Royal Title Complexities

This post is for people who are not familiar with the European royal titles, its complexities and when to use it. 

One time I read an article in Yahoo News and appalled to find out that the writer seemed not familiar with the treatment of European royal titles when she called Pierre Casiraghi, the youngest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, a Prince. This reference was repeated several times elsewhere in the internet which prompted me to write this post that somehow explains the subtleties of royal titles.

Pierre Casiraghi, youngest son of Princess Caroline of Monaco, should never be called Prince Pierre because his father was not a Prince nor a titled aristocrat. Though Pierre is currently third in line of succession to the Monegasque throne, he draws his status not from his mother but from his father as what European royal tradition dictates.

In European royalty, children always acquired their status from the house of their father and not from their mother. Unless their father is a Prince, none of them will automatically known as Prince or Princess even if their mother is a Princess unless that mother is a future monarch and their father had given the title of royal highness.

For example:

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, married a non aristocrat commoner, Mark Phillips, in 1973, the Queen attempted to make him a nobleman by offering an Earldom but he refused and preferred to remain a commoner thus their children are known only as Mr. Peter Phillips and Miss Zara Phillips.

The Queen's sister, the late Princess Margaret, also married a commoner in 1960, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, but he accepted the Queen's offer of an Earldom making him a titled nobleman, the Earl of Snowdon, and their children, David and Sarah, earned the courtesy titles normally assigned to children of noble blood, Lord and Lady. David and Sarah did not acquire their status from their mother but from their father. For now, David is assuming the second title of his father, Viscount Linley, while the Earl of Snowdon is still alive.

Victoria, the Crown Princess of Sweden, married a non-aristocrat commoner, Daniel Westling, in 2010, and because she is a future monarch of Sweden her husband (as a future consort) had given a title of a Prince upon their marriage making their daughter, Estelle, a Princess. If Victoria is not a future monarch it is unlikely that her husband would be given such privilege and Estelle would never become a Princess.

In Britain, a female royal, even if she is a future monarch, would not automatically guarantee that her children would enjoy the privilege of being members of the British royal family. In 1947, the then Princess Elizabeth, married Prince Philip but at the time of their wedding, Philip had already renounced his Greek royal title and status thus becoming a commoner with no title of his own, he was only made a nobleman by his father-in-law the night before the wedding granting 3 noble titles, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl Marrioneth and Baron Renfrew. But at that time he was no longer a Prince only a nobleman.

Afraid that his grandchildren would become commoners before Elizabeth could ascend the throne, King George VI had given Philip a courtesy title of His Royal Highness and the King also specified that all children born to the couple would be known as Prince and Princess. But despite this special privilege, the children did not belong to the House of Windsor at that time but to the House of Edinburgh taken from Philip's noble house. It was only in 1952 upon their mother ascension to the throne that they belonged to the House of Windsor and Prince Philip became a Prince of the United Kingdom.

Princess Caroline of Monaco is no exemption. In 1983, she married for the second time to Stefano Casiraghi, a commoner Italian industrialist with no noble title of his own, he was not made a Prince too, thus their three children, Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre, remained commoners. Though they are in line  of succession to the Monegasque throne (as Peter and Zara in the throne of the United Kingdom), their status came from the family of their father. The only child of Princess Caroline who has a royal title is Princess Alexandra because her father (Caroline's third husband) is Prince Ernst August of Hanover.

The complexities of royal titles brought many impacts especially to the treatment of the status of spouses of royals. In Great Britain, a commoner woman marrying a royal prince does not automatically make her a Princess, thus it is inappropriate to call Kate Middleton Princess Catherine, officially she is only Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. When Diana was still alive, she too was not officially Princess Diana but only Diana, the Princess of Wales. If ever they were princesses, Catherine and Diana would be called Princess William and Princess Charles respectively because the conditions of their status were derived from their husbands.

But in other European countries like Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden, marrying a Prince automatically make one a Princess, because monarchs from these countries normally declares through a charter that a woman marrying a prince of the blood royal automatically becomes a princess, but not in Britain. The British monarch does not traditionally grant a special letter of patent making a wife of a royal prince a Princess in her own right.

I hope the explanations above help a lot....

Queen No More

For traditional royalists like me who believed that one way to preserve the mystic and prestige of the crown is to see future monarchs marry fellow royals, watching Prince William ended up with a commoner is a frustrating event. Now, it seems my disappointment would be pacified with a possible amendment on the provision of the primogeniture laws.

 Kate Middleton might never become a Queen Consort

I detested the idea of having a classless Queen Consort in the British throne and the news that one MP had proposed that a wife of a future King would no longer take the title of a Queen consort sounds a pleasing item. If the amendment will be approved, Kate Middleton would lose her childhood dream to become a Queen.

