YTM)'', to His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) – for the children of the Sultan that were born by their royal mother (both parents of the royal mother are royalties and not a commoner)
** Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Duli Pengiran Muda — for the Sultan's son that has full royal blood
** Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri— for the Sultan's daughter by a royal mother (non-commoner)
** Yang Teramat Mulia Pengiran Babu Raja — for the Queen Consort's mother
* ''Yang Amat Mulia (YAM)'', for the consort of a royal prince and their children, and for the Sultan's children by their commoner mother
** Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri — for the consort of the Sultan's son (full royal blood)
** Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Muda — for the son (full royal blood) of the Sultan's son (full royal blood)
** Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak — for the children of the Sultan that were born by a commoner mother; daughter (full royal blood) of the Sultan's son (full royal blood); children (full royal blood) of the Sultan's daughter (full royal blood); children (full royal blood) of the Sultan's children (half royal blood)
* ''Yang Mulia (YM)''
** Yang Mulia Pengiran Anak — for the children that both parents hold the title ''Pengiran Anak''
** Yang Mulia Pengiran — for the children of a Pengiran Anak and his wife that is not also a Pengiran Anak; non-royal Pengiran (a commoner Pengiran)
Canada
*His/Her Majesty – King/Queen of Canada
*His/Her Excellency – Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, vice-regal consort, ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
s, and high commissioners ''in office''
*The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
– Governors general, prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is no ...
, chief justices of Canada
The chief justice of Canada (french: juge en chef du Canada) is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court ...
and certain eminent Canadians ''for life''
*His/Her Honour – Lieutenant-governors and viceregal consorts ''in office''
*The Honourable
**''For life'' – Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
The 's Privy Council for Canada (french: Conseil privé du Roi pour le Canada),) during the reign of a queen. sometimes called Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal consultants to the ...
, senators and lieutenant-governors
**''In office only'' – Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings.
Systems that have such a position include:
* Speaker of ...
, ministers of the Crown
Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...
(however federal ministers invariably enter the Privy Council upon their initial appointment, thus assuming the honorific for life), judges of provincial courts, premiers of provinces and territories, territorial commissioners, and provincial and territorial cabinet ministers
***Note: Members of Parliament are often referred to in the House of Commons as "the honourable member for ( riding)" but do not use the style ''honourable'' with their name.
*The Honourable Mr/Madam Justice – Chief justices of province and justices of superior courts
*His/Her Worship – Justices of the peace, magistrates and municipal leaders ''in office''
Chile
*His Excellency - granted to the President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, and some senior members of the judiciary.
*The Honourable - granted to Senators, members of the Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
, and other authorities.
Guernsey
* Seigneur or Dame - Registered owners of an ancient Norman fief or seigneurie in Guernsey who have registered their Fief with the Crown and Royal Courts. Under the Feudal Dues law of 1980, the government of Guernsey sanctions the use of the style and distinction of Seigneur or Dame.
New Zealand
* Partial source:
* His/Her Majesty – King/ Queen of New Zealand
The monarchy of New Zealand is the Constitution of New Zealand, constitutional system of government in which a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, as ...
* His/Her Excellency – the current Governor-General (and the Governor-General's spouse).
* The Right Honourable – the current and former prime ministers, the current and former Speakers of the Parliament of New Zealand, the current and former chief justices, the current and former governors general, and those who were appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom prior to New Zealand ceasing appeals to it in 2003.
* The Honourable – the current and former ministers of the Crown, the current and former judges of the Supreme, High and Appeal courts
* His/Her Honour – judges of district courts
* His/Her Worship – mayors of territorial authorities and justices of the peace.
Jamaica
The Most Honourable
The honorific prefix "The Most Honourable" is a form of address that is used in several countries. In the United Kingdom, it precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness.
Overview
In Jamaica, Governors-General of Jamaica, as well as their spo ...
– In Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, governors-general
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
, as well as their spouses, are entitled to be styled "The Most Honourable" upon receipt of the Jamaican Order of the Nation
The Order of the Nation is a Jamaican honour. It is a part of the Jamaican honours system and was instituted in 1973 as the second-highest honour in the country, with the Order of National Hero being the highest honour.
The Order of the Nation ...
