Style of address
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 adjective
: "His Highness", "Her Highness" (HH), "Their Highnesses", etc. Although often combined with other adjectives
of honour
indicating rank, such as "Imperial", "Royal" or "Serene", it may be used alone.
Highness
is, both literally and figuratively, the quality of being lofty or above. It is used as a term to evoke
dignity
or
honour
, and to acknowledge the exalted rank of the person so described.
History in Europe
[
edit
]
Abstract styles arose in profusion in the
Roman Empire
, especially in the
Byzantine
.
[1]
Styles were attached to various offices at court or in the state.
[1]
In the
early Middle Ages
such styles, couched in the second or third person, were uncertain and much more arbitrary, and were more subject to the fancies of secretaries than in later times.
[2]
[3]
In English usage, the terms Highness,
Grace
and
Majesty
, were all used as honorific styles of kings, queens and
princes of the blood
until the time of
James I of England
.
[1]
Thus in documents relating to the reign of
Henry VIII of England
, all three styles are used indiscriminately; an example is the king's judgment against
Dr. Edward Crome
(d. 1562), quoted, from the
Lord Chamberlains
' books, ser. I, p. 791, in Trans. Roy. Hist. Soc. N.S. lOX. 299, where article 15 begins with
Also the Kinges Highness hath ordered
, 16 with
Kinges Majestie
, and 17 with
Kinges Grace
. In the Dedication of the Authorized Version of the Bible of 1611, James I is still styled Majesty and Highness; thus, in the first paragraph: "the appearance of Your Majesty, as of the Sun in his strength, instantly dispelled those supposed and surmised mists ... especially when we beheld the government established in Your Highness and Your hopeful Seed, by an undoubted title". It was, however, in James I's reign that Majesty became the official style.
[3]
Continental Europe
[
edit
]
At the conclusion of the
Congress of Vienna
in 1815,
His/Her Highness
(abbreviated
HH
), became prevalent for reigning dukes and members of their dynasties in Germany (e.g.,
Anhalt
,
Brunswick
,
Nassau
, the three
Ernestine duchies
of
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
,
Saxe-Meiningen
, and
Saxe-Altenburg
, as well as
Schleswig-Holstein
); for
cadets
of some German
grand ducal
houses (e.g.,
Hesse
,
Mecklenburg-Schwerin
,
Mecklenburg-Strelitz
,
Oldenburg
,
Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
); and cadet members of some
imperial
or
royal
families (e.g.,
Bavaria
,
Denmark
, the
Netherlands
,
Norway
,
Portugal
,
Prussia
,
Russia
,
Yugoslavia
). That custom remains official in the
Danish
,
Dutch
and Norwegian dynasties. The
Almanach de Gotha
and
Burke's Peerage
continued to ascribe
Highness
to members of
deposed dynasties
of ducal rank.
Among the nobility, the
Almanach de Gotha
notes that
Highness
was accorded to the heads of the families of
Murat
(a royal dynasty during the
Napoleonic
era),
Hohenberg
,
Teck
and all members of the
House of Ligne
.
The style was discontinued in the
Danish royal family
in 2023, having been applied to junior lines for many generations.
Example of official holders of the style
Highness
:
Modified forms
[
edit
]
Usually members of an imperial or royal dynasty are addressed as
Imperial Highness
or
Royal Highness
(French
Altesse Imperiale, Altesse Royale
; German
Kaiserliche Hoheit, Konigliche Hoheit
; Spanish
Alteza Imperial, Alteza Real
, etc.) respectively.
Grand Ducal Highness
was the treatment accorded cadet princes of those families of ruling grand dukes who did not simply use "Highness",
viz.
Baden
.
While "Highness" (
Hoheit
) was used for rulers of German duchies, the sovereign
Dukes of Modena
and
of Parma
were heads of
cadet branches
of ruling dynasties of higher rank. They and their cadets therefore used the imperial or royal styles borne by members of those houses, respectively the royal
House of Bourbon
and the imperial
House of Habsburg-Lorraine
.
In modern times,
Serene Highness
(
Altesse Serenissime
) is used as the equivalent of the German
Durchlaucht
. In the 17th century, it became the general style borne by the heads of the reigning princely states of the Holy Roman Empire (
reichsstandische Fursten
), as "Illustrious Highness (
Erlaucht
) became customary for those of the
comital
houses (
reichsstandische Grafen
, i.e. Counts of the Empire). In 1825, the Imperial German Diet agreed to grant the style
Durchlaucht
to the heads of all
mediatized
princely houses domiciled in Germany elevated to the rank of
Furst
are also styled Durchlaucht. In 1829, the style of Erlaucht, which had formerly been borne by the reigning Counts of the empire, was similarly granted to the mediatized countly families (
Almanach de Gotha
, 1909, 107).