For Kate Middleton's fans don't freaked out when I called her classless or social climber because literally speaking the terms are all true. Her family does not belong to the upper class system of Britain, none of Kate's direct ancestors had noble titles, no aristocratic background or whatsoever, thus, "classless". She is a social climber because she made everything to marry a Prince (hence the famous monicker from the British Press--WAITY KATY) and leaped from being on the basement of the British social class system to the top order of precedence in the realm, thus, called a "social climber".

As a royalist, I fretted the fact that future British heirs will now have a classless DNA injected by Kate but William chose it to be contaminated by a common blood, so be it. Since their wedding in 2011, I had wished that Kate would never become a Queen consort. And looks like my wish would likely be granted.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The mother of Queen Elizabeth II who died in 2002, might be the last Queen Consort in British history

Lately, one Member of British Parliament expressed his intention to amend some provisions on the royal primogeniture laws. Arguing that the world is now facing the challenges of the modern time scrapping old traditions and refurbishing ancient laws, the British government under David Cameron had earlier supported the changes on the law of succession, giving equal rights to daughters of the sovereign. This means that a first born daughter of the monarch would no longer be bypassed by a younger son to succeed to the throne. 

Recognizing this change and the need to adopt more modern approaches so that monarchy would not appear old-fashioned and gone-with-the-ages, another amendment is now being pushed by MP John Hemming. That a wife of a King should no longer be called "Queen Consort" but only "Princess Consort".

‘It’s not right that a Queen Regnant is treated as less important than a King Regnant,’ Hemmings was quoted telling the Sunday Express. ‘It seems sensible we resolve this issue when dealing with the primogeniture issue.’

His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

He is not King Philip despite being the husband of a Queen because there's no provision in the constitution that defines the role of a husband of the Queen other than a Consort so there's no reason why a King's wife will be treated different.

The ancient tradition of monarchy on the treatment of a sovereign's spouse is somewhat bias. When a King ascends the throne, his wife would automatically assume the title of a Queen and would be crowned with him but not if the sovereign is a female.

There's no specific law in the constitution defining the role of a Queen's husband other than being a consort. That's why husbands of the current European Queens: Elizabeth II of Britain, Margrethe II of Denmark and Beatrix of the Netherlands are only called "Prince Consort".

Hemming's argument sounds logical and this might be considered by the Parliament. If the Queen's husband would not be given an equal constitutional right what is the difference is there for the wife of a King?

In other parts of the world, there are wives of Kings who are not called Queens. In Jordan, a wife of a King needs to be declared Queen first before she could take the title, the second wife of King Hussein (father of the current Jordanian King, Abdullah) was not declared as Queen, thus, only called Princess Muna. In Morocco, the wife of King Mohammed VI takes the title of a Princess (Princess Lalla Salma).

Prince Charles and Camilla during their wedding last April 2005. Camilla would not be known as Queen when Charles ascends the throne but would only take the title of a Princess Consort

For Charles, the Prince of Wales, this proposal will not posed big trouble as he already announced years ago that his second wife, Camilla, would not be crowned with him when he ascend the throne and not be called Queen but would take the lesser title "princess consort" because they are both divorce when they get married.

What is the difference between these two titles?

While a Queen consort will be crowned with the King during the coronation ceremony at the Abbey and would occupy a seat with him at the altar and possibly shared with sensitive information about the state, a princess consort will not yield important role other than stand and accompany the monarch on ceremonial functions.

She will not also be crowned and sat with the King at the altar during the coronation ceremony and she will walk two steps behind the King on public engagements. In other words, a Princess consort is purely ceremonial and would not expect to perform the roles and duties of a Queen Consort.

Coat-of-Arms

The royal protocol of the British monarchy is as complicated as memorizing the truces of The Hundred Years of War.

Now here's another one.

Traditionally, any woman marrying into the British royal family should apply for her own coat of arms. If she is of noble or royal birth, choosing and applying for coat of arms is not a problem, but if she is a commoner, it might create some complication.

By definition, Coat of Arms refers to the full heraldic achievement which consists of a shield and certain accessories. In either sense, the design is a symbol unique to a person, family, corporation, or state. Such displays are also commonly called armorial bearings, armorial devices, heraldic devices, or arms (Encyclopedia Brittanica)

 Official Coat-of-Arms of the British Monarch with a motto: "God and my right"

All members of the British royalty and nobility have their own family’s coat of arms which can also be used by their descendants. The late Princess of Wales was born Lady Diana Spencer, a daughter of a distinguished British nobleman, the 8th Earl Spencer, so designing her own Coat of Arms was not a huge problem, in fact it was granted to her before the royal wedding in 1981. The Spencer family already had an existing Coat of Arms since the middle ages. Prince William designed his Coat-of-Arms using the shells of the Spencers in memory of his mother, it was granted to him on his 18th birthday.

Coat-of-Arms of the Spencer family

Coat-of-Arms of the late Princess of Wales, Diana. She used the Coat-of-Arms of Prince Charles impaled with her father's Coat-of-Arms. Diana created her special motto: "God defends the right"

 Prince William's Coat-of-Arms

According to Daily Mail, Kate Middleton has yet to apply for her own Coat of Arms. Because she comes from a middle class background, naturally her family doesn’t have one.