.["National Awards of Jamaica"](_blank)
, Jamaica Information Service, accessed 12 May 2015. Prime ministers
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is no ...
and their spouses are also styled this way upon receipt of the Order of the Nation, which is only given to Jamaican governors-general and prime ministers.
India
His Excellency/Her Excellency is used before the name of President of India as well as before of governors of the states. However, it is not mandatory for an Indian citizen to use this style to address the president or the governors after a notification from the President House. But it is mandatory for foreigners to address the president and governors.
Your Honour/My Lord – It is used before the names of judges but now it is also not mandatory. The Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
in a hearing said that people need to respect the judges and "Sir" is sufficient for it.
Royal styles in India
With a long history of rulers, there are many styles which vary from territory to territory and languages for royal families in India, commonly Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
(for king), Maharani (queen) whereas for their successors Raja, Rani (Maha meaning "Great" removed). Rajkumar (for prince) and Rajkumari (for princess).
Others include Hukam
Hukam ( pa, ਹੁਕਮਿ) is a Punjabi word derived from the Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in co ...
(commonly in Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
), Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar/Sirdar ( fa, سردار, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other aristocrats. It has also been u ...
(kings in territories of Punjab within Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...
), Badshah (Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
), Vazeer-e-Aala (in Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
) etc.
African traditional rulers
In most of Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
, many styles are used by traditional royalty.
Generally the vast majority of the members of these royal families use the titles Prince and Princess, while the higher ranked amongst them also use either Highness
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...
or Royal Highness
Royal Highness is a style used to address or refer to some members of royal families, usually princes or princesses. Monarchs and their consorts are usually styled ''Majesty''.
When used as a direct form of address, spoken or written, it takes ...
to describe secondary appellations in their native languages that they hold in their realms, appellations that are intended to highlight their relative proximity to their thrones, either literally in the sense of the extant kingship
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
s of the continent or symbolically in the sense of its varied chiefships of the name, and which therefore serve a function similar to the said styles of Highness and Royal Highness.
For example, the Yoruba people
The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
of West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
usually make use of the word Kabiyesi when speaking either to or about their sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
s and other royals. As such, it is variously translated as Majesty, Royal Highness or Highness depending on the actual rank of the person in question, though a literal translation of the word would read more like this: ''He (or She) whose words are beyond questioning, Great Lawgiver of the Nation''.
Within the Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom (, ), sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or the Kingdom of Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa. During the 1810s, Shaka established a modern standing army that consolidated rival clans and built a large following ...
of Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
, meanwhile, the monarch and other senior royals are often addressed as uNdabezitha meaning ''He (or She) Who Concerns the Enemy'', but rendered in English as Majesty in address or reference to the king and his consorts, or Royal Highness in the case of other senior members of the royal family.
Hong Kong
The Chief Executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
is styled as The Honourable.
Certain senior government officials (such as the Chief Secretary for Administration), President of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, President of the Legislative Council, members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong, Executive Council, and members of the judiciary (such as the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal) are also styled as ''The Honourable''.
Ireland
In Republic of Ireland, Ireland, holders of offices with Irish language, Irish names are usually addressed in English by its Irish declension#Nominative, nominative form (so, 'Taoiseach' and 'Tánaiste'), though the Irish declension#Vocative, Irish vocative forms differ (''a Thaoisigh'' and ''a Thánaiste''). President of Ireland#Official residence, salute, style and address, The President may be styled 'His/Her Excellency' ( ga, A Shoilse, / ''A Soilse'' ) and addressed 'Your Excellency' (Irish: ''A Shoilse''), or simply 'President' (Irish: ''A Uachtaráin'' ). The titles 'Government of Ireland, Minister' and 'Seanad Éireann, Senator' are used as forms of address; only the latter as a style. A Teachta Dála, TD (''Teachta Dála'') is formally addressed and styled as 'Deputy', though often simply ''Mr'', ''Mrs'', etc. Similarly, local government in the Republic of Ireland, county and city councillors can be addressed as 'Councillor', abbreviated ''Cllr.'' which is used as a written style, but are just as frequently addressed as ''Mr'', ''Mrs'' etc.
Malaysia
* ''Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia (KDYMM)—''
** equivalent to Majesty, His or Her Majesty, is for Yang di-Pertuan Agong and His Majesty's consort, the Raja Permaisuri Agong, with the prefix ''Seri Paduka Baginda'' added after ''KDYMM.''
** equivalent to Royal Highness, His or Her Royal Highness, is for''—''
*** the Sultan of Kedah, Sultan and the Sultanah of Kedah
*** the Sultan of Pahang
*** the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan and Sultanah of Terengganu
*** the Sultan of Kelantan
*** the Regent of Pahang
* ''Duli Yang Maha Mulia (DYMM)—''
** equivalent to Majesty, His or Her Majesty, is for the Sultan of Johor, Sultan and the Permaisuri of Johor.
** equivalent to Royal Highness, His or Her Royal Highness, is for''—''
*** the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Yang di-Pertuan Besar and the Tunku Ampuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan
*** the Raja of Perlis, Raja and the Raja Perempuan of Perlis
*** the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan and the Tengku Permaisuri of Selangor
*** the Sultan of Perak, with the prefix ''Paduka Seri'' added after ''DYMM.''
*** the Raja Permaisuri of Perak
*** the Sultanah of Pahang
*** the Raja Perempuan of Kelantan
*''Yang Maha Mulia (YMM),'' equivalent to Her Royal Highness, His or Her Royal Highness, is for all widowed consorts.
* ''Kebawah Duli Yang Teramat Mulia (KDYTM)'', equivalent to Her Highness, His or Her Highness, is for''—''
** the Tengku Mahkota and the Tengku Puan of Pahang
** the Yang di-Pertuan Muda and the Tengku Puan Muda of Terengganu
* ''Duli Yang Teramat Mulia (DYTM)'', equivalent to Her Highness, His or Her Highness is for''—''
** the Raja Muda and the Raja Puan Muda of Kedah
** the Raja Muda and the Raja Puan Besar of Perak
** the Raja Muda and the Raja Puan Muda of Selangor
** the Tengku Mahkota and the Tengku Ampuan Mahkota of Kelantan
* ''Yang Teramat Mulia (YTM)'', equivalent to Her Highness, His or Her Highness, is for''—''
** Undang, Ruling chiefs and Princes of Four of Negeri Sembilan
** Senior royal family members in royal states
* ''Duli Yang Amat Mulia (DYAM)'', equivalent to Her Highness, His or Her Highness, is for''—''
** the Tunku Mahkota and the Tunku Ampuan Mahkota of Johor
** the Raja di-Hilir and the Raja Puan Muda of Perak
* ''Yang Amat Mulia (YAM)'', equivalent to His Highness, His or Her Highness, is for royal family members.
* ''Yang Mulia (YM)'', equivalent to His Highness, His or Her Highness, is for extended royal family members.
* ''Tuan Yang Terutama (TYT)'', equivalent to His or Her Excellency, is for Yang di-Pertua Negeri, governors, High Commissioner (Commonwealth), high commissioners and ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
s.
* ''Yang Amat Berhormat (Mulia) (YABM/YAB)'', equivalent to the Right Honourable, is for Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Deputy Prime Minister and Chief Minister, the Chief Minister.
* ''Yang Berhormat (Mulia) (YBM/YB)'', equivalent to the Honourable, is for''—''
** Cabinet of Malaysia, Federal ministers and ministers of state of Sabah and Sarawak
** Cabinet of Malaysia, Federal deputy ministers
** members of Johor Royal Court
** assistant ministers of state of Sabah and Sarawak
** members of State Executive Councils
** members of Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies
** State Secretaries
** State Legal Advisers in the states of Peninsular Malaysia
** State Financial Officers in the states of Peninsular Malaysia
** persons receiving the title of "''Dato'"'' and "''Datin Paduka"'' from Johor
* ''Yang Amat Arif (YAA)'', equivalent to the Right Honourable, is for chief judges.
* ''Yang Arif (YA)'', equivalent to Honourable, the Honourable, is for''—''
** judges and judicial commissioners
** Attorney-General of the State of Sarawak
* ''Yang Amat Dihormati (YAD)'', equivalent to the Right Honourable, is for royal representatives in districts of Selangor.