So what will happen to Miss Middleton’s insignia? According to Daily mail, in order for her to be granted, her father, Michael Middleton, must have to apply for a memorial with the College of Arms in Britain and must wait for several months before the application will be approved, he must get a warrant also from the Earl Marshal, meaning the current Duke of Norfolk, indicating that he agrees on the granting of the arms. Arms and crests are granted by letters patent. But because Miss Middleton is marrying a royal Prince, the application might be arranged in two weeks processing according to an officer at the College of Arms.

In Britain, nobility and royalty used Coat of Arms often than other people. Among the daughters-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II, only Princess Diana had her Coat of Arms granted prior to the wedding. Sophie rhys-Jones, the wife of Charles's youngest brother, Prince Edward the Earl of Wessex, had her coat-of-arms granted few months after the wedding and so with Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Charles's younger brother, Prince Andrew the Duke of York.

But unlike Miss Middleton who lacks an  aristocratic background totally from both sides of her parents and no traces of nobility in her blood, Sarah and Sophie are of noble background. They are both 8th generation of the Duke of Beauccleaugh, one of the illegitimate sons of King Charles II. Diana's direct ancestors, the Duke of Grafton and the Duke of Richmond were also sons of King Charles II from other mistresses. In the case of Sarah and Sophie, the tasks of designing their own coat of arms were a bit easier, they only redesigned the 200-year-old coat of arms of their ancestors. But not Kate Middleton.

ROYAL CUSTOMS and LAWS

Monarchy has distinct laws and rules unusually heard by the people outside Europe. In Britain, for example, there are several customs and laws which governed their existence.

LAWS:

Royal Marriages Act of 1772 requires all descendants of King George III to seek the ruling sovereign's permission before they could proceed in marriage, the sovereign's approval must be declared in the council first before the wedding ceremony. Those who would not seek permission or would not be permitted by the monarch to marry will be excluded in the line of succession and their marriage in Britain is null and void and any children born from that marriage will be considered illegitimate. 

Act of Settlements is a statutory law in Britain which stated that only the protestant descendants of Princess Sophia, the Electress of Hanover (granddaughter of King James I) could inherit the British throne and all her descendants regardless of the country of birth will be automatically acquire a British citizenship. This law was established in 18th century in order to prevent the Catholic descendants of King James II from succeeding the throne. 

The Treason Act of 1351 was a bizarre law punishable by death before the 17th century, anyone who betrayed the crown either by revolt or by behavior was charged with this act. This law  prohibits an adultery of the wife of a King to insure legitimate heirs. Two of King Henry VIII's six wives and their supposed lovers were beheaded for committing adultery - Anne Boleyn his second wife and mother of Queen Elizabeth I and Anne's first cousin, Catherine Howard, Henry's fifth wife. This law was abolished during the reign of the Stuarts.

CUSTOMS: 

Before 1940 there was a unique royal custom in European monarchy which requires the presence of a Home Secretary and Ceremonial Secretary at the delivery room of a royal whose children are in direct succession to the throne, A Home Secretary and Ceremonial Secretary must witness the delivery to  record the legality of birth of all royal children who might succeed, if it's not properly witnessed that birth might be questioned and the child's right to the throne might not be recognized.

Monarchs and heirs never shared the same transportation facilities when traveling to avoid the scenario where all of them might die and the throne will be left to the unprepared successor. When taking tour abroad, royals always have one suitcase for mourning in case a family member at home will die during the royal trip. When the heir to the throne is traveling outside the country, he/she has one suitcase for documents of Accession Declaration in case the monarch will die before the heir can return home.

This case happened in February 1952 when then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were both in Kenya. Several days after they left, King George VI died in his sleep at Sandringham estate. Princess Elizabeth's private secretary took the documents and declared the new Queen's accession in a private room of the hotel. Elizabeth was the first monarch, after King George I in 18th century, who was not in Britain during the declaration of accession.

The Order of Precedence

What is an Order of Precedence?

In Monarchy, the Order of Precedence is the term used to classify the ranking and position of each member  (aristocrats/royals) within the royal court or the social class system. This is different from the position of the members in the Line of Succession to the throne.

Unlike the Line of Succession which is based on decent and regulated by Parliamentary statute, the Order of Precedence in the realm is determined both by customs, traditions, laws and the sovereign’s discretion. By practice, Order of Precedence for gentlemen and ladies in the realm are separated. The ruling sovereign has the right to decide the order of precedence of the current members of the royal family.

Order of Precedence in layman’s term means the order/placement of rank, status and classification of titled person in the social system of the establishment.

But the Order of Precedence sometimes can be very confusing. In the case of a male sovereign, his Queen Consort automatically takes first in the order of precedence among women in the realm but not if the sovereign is female, since there’s no specific law defining the constitutional function of the Queen’s husband in the monarchy, his rank in the order of precedence also is not clearly defined, thus, it is the sole discretion of the sovereign to decide where to put such distinction.