* ''Yang Dihormati (YDh.)'', equivalent to the Honourable, is for''—''
** selected Orang Besar Negeri of Perak
** high and senior police officers
* ''Yang Amat Berbahagia (YABhg.)'' is for''—''
** spouses of governors
** spouses of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chief Minister
** persons with the title of "''Tun''"
** the Orang Besar Empat of Perak
** spouses of ''Yang Amat Dihormati''
* ''Yang Berbahagia (YBhg.)'' is for''—''
** the top officials of the Government of Malaysia, Federal Government, namely Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Chief Secretary to the Government, Attorney General of Malaysia, Attorney General, Chief of Defence Forces (Malaysia), Chief of Defence Force, Inspector-General of Police (Malaysia), Inspector-General of Police, Director General of Public Service and Secretary General of Ministries, with or without any title
** the Orang Besar Lapan of Perak
** persons with the title of "''Tan Sri''" and "''Datuk''", or equivalent, and their spouses
** spouses of high commissioners and ambassadors
** spouses of ''Yang Berhormat'', ''Yang Amat Arif'', ''Yang Arif'', ''Yang Dihormati'', ''Yang Berbahagia'', ''Yang Amat Setia'', ''Sahibus Samahah'', ''Sahibul Fadhilah'' and ''Sahibus Saadah''
* ''Yang Amat Berusaha (YABrs.)'' is for higher public officers without any title in Kelantan.
* ''Yang Berusaha (YBrs.)'' is for''—''
** high public officers without any title and their spouses
** spouses of ''Yang Amat Berusaha'' and ''Yang Setia''
* ''Yang Amat Setia (YAS)'' is for high military officers without any title.
* ''Yang Setia (YS)'' is for senior military officers without any title.
* ''Sahibus Samahah (SS)'', equivalent to His Eminence
His Eminence (abbreviation H.Em. or H.E. or HE) is a style (manner of address), style of reference for high nobility, still in use in various religious contexts.
Catholicism
The style remains in use as the official style or standard form of a ...
, is for State Muftis''. ''
* ''Sahibul Fadhilah (SF)'', equivalent to His Grace, is for State Deputy Muftis, Qadhi, Qadis and senior Ulamas.
* ''Sahibus Saadah'', equivalent to ''Yang Berbahagia'', is special for the Director of Islamic Affairs of Selangor.
Morocco
* His Majesty – The King of Morocco
This is the list of rulers of Morocco, since the establishment of the state in 789. The common and formal titles of these rulers has varied, depending on the time period. Since 1957, the designation King has been used.
The present King of Moroc ...
.
* His Imperial Majesty – The king of Morocco, Sultan of Morocco (before 1957, now obsolete).
* His/Her Royal Highness – Prince and princess of Morocco (used for children, grandchildren and siblings of the king as well as for the Princess Consort).
* His/Her Highness – Prince and princess of Morocco (used for cousins, uncles and aunts of the king).
Philippines
*His/Her Excellency – The president of the Philippines. The title in Filipino language, Filipino is (The Well-Esteemed President). The honorific for the President of the Philippines was adopted from the title of the governor-general of the Philippines during Spanish and American colonial periods. The president may be addressed as "Your Excellency" or more informally as "Mr. President" or "Madam(e) President".
*The Honorable – The vice president of the Philippines, members of the Congress of the Philippines, justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, governors and vice governors of provinces, mayors and vice mayors of cities or municipalities, and other elected or appointed officials in the government. The title is also conferred to elected and appointed officials of student or other people's organizations that have great participation in creating, implementing, and interpreting policies of the organization. The title in Filipino is (The Honorable). In Senate and congressional inquiries, impeachment procedures, and electoral canvasses, senators, representatives, and officials of the Commission on Elections (Philippines), Commission on Elections when they convene as provincial and national boards of canvassers, are mostly addressed as ''Your Honor'', because they perform quasi-judicial functions.
*His Magnificence the Very Reverend - Rector Magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas, The rector magnificus of the University of Santo Tomas, Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas.
*Sir/Madam(e) – Common informal manner of address.
*Illustrious Knight, Sir/Lady – Titles for members of the Order of the Knights of Rizal, the Philippines' only order of knighthood created by law.
*Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan – The sultan of Sulu.
Spain
*His/Her Majesty – the King of Spain, monarch of Spain, when referred to as monarch. When referred to as Head of State, he is usually styled "His Excellency the Head of State".
*His/Her Royal Highness – the Prince of Asturias and the Infantes (non-heir apparent royal princes).
*His/Her Excellency () – spouses and children of the Infantes, Grandees of Spain, ministers, either from the central government () or from autonomous government (), as well as regional presidents. Mayors and town councils.
*His/Her Illustriousness () – marquesses, counts, viscounts, junior ministers either from the central government () or from autonomous government (), justices (), certain prosecutors, members of the royal academies and the holders of certain Spanish decorations.
*His/Her Most Excellent and Magnificent Lord – Rector of a university.
*His Lordship/Her Ladyship () – barons, seigneurs, members of parliament, judges, court clerks.
Thailand
* His/Her Majesty
Majesty (abbreviated HM for His Majesty or Her Majesty, oral address Your Majesty; from the Latin ''maiestas'', meaning "greatness") is used as a manner of address by many monarchs, usually kings or queens. Where used, the style outranks the st ...
– The King and Queen of Thailand.
* His/Her Royal Highness – Prince and princess of Thailand (used for children and grandchildren of the king)'' ''from "Chao Fa, Chao-Fa" ''(เจ้าฟ้า)'' (the most senior rank of prince/princess) to "Phra Chao Worawongse Ther Phra Ong Chao" ''(พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้า) ''(a mid-level, lesser class of prince and princess than Chao Fa). This style is also used for princess consort (now obsolete).
* His/Her Highness – Prince and princess of Thailand of the rank "Phra Worawong Ther Phra ong chao, Phra Ong Chao" ''(พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้า)'' which are born in the title as Mom Chao to whom the king later granted this higher title, either as recognition of merit, or as a special favour.
* His/Her Serene Highness – Prince and princess of title Mom Chao (m)/Mom Chao Ying (f) (''หม่อมเจ้า/หม่อมเจ้าหญิง'', abbreviated in Thai as ม.จ. or in English as M.C.) is the most junior class still considered royalty. This is normally when surnames first appear among royal lineages. They are either: Children of a male Chao Fa and a commoner.Children of a male Phra ong chao, Phra Ong Chao. Informally, they are styled "Than Chai" (m)... /"Than Ying" (f)... ''(ท่านชาย.../ท่านหญิง...)''.
* The Honourable – Mom Rajawongse (''หม่อมราชวงศ์'', RTGS: Mom Ratchawong; abbreviated in Thai as ม.ร.ว. or in English as M.R. and also translated into English as ''The Honourable'') is the title assumed by children of male Mom Chao. The title is pronounced "Mom Rachawong". Informally, they may be styled as "Khun Chai" (m).../ "Khunying" (f)... ''(คุณชาย.../คุณหญิง...).''
United Kingdom
* His/Her Majesty – the King/ Elizabeth II, Queen.
*Royal Highness, His Royal Highness, oral address Your Royal Highness – royal princes.
* Her Royal Highness, oral address Your Royal Highness – royal princesses.
*Grace (style), His Grace (oral address ''Your Grace'' or Duke) – Dukes. Occasionally the Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, the Archbishop of York and other archbishops are also styled His Grace. Duchesses are likewise styled Her Grace.
*Lord – male marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons, as well as some of their sons. (Style: Your Lordship or My Lord.)
*Lady – Marquess, marchionesses, Earl, countesses, viscountesses, baronesses, and the wives of baronets and knights. (Style: Ma'am.)
*Sir – males, formally if they have a Knighthood, British knighthood or if they are a baronet.
*Dame – female knights and baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right (''suo jure'').
*The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
signifies membership of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, but does not confer any other title, and is also a formal style of address for certain holders of peerages, namely earls, viscounts, barons, and Lords of Parliament.
*The Right Honourable and Reverend – as the previous explanation, used if the holder is also an ordained clergyman (parliamentary usage).
*The Honourable – younger sons of earls, all children of viscounts and barons, or Lords of Parliament.
"The Right Honourable" is added as a prefix to the name of various collective entities such as:
* The Right Honourable the Spiritual and Temporal Lords (of the Kingdom of England) in the House of Lords.
* The Right Honourable the Lord-Commissioners of the Board of Admiralty.
*The Most Honourable
The honorific prefix "The Most Honourable" is a form of address that is used in several countries. In the United Kingdom, it precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness.
Overview
In Jamaica, Governors-General of Jamaica, as well as their spo ...
– marquesses, The Lords of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council.