British Queen Consorts like Queen Elizabeth (wife of George VI), Queen Mary (wife of George V), Queen Alexandra (wife of Edward VII), etc. take precedence above all females in the United Kingdom but not in the case of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. When his wife ascended the British throne in 1952 as Queen Elizabeth II, his position was subject to many discussions in the royal court.

Born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, howeverm Philip gave up his royal status and his place in the line of succession to the Greek throne in 1947 in order to marry the future British monarch, but in 1953 after his wife’s accession, he was granted through the Queen’s Order-in-Council a place “pre-eminence and precedence over all men in the United Kingdom", through a letter patent issued by the Queen, Prince Philip will take precedence over all men in Britain on private occasions, meaning he would take his place next to the Queen, except on official state occasions where he would take only second in the order of precedence over his son, Prince Charles, because the Prince of Wales is the heir-to-the throne.

The Queen also changed the Order of Precedence for females on private occasions making Charles’s second wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, ranked below Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Queen’s first cousin. When Diana, Princess of Wales was still alive, she was third in rank of precedence after the Queen and the Queen Mother.

In the case of Camilla Parker Bowles, her status is lower in rank among senior female royal family members because she does not carry a status of a Princess and through debate and discussion on moral issues, she would not take a title of a Queen Consort when Prince Charles becomes King, she is divorce when she married the heir-to-the-throne in 2005 and the Church of England strongly prohibited a divorce woman from becoming a Queen Consort.

The Present Order of Precedence in the British Royal Court (for private occasions)

MALES (Top 10)

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh (the Queen’s husband)

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales (the heir to the throne)

Prince William of Wales (second-in-line to the throne/Prince Charles’ eldest son)

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York (fourth-in-line to the throne/the Queen’s second son)

Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex  (7^th in line to the throne/the Queen’s youngest child)

Prince Harry of Wales (third in line to the throne/Prince Charles’ youngest son)

Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester (19^th in line/the Queen’s first cousin)

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent (27^th in line to the throne/the Queen’s first cousin)

Prince Michael of Kent (removed in the line of succession because he married a Roman Catholic/younger brother of the Duke of Kent)

The Lord David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley (13th in line/the Queen’s nephew)

FEMALES (Top 10)

The Queen

Princess Anne, the Princess Royal (the Queen’s only daughter)

Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Lady Ogilvy (the Queen’s first cousin)

Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall (second wife of the Prince of Wales)

Sophie, The Countess of Wessex (wife of the Earl of Wessex)

Birgitte, the Duchess of Gloucester (wife of the Duke of Gloucester)

Katharine, the Duchess of Kent (wife of the Duke of Kent)

Marie-Christine, Princess Michael of Kent (wife of Prince Michael of Kent)

Princess Beatrice of York (eldest daughter of the Duke of York)

Princess Eugenie of York (youngest daughter of the Duke of York)

Dilemma over Precedence

The Order of Precedence in British nobility is slightly complicated to the “outsiders” which requires a thorough understanding. When a woman marries a nobleman, she would automatically acquire the precedence like that of her husband (example Diana’s sister, Lady Jane Spencer whose husband, Robert Fellowes, was made a Baron by the Queen in 1999. As a daughter of an Earl, Lady Jane’s precedence is above the rank of a Baron's wife but in this case she would take her husband’s precedence and not as a daughter of an Earl) but not in the case of a male marrying a royal or a titled lady (Princess Anne’s husband, Timothy Lawrence. could not take precedence similar to her rank), if the man is a commoner, he couldn't take his wife's status.

Children of peers (aristocrat) always acquire the order of precedence by virtue of their father’s title (example Diana and her siblings), but children of a Lady do not gain any precedence unless that lady is a member of the royal family. If a daughter of a nobleman marries a commoner she will retain her title and precedence as a peer’s daughter (example Diana’s older sister, Lady Sarah, who married a commoner), but if she marries a nobleman, her precedence is based on her husband’s rank and not on her father’s rank (When Diana's mother, The Honourable Frances Burke-Roche, daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, married the Earl Spencer who was then Viscount Althorp, she assumed a rank of a Viscount wife, hence known as Viscountess Althorp, which ranked above a Baron's daughter).

References:

Burke's Peerage: the Bible of British Aristocracy
Encyclopedia Brittanica
The Official Site of the British Monarchy: www.royal.gov.uk
The Royals by Kitty Kelly
The Royal Sisters by Anne Edwards 

RULES OF SUCCESION

The British monarchy is one of the most unique establishments in the world and one of the most complex, aside from being conservative, the "Firm"(royal family's term of the monarchy) strongly maintained their rules of succession not to include Roman Catholics and illegitimates (even though they are legitimized through their parents' marriage) in the line of succession.

A Roman Catholic is impossible to rule United Kingdom because a British monarch would eventually become a supreme head of the Church of England which is a protestant church. The last Roman Catholic sovereign of England was King James II, younger brother and successor of Charles II and the father of Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

Prince Michael of Kent (youngest child of Prince George of Kent and Princess Marina of Greece) voluntarily gave up his place in the line of succession in 1978 when he choose to marry Baroness Marie Christine Von Rebneitz, a German aristocrat Roman Catholic. His children, Lord Frederick and Lady Gabriella remained in the line of succession because they are in communion with the Church of England.

Prince Michael's nephews Lord Nicholas and Lord George (children of the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward--older brother of Prince Michael) are also removed from the listing when they took Roman Catholic spouses. In 1999 Prince Ernest of Hanover who was 397th in the line of succession was also excluded when he married the Catholic Hereditary Princess of Monaco, Princess Caroline, but their only child, Princess Alexandra, retained her place in the succession  because she was raised a protestant.

Prince William's cousin Peter Phillips, eldest child of the Princess Royal, faced the same dilemma in 2008 when he announced his engagement to a Canadian Born, Roman Catholic Autumn Kelly. Much to the relief of the royal family, Autumn decided to convert to Anglican religion, days before their wedding day, if she did not, Peter would lose his place in the line of succession, currently, he is listed as the 11th successor of his grandmother.

LINE OF SUCCESSION (first 19 successors - direct descendants of King George VI)

1. Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales - eldest son of the Queen
2. Prince William of Wales - eldest son of the Prince of Wales
3. Prince Harry of Wales - youngest son of the Prince of Wales
4. Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - second son of the Queen
5. Princess Beatrice of York - eldest daughter of the Duke of York
6. Princess Eugenie of York - youngest daughter of the Duke of York
7. Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex - youngest son of the Queen
8. The Lord James, Viscount Severn - son of the Earl of Wessex
9. The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor - daughter of the Earl of Wessex
10. Princess Anne, the Princess Royal - only daughter of the Queen
11. Mr. Peter Phllips - son of the Princess Royal

12. Savannah Phillips - daughter of Peter Phillips
13. Miss Zara Phillips - daughter of the Princess Royal
14. Viscount Linley - son of Princess Margaret (the only sibling of the Queen)
15. The Honourable Charles Armstrong-Jones - son of Viscount Linley
16. The Honourable Margarita Armstrong-Jones - daughter of Viscount Linley
17. Lady Sarah Chatto - daughter of Princess Margaret
18. Master Samuel Chatto - son of Lady Sarah
19. Master Arthur Chatto - son of Lady Sarah

Roman Catholics, through the Act of  Settlements established during the reign of Queen Anne, are barred from succeeding the throne because a British monarch would automatically become the Supreme Head of the Church of England which is a protestant church. Act of Settlements emphasized that "only the protestant descendants of Princess Sophia of Hanover could possibly succeed the British throne", Princess Sophia was the granddaughter of King James I who married the Prince of Hanover. The Act of Settlement was established to prevent the Catholic descendants of King James II from claiming the throne.

Among the current European crown heads, only King Harald V and his descendants, King Carls XVI Gustav and his descendants, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and her descendants, remained in the line of succession to the British throne. King Juan Carlos and his wife Queen Sophia, their descendants, King Albert II of Belgium and his descendants and Grand Duke Henri and his descendants are all removed from the line of succession for being Roman Catholics. These European monarchs and Queen Sophia of Spain are all descendants of Queen Victoria of England.

UNIQUE LAWS

A. ROYAL MARRIAGES ACT OF 1772

This law stated that descendants of King George II should seek the sovereign's permission before she/he can proceed to marriage and that permission must be declared first in the council. This is especially referred to descendants inlisted in the line of succession to the British throne.

Those who would not seek permission or would not permitted by the monarch to marry will be excluded in the line of succession and consider their marriage in Britain as null and void and any children born in that marriage will be considered illegitimate.

The Church of England won't perform marriages among divorces, and royal family members who wish to marry again in the church rites opted to marry outside England, Princess Anne walked down the aisle again with Navy Commander Timothy Lawrence at Crathie Church at their Balmoral Estate in Scotland were remarriage among divorces are allowed.

B. ACT OF SETTLEMENTS

This law was established to prevent the catholic descendants of James II from acquiring the British Crown. After the death of the last Stuart Monarch Queen Anne, the act of settlements took effect which stated that "Only protestant descendants of Her Excellence Princess Sophia of Hanover could inherit the throne of the United Kingdom, all her descendants regardless of country of birth will be automatically acquire a British citizenship".

Princess Sophia was the great granddaughter of King James I of England who married the Prince of Hanover. Unfortunately Princess Sophia predeceased Queen Anne, so her son Prince George ascended the British throne as George I.

C. TREASON ACT OF 1351

This law is punishable by death through execution of the sword (a public execution mostly done in the Tower of London). Anybody who betray the crown either by revolt or by behavior is charged of this act. This includes the adultery with the wife of the King to insure legitimate heirs.