* His Worship is an honorific prefix for mayors, Justice of the peace, justices of the peace and magistrates in present or former Commonwealth realms. In spoken address, these officials are addressed as Your Worship or referred to as His Worship. In Australia all states now use His Honour, Your Honour as the form of address for magistrates (the same as has always been used for judges in higher courts).
*The Much Honoured – Scottish feudal barons and lairds
Styles existing through marriage in the United Kingdom
Styles can be acquired through marriage, although traditionally this applies more to wives of office-holders than to husbands. Thus, in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, Anne, Princess Royal, is styled Her Royal Highness (HRH), her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, bears no courtesy style by virtue of being her husband (although his mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth II, has since knighted him), nor do her children bear any title or style, by right or tradition, despite being in the line of succession to the Crown, until 2015 subject to the Royal Marriages Act 1772. In contrast, when Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Sophie Rhys-Jones married Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, she became HRH the Countess of Wessex (&c.) and their children are entitled (although they do not use them) to the princely prefix and the style of HRH, and do bear courtesy titles derived from their father.
Styles and titles can change when a marriage is dissolved. The Lady Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana Frances Spencer held the style Her Royal Highness during her marriage to HRH The Prince of Wales and the title Princess of Wales. When the couple divorced she lost her style: she became instead ''Diana, Princess of Wales''. (although she fit the criteria which customarily accords the prefix of "Lady" to the daughter of an earl, and she had been known as such prior to marriage, she did not revert to that title following divorce).
When applied to the current Princess of Wales, inclusion of a definite article ("The Princess of Wales"), is, like HRH, part of the style which accompanies the title. When Charles was remarried to Camilla Parker-Bowles in compliance with the Royal Marriages Act, she lawfully became HRH The Princess of Wales but, as was the announced intention prior to the couple's wedding, she continues to use the lesser title derived from her husband's Duchy of Cornwall and is known as HRH The Duchess of Cornwall because the strong association to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
From the divorce until her death in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales ceased to hold any royal style, although the monarch declared that she remained a Princess of the United Kingdom and in occasions when members of the Royal Family appeared in public, she continued to be accorded the same royal precedence.
When Sarah, Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson was divorced from her husband, HRH Prince Andrew, Duke of York, she too lost her HRH style, the rank as a British Princess and was re-styled as "Sarah, Duchess of York".
In 1936, Wallis Simpson was denied the HRH style by George VI when she married his older brother, the former Edward VIII, who became HRH the Duke of Windsor following his abdication and receipt of a peerage.
United States
The names of most current and former elected federal and state officials and judges in the United States are styled "The Honorable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
" in writing, (e.g., "The Honorable Mike Rawlings, Mayor of the City of Dallas"). Many are addressed by their title in conversation as "Mister" or "Madam" ("Mr. President", "Madam Mayor") or simply by their name with their appropriate title e.g., "Senator Jones" or "Commissioner Smith".
Continued use of a title after leaving office depends on the office: those of which there is only one at a time (e.g., president, speaker, governor, or mayor) are only officially used by the current office holder. However, titles for offices of which there are many concurrent office holders (e.g., ambassador, senator, judge, professor or military ranks, especially colonel and above) are retained for life: A retired US Army general is addressed as "General (Name)" officially and socially for the rest of their life. Military retirees are entitled to receive pay and are still counted as members of the United States Armed Forces. Accordingly, all retired military ranks are retained for life pursuant to Title 10 of the United States Code. In the case of the President, while the title is officially dropped after leaving office – e.g., Dwight Eisenhower reverted to his prior style "General Eisenhower" in retirement – it is still widely used as an informal practice; e.g., Jimmy Carter is still often called President Carter. The Vice President is typically referred to as "former Vice President", such as "former Vice President Mike Pence." Similarly, governors are typically addressed in later life as "Governor (Name)", particularly if running for further political office. Mitt Romney, for example, was frequently referred to as "Governor Romney" during his Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign, 2012 presidential campaign and was addressed as such formally in the debates, having been Governor of Massachusetts until 2007.
*The names of judges are styled "The Honorable" in writing, and orally in court as "Your Honor", or by name after "Judge". Chief Justice of the United States, Chief justices of supreme courts are addressed orally as "Mr. or Madam Chief Justice" or "Chief Justice"; associate justices by name with "Justice" (or, simply "Justice").