Two of King Henry VIII's six wives were sent to the scaffold for misconduct, the supposed lovers of his second wife (Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I) and his fifth wife Catherine Howard were executed also.

THE ROYAL PROTOCOL

The rigid class system in Britain clearly defines the invisible barrier that separates royalty from ordinary folks. The Royal Protocol is the standard decorum of the court and strictly imposed in the Kingdom. It refers to the proper flow of the activities of the royals including the discipline, formality and lifestyle. This decorum is the basic guide for commoners how to treat royal family members.

There's also an unwritten rules of "order of precedence" for men and women in the realm that traditionally followed. In the hierarchy of royals and nobles, royals come first with the ruling sovereign as the highest order of human being. The commoners including those royal members should give bows and curtsies when facing the monarch and should move slightly backward when the sovereign is approaching. This royal treatment fascinated the young Elizabeth, when the future Queen was 10 years old, according to the book of Kitty Kelly "The Royals", she slipped from her nanny and paraded back and forth at the palace corridor where the scarlet uniformed guard, clicked his heels, present an arm with his rifle and stood ramrod each time she passed.

The royal engagements should be planned 6 months before the actual date, this is carefully organized by the staff called courtiers, they also determined the kind of speech and audience the royal members should uttered or faced. The audience would not raised questions without the consent of the courtiers. The monarch should be addressed properly with "Your Majesty" and the members with HRH style is "Your Highness". Children of the sovereign would have "The" before their names, example: The Princess Anne or The Prince Charles.

In attending church ceremony, the royal family members occupied seats on the right area of the church and would not be mixed by people without any titles or significant positions in the government. In public sport events, they seated in a specially designated area called the "royal box".

During ancient times until the early 20th century, divorce and homosexuals are not permitted to join the royal circles or be in the presence of the monarch. This prompted one reporter to say "It is possible for a divorce person to enter the Kingdom of God but not in the Palaces of Great Britain". In 1953, Princess Margaret was forced to renounce her relationship to Group Captain Peter Townsend because he was a divorcee. But in the early 1990 all children of the monarch (except for Prince Edward who just married in 1999) ended their marriages in divorce and the sweeping changes in protocol occured.

The order of precedence for men in the UK: The highest being the Duke of Edinburgh because he is the husband of the monarch, followed by his son Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales then Prince William because he is the future king then the Duke of York then the Earl of Wessex. Important note: the order of precedence is different from the line of succession to the British throne. 


This is the order of ranking among gentlemen in the realm. HRH with a Prince title should comes first followed by Dukes with HRH status and Earls with HRH style. For women, the Queen is the highest ranking female, followed by the Queen mother( if she's still alive) then the Princess of Wales (if there is). In the case of Camilla Parker Bowles, technically she is the Princess of Wales because she is the wife of Prince Charles, but she choose to be known as Duchess of Cornwall, taken from the secondary title of her husband, Duke of Cornwall. 


In the order of precedence in Britain, Duchesses come after the Princesses, so Camilla's ranking is below HRH Princess Alexandra, the Honorable Lady Angus Ogilvy (the Queen's cousin). Presently, the Queen is followed by her daughter HRH the Princess Royal then Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of Cornwall then the Countess of Wessex.

TITLES, TERMS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

COMMONER

In a nation ruled by a monarch, this term refers to a person without any official royal or noble title, in a formal term neither a sovereign nor a peer. In British class system, this term refers even to the members of the aristocracy and royalty. Technically, Princess Anne (the only daughter of the Queen) is a commoner. Though, she is a princess of the blood royal and has Princess Royal courtesy title, she is not a member of the British peerage.

Even the future king, Prince William is technically a commoner also, as Prince-of-Wales in waiting, he has no title to his own other than that of his father. Someday, the enchanting prince would yield great powers but while he awaits his destiny, he remains to be untitled but Buckingham Palace is preparing him to take royal engagements, making goodwill tours, visiting hospitals and organizing charities in preparation for his future role.

According to Hello!magazine, Prince William might take a civil job in the Foreign ministry office after his stint in the army, unlike his brother Prince Harry, William won't make military a lifetime career because of his future kingship. His mother and paternal great-grandmother were both commoners, as daughters of a titled Earl, they were only"LADIES" in the British nobility, it is a courtesy title but not an official one.

DUKE

The highest hereditary rank in Britain ranking just below a prince. A British Duke not born of a royal blood has a courtesy title of HIS GRACE. Traditionally, a son of the reigning sovereign who is not heir apparent would have a Duke title with HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS status.

However, sons of the monarch can only pass the Duke title only once, the first born son of their heir must bear their second title which is Earl. Example: Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester and 3rd son of George V passed his title to his only son Prince Richard, but his eldest son Alexander will no longer be Duke upon his father’s death, but instead will take the Duke’s secondary title which is the Earl of Ulster.