*The names of mayors are styled "The Honorable" in writing. In municipalities (e.g., New York City and Chicago), mayors are addressed in conversation as "Your Honor". This may be a vestige of the fact that the mayors (and some others) were also magistrates of the court system.
*His or Her Excellency (oral address "Excellency", "Your Excellency") was once customarily used of governors of states, though this has given way to "The Honorable", the form used to address all elected officials in the United States. "Excellency" has continued in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Virginia and the states of South Carolina, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.
*The names of members of the House of Representatives are similarly styled in writing as "The Honorable". Orally they are traditionally addressed by name as "Mr." or "Ms.", but as a practice are sometimes addressed as "Representative" or "Congressman" or "Congresswoman" when it is necessary or desirable to specify the member's status. It is advisable to follow the preference of the individual official. Following precedence in Westminster style of parliament, when writing their own names, especially on stationery and Franking, franks, Representatives have upon occasion followed their names with "M.C." (Member of Congress). The names of senators similarly are addressed in writing as "The Honorable" and orally as "Senator". Where Representatives may have used "M.C.", Senators have used "U.S.S." (United States Senator). However, neither form is currently used by members in Washington, DC. On the actual floor of the houses during debate, members commonly refer to one another as the gentleman or gentlewoman from their appropriate state (e.g., "As my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Ohio, just said..." or "I yield three minutes to the gentleman from New York, Mr. Smith"). In debate, senators sometimes refer to colleagues as the junior or senior senator from a state, (e.g., "I disagree with my dear friend, the junior senator from Ohio..."). Senators also commonly use this form of address.
*While the term "Esquire", abbreviated "Esq." after the name (John Jones, Esq.), has no legal meaning in the U.S. and may be used by anyone (or at least, customarily, by any male), it is correctly used when addressing lawyers in correspondence as an indication of their profession. At least one American jurisdiction, the District of Columbia, limits the use of "Esquire" (and similar terms) to licensed attorneys. Although some authorities previously urged that use of "Esq." should be restricted to male lawyers, today the term is used for both male and female attorneys. The academic post-nominal ''J.D.'' (Juris Doctor) may be used by graduates of law schools who are not members of the bar of any state or who are working outside the legal profession.
*In academic fields, it is customary in the U.S. to refer to those holding any level of professorship (professor, assistant professor, associate professor, adjunct professor, etc.) as "Professor" – as in "Professor Jones" – orally or in writing. In writing, "professor" is often abbreviated as "Prof.", as in "Prof. Jones". Those holding academic doctorates are frequently referred to as "Dr. Jones."
*Military personnel of any functionality (doctors, lawyers, engineers, cooks, fighter pilots, motor pool drivers, commanding officers, security guards ... officers and enlisted ... leaders and followers) are always addressed by rank + name; with the exception of chaplains, who are addressed as "Chaplain" and are addressed in writing with their rank in parentheses, e.g.: "Chaplain (Major) Jones". An exception to this is in the Navy, where in writing the rank is either not used, or is used before the person's name with the corps designator "CHC" indicating the officer is a chaplain put behind their name. e.g.: "LT George Burdell, CHC, USN". In the United States Navy, there is an internal practice aboard ships that junior officers who are not in command may be addressed by their rank or as "Mister/Miss X" as in "Lieutenant Junior Grade Smith" or "Miss Smith". This practice is also followed within the United States Coast Guard, both aboard ship and ashore. Junior officers in both services are understood to be those of lieutenant commander
Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...
and below. Senior officers (commander and above) are addressed by their rank as in "Commander Smith" or "Admiral Smith". While officially this manner of address is supposed to be from a senior rank to a junior rank, i.e. captain to lieutenant, in practice it is not unknown for enlisted personnel to refer to junior officers as Mister as well. While commonly referred to by their rank, i.e. Seaman/Airman/Fireman/Petty Officer X or (Senior/Master) Chief X, on formal occasions, e.g. weddings, an enlisted man's full title is sometimes used, starting with their rating, then their rank, and their name, e.g. Electronics Technician Second Class X or Chief Gunner's Mate Y. When written, e.g. in formal invitations, the enlisted man's name is written as "''Serviceman's name'', USN/USMC/USA/USAF/USCG", without one's rank preceding their name, unlike commissioned officers.
*Any officer in command of a ship is referred to as Captain for the period of their command or in reference to the ship, regardless of what rank they normally hold.
*Retired military personnel may continue to be addressed by their rank at the time of their retirement. Those who held 'brevet' ranks higher than their permanent rank (permanent Army officers who held temporary rank in volunteer regiments during the American Civil War) also held this honor; though all such individuals have now perished, this usage is often seen in historical or fictional sources placed in the 1865–1900 period.
* ''Hamilton v. Alabama (1964), Hamilton v. Alabama'', 376 U.S. 650 (1964), is a Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that an African Americans, African-American woman, Mary Hamilton (activist), Mary Hamilton, was entitled to the same courteous forms of address customarily reserved solely for whites in the Southern United States, and that calling a black person by their first name in a formal context was "a form of racial discrimination".
Former styles
All former monarchies had styles, some, as in the Bourbon monarchy of Kingdom of France, France, extremely complicated depending on the status of the office or office-holder. Otto von Habsburg, who was Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary (1916–1918), had the style 'His Imperial and Royal Highness'. He was last addressed as such by church figures during the funeral of his late mother, Empress-Queen Zita of Bourbon-Parma, Zita of Austria-Hungary in 1989, although the use of these styles has been prohibited in Austria since 1920.
For the styles of address to government officials in Russian Empire, Imperial Russia, see Table of Ranks.
The names of some offices are also title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
s, which are retained by the office holder for life. For example, holders of titles of which there are many at the same time, such as ambassadors, senators, judges, and military officers who retire retain use of their hierarchical honorific for life. Holders of titles of which there is only one office holder at a time such as president, chief justice or speaker revert to their previous honorific when they leave office out of deference to the current office holder.
Other parallel symbols
Styles were often among the range of symbols that surrounded figures of high office. Everything from the manner of address to the behaviour of a person on meeting that personage was surrounded by traditional symbols. Monarchs were to be bowed to by men and curtsied to by women. Senior clergy, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church, were to have their rings (the symbol of their authority) kissed by lay persons while they were on bended knee, while cardinals in an act of homage at the papal coronation were meant to kiss the feet of the Supreme Pontiff, the Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
.
Many of these traditions have lapsed or been partially abandoned. At his inauguration as pope in 1978 (itself the abandonment of the traditional millennium-old papal coronation), Pope John Paul II himself kissed cardinals on the cheeks, rather than follow the traditional method of homage of having his feet kissed.
Similarly, styles, though still used, are used less often. The former President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
, Mary McAleese, was usually referred to as ''President Mary McAleese'', not ''President McAleese'', as had been the form used for the first six presidents, from President Hyde to President Hillery. Tony Blair asked initially to be called ''Tony''. First names, or even nicknames, are often widely used among politicians in the US, even in formal situations (as an extreme example, President Jimmy Carter, James Earl "Jimmy" Carter chose to take the Oath of Office using his nickname). One notable exception involves judges: a judge of any court is almost invariably addressed as "Your Honor" while presiding over his or her court, and often at other times as well. This style has been removed in the Republic of Ireland, where judges are addressed only as "Judge".
However, styles are still widely used in formal documents and correspondence between heads of state, such as in a letter of credence accrediting an ambassador from one head of state to another.
Self-styled
The term ''self-styled'', or ''soi-disant'', roughly means awarding a ''style'' to oneself, often without adequate justification or authority, but the expression often refers to descriptions or title
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
s (such as "aunt", "expert", "Doctor", or "King"), rather than true ''styles'' in the sense of this article.
See also
*Forms of address in the United Kingdom
*Forms of address in Spain
*Forms of address in the Russian Empire
*List of titles
*Suffix (name)
*Title
*T–V distinction
Notes
1 Though the Republic of Ireland does not possess a Privy Council, the style is still used. The Lord Mayor of Dublin is still styled the Right Honourable, as previous lord mayors of Dublin were ''ex-officio'' members of the former Irish Privy Council until its abolition in 1922.
References
External links
Table of titles to be used in Canada
Department of Canadian Heritage
Styles of Address
Department of Canadian Heritage
from Infoplease
{{DEFAULTSORT:Style (Manner Of Address)
Styles (forms of address),