This title can only be inherited by a male child, Prince Andrew the Duke of York has no sons, when he died this title will become dormant. But there was an exemption to this case, when Alexander Duff, the Duke of Fife and husband of Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Edward VII, died without a male issue.

His wife’s grandmother Queen Victoria issued a letter patent passing his title to his first born daughter Lady Alexandra Duff who married her second cousin Prince Arthur of Connaught (first cousin of Princess Louise's brother Prince Arthur, the Duke of Connaught-3rd son of Queen Victoria), but Alexandra's only son, Alastair predeceased her so the Dukedom of Fife was inherited by her nephew James George Carnegie, son of Alexandra's younger sister, Lady Maud. The Duke is currently listed as the 54th in line of succession to the British throne.

MARQUESS

Ranking below a Duke and above an Earl. Normally the secondary title of a British Duke not born of a royal blood. Gerald Grosvenor, the 6th Duke of Westminster is also the Marquess of Westminster.

By tradition, the heir of a nobleman would take their secondary title, but in the case of Dukes their heirs would carry their 3rd title which is Earl and not Marquess, hence the heir and only son of Lord Grosvenor, Hugh Richard Louis is known today as Earl Grosvenor and not Marquess of Westminster.

Even this title would not automatically make them a peer, therefore they would remain a commoner until such time they could inherit the full title of the father.

EARL

A British nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a Viscount. Both Diana and the late Queen mother were children of an Earl but remained commoners however since they had no independent noble titles. This noble title is the usual peerage granted by the sovereign in creating a new nobleman in honor of his outstanding performance in “Her majesty’s government”.

This would also the usual title offered by the sovereign to commoners who married into the royal family’s direct members. When The Honorable Angus Ogilvy married Princess Alexandra of Kent, the Queen’s cousin, in 1935, Her Majesty offered him an Earldom but he declined preferring to remain a commoner, Captain Mark Phillips declined the Queen’s offer in 1973 when he married Princess Anne. Tony Armstrong-Jones accepted the Earl of Snowdon’s title in 1960 after his marriage to Princess Margaret, the Queen’s only sister, because he wanted his children to be noblemen. His only son, David carries his secondary title Viscount Linley while he is still alive.

This could only be inherited by male descendants, but in 1979 when the Earl of Burma and Baron Romsey, Lord Louis Mountbatten assassinated by Irish Republican Armies, his title passed to his eldest and favorite daughter Patricia Knatchbull.

Lord Mountbatten, the uncle of the Queen’s husband known to the royal family as uncle dickie has no sons and made an arrangement with the Queen to pass his noble title and inheritance to his daughter who by then married to the fourth Baron Brabourne, John Knatchbull. This concession of the monarch is limited only to a nobleman who rendered exceptional service to the crown, Lord Mountbatten was a decorated war hero, having been the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces during world war II and an Admiral of the fleet of the British Royal Navy.

Lady Patricia became Countess of Burma and his son and successor Norton Knatchbull will have the courtesy title of Lord Romsey. Earl's daughters will have the courtesy title of a 'LADY' while his eldest son and successor will be known as 'LORD', younger sons will be known only as "The Honorable". Princess Alexandra's husband, the late Angus Ogilvy was an Earl's younger son.

VISCOUNT

Ranking below an Earl and above a Baron and usually the secondary title of an English Earl. When Diana’s father, John Spencer became the 8th Earl of Althorp in 1975 his only son and Diana’s younger brother Charles became Viscount Althorp. children of the Viscounts would have the "The Honorable" courtesy title. When Diana was born in 1961, her correct style was "The Honorable Diana Frances Spencer", it was in 1975 when she formally become Lady Diana Frances Spencer.

BARON

The lowest hereditary rank in Britain. Diana’s maternal grandfather, Maurice Burke Roche was the fourth Baron Fermoy. Children of Barons are known as "The Honorables".

COURTIERS-also called equerries. One of the most important branch of royal service in the Kingdom. They are choosen for their significant ties to the monarch mostly of noble birth, Diana's father, her great-grandfathers and grandfathers to both side served as equerries to many monarchs.

Courtiers are protectors of the crown and made sure the Kingdom looks regal with high respect from the outsiders. They determined what the monarch should do or say in public or whom the sovereign would see or meet. They did this by controlling the flow of information to the public.

HONORARY BRITISH KNIGHTHOOD 

is an annual listing of honors given by the British sovereign to individuals with excellent achievement in their respective field. This can also be given to the citizens outside the British commonwealth of nations. The recipient of this award automatically become an aristocrat but this title is not hereditary.

The male recipient would have the courtesy title of SIR while for females DAME. Sir Isaac Newton was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705 for his unprecedented contribution in the field of science, Sir William Herschel, the discoverer of the planet Uranus was knighted by King George III.


Sir Paul McCartney of the Beatles was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1992 for his great service in the music industry. Barbara Cartland, the romance novelist stepgrandmother of Diana become a DAME in 1980 for her achievement in the field of writing. Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg received this prestigious award in 2005 but could not used the title SIR because he is not a commonwealth citizen.

NOBLE ORDER OF THE GARTER

It is the highest honor in Britain. This is usually given to a person with distinctive service to the crown. British Prime minister who does not defeated in a general election have this honor. This Chivalric order was established in 1340 by King Edward III(initially to revive King Arthur's Knight of the round table). The Plantagenet King selected 24 distinguished men to complete the order.

THE ISSUE OF TITLES

In British class sytem, the titles can be tricky compared to other European royalty. Marriage does not automatically made one a Princess. After the marriage of Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 to Prince Charles, Buckingham Palace published a correct style for the newly created Princess of Wales.

She was not Princess Diana because she was not born a princess or The Princess Diana because only children of the sovereign would have the “The” before their names. Normally the wife takes the title and status of her husband. Diana became Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales which means she ranked third (after the Queen and the Queen mother) in the order of precedence among other titled female individuals in the realm. Commoners are expected to curtsy and bow in her presence.

This title is arrived in marriage and departed through divorce, hence following her divorce from the Prince of Wales in 1996, she was known only as Diana, Princess of Wales stripping the HRH style. But historian's argued that Diana should retained the HRH style because she is the mother of the future king. Nevetherless the style had been stripped along with her regimentals in the military, her son, William told People magazine in his 2000 interview that he would reinstate his mother's HRH style when he assumed the throne.

Usually, ex-wives of the British peers retained their titles they enjoyed in marriage but with the condition that they will not remarry. In 1969 Diana’s parents divorce became final, at that time her father was still the Viscount Althorp, her mother Frances Burke Roche retained her style as Viscountess Althorp but when she decided to get married again to a wealthy commoner Peter Shand-Kydd, she ceases to be Viscountess and was known only as Mrs. Shand-Kydd.

Prince Charles’ younger brother Prince Andrew the Duke of York divorces his wife Sarah Ferguson known simply as Fergie, but continues to be known as the Duchess of York because she remains single up to these days. However the complication occurs when the peer decided to remarry as the title would be used by his second wife subsequently

Camilla Parker Bowles avoided the Princess of Wales title because this is much associated with Diana, instead she choose to be called the Duchess of Cornwall taken from Charles secondary title, Duke of Cornwall. Camilla, according to the order of precedence of women in Britain ranked fourth below HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent. Although she is the wife of the future king, she did not carry the Princess status and would not be crowned as Queen when Charles ascended the throne, she is divorce and the Church of England prohibited it.

In other European countries, a wife of a Prince automatically become a princess through a referendum issued by the monarch, even if the couple will end up in divorce the princess style is a lifetime title of the ex-wife unless she choose to remarry.

When Prince Joachim, the second son of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark divorces his wife Princess Alexandra in 2005, she remains a Princess of Denmark but when she decided to marry her long time beau, her former mother-in-law created her Countess of Frederiksborg, but this is only a personal title and cannot be passed to her descendants.

Prior to the 21st century royal houses of Denmark and Sweden maintained a strict rules for members of the royal family who might succeed to the throne to marry a fellow royal from the existing reigning houses in Europe, disobedience meaning stripping of their royal titles and inheritance. Two sons of Prince Knaud of Denmark (uncle of Queen Margrethe II) were excluded in the line of succession to the Danish throne when they choose to marry a commoner and the title Prince of Denmark was stripped from them, they were created Count of Rosenborg.

In Britain, a female royal is not created a noblewoman in her own right even if she is the next sovereign and has no official title compared to her male counterparts. The then Princess Elizabeth was not invested as Princess of Wales as suggested by some royalists, because that title is reserved for the wife of the Prince of Wales only.

The heir apparent's title is always be "The Prince of Wales" but this is not automatically acquired by the first born son of the ruling sovereign, it is conferred through an investiture by a monarch. King Edward VII's son and heir apparent Prince Albert Victor was not invested as Prince of Wales, he was known as the Duke of Clarence until his death at the age of 28. His younger brother, Prince George was to become the Prince of Wales and reigned for 30 years as George V.

Grand Duke/Grand Duchess-the title of the rulers of Luxembourg. These are also the titles used in some states in Germany before World War II. In the former Imperial Russia these are the titles of the sons/daughters of the Emperor. They are superiors than Princes and Princesses.

Tsarevitch-heir to the throne of the Russian Empire.

Infante/Infanta-titles of the children of a Spanish King, except for the heir to the Spanish throne who takes the title of a Prince.

Archduchess/Archduke- titles of the children of the Emperor/Empress of the former Imperial Austria.

Dauphin-title of the heir to the French throne( when France was still a kingdom).

TITLES OF THE NEXT MONARCHS:

United Kingdom- Prince of Wales

The Netherlands - Prince of Orange

Belgium - Duke of Brabant

Spain - Prince of Asturias