[3]
His Exalted Highness
is a rare hybrid of the title style Highness. It is used as a salutation style
only
for the
Nizams of Hyderabad
and
Berar
conferred by the
British Government
.
[6]
[7]
Commonwealth realms
[
edit
]
Highness
was the style accorded to princes of the
British royal family
who were the
male-line
great-grandchildren of a British sovereign (and the wives/widows of great-grandsons), except the eldest son of the
Prince of Wales
. In 1917,
George V
revoked authorization for use of that style.
The children and grandchildren in the male-line of a British sovereign were and are addressed as
Royal Highness
(His or Her Royal Highness, abbreviated
HRH
), as are the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (decree of 31 May 1898).
[8]
The sovereign has the right as a legal
fons honorum
to grant or revoke use of the style of Highness, as with other styles, titles and honours.
[9]
Colonial use
[
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]
Modern Islamic World
[
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]
Royal Afghanistan
[
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]
In Afghanistan the title
Jalalat Mahab
is used for
Sardars
, or Princes of the former
Muhammadzai dynasty
, who are descendants of the Afghan Emir Payindah Muhammad Khan Barakzai. Although
Jalalat Mahab
is derived from the Arabic term
Jalalat
literally meaning
His Majesty
, it is regarded as equal to
His Highness
internationally. A legal ground for it is a strengthened
ius cogens
within the Afghan royal family with gateways in the first written constitution of Afghanistan issued by
Abdur Rahman Khan
in year 1890 and amended by
Amanullah Khan
in year 1923.
[10]
[11]
Prince Daoud Khan
, a member of the Telai cadet branch and Cousin of the last Afghan King
Zahir Shah
, acting as prime minister under his cousin held the address
Jalalat Mahab Aali Qadr Sardari Alaa
(
English
His Honorable Highness the sublime Prince) during his term as
Prime Minister
.
[12]
After the
constitution of 1964
that changed Afghanistan's state system from an
absolute
to a
constitutional monarchy
, the descendants of
King Nadir Shah
held the exclusive address as
Alaa Hazrat
in which context
Hazrat
is Turkish and means
Majesty
or
Highness
and thus literally translated means
Higher Majesty
or
Higher Highness
and is internationally also equal to
His Royal Highness
.
Jalalat Mahab
was still used for other cadet branches by
customary law
and in light of the law of royal expenses, based on Article 13 and 24 of the Royal Constitution of 1964. Cadet branches include:
[13]
[14]
The King himself held the title
Alaa Hazrat Humayoon
which literally translated means
His Most Noble Majesty
, and can be equalized with
His Majesty
internationally.
Despite the
de facto
fall of
Barakzai leadership
through the
Soviet Invasion
in year 1978, the address is until today still used out of courtesy.
Saudi Arabia
[
edit
]
In Saudi Arabia, all members of the royal family have the title of
Emir
(
Prince
) but sons, daughters,
patrilineal
granddaughters and grandsons of
Ibn Saud
are referred to by the
style
"
His Royal Highness
" (HRH), differing from those belonging to the
cadet branches
who are styled as "His/Her Highness" (HH), and in addition to that a reigning king has the title of
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
.
[15]
[16]
[17]
The definition of the
cadet branches
has been legally defined in year 2000 by
King Abdullah
and includes the following:
[18]
Republican and non-royal usage
[
edit
]
Very rarely, the style of
Highness
or variations thereof have been used by non-monarchical heads of state, particularly before the 20th century, and often in cases where the distinction between monarchy and republic was blurred. For example,
Oliver Cromwell
and his wife were styled "Highness" upon his elevation to
Lord Protector
of the
Commonwealth
; he also enjoyed the style of
by the Grace of God
, was succeeded by
his son
, and
had even been offered the throne
.
[1]
Spanish-speaking world
[
edit
]
In the
Spanish-speaking world
, a handful of leaders historically enjoyed the official, if often ephemeral, style of
Highness
(
Alteza
) or variations thereof.
In Spain,
Manuel Godoy
, who twice served as
Prime Minister
from 1792 to 1797 and from 1801 to 1808, was granted the style of
Most Serene Highness
(
Su Alteza Serenisima
) in 1807 by
King
Charles IV
. He had been created
Principe de la Paz
("Prince of the Peace") in 1795, but the princely title did not carry the style of
Highness
on its own. The former style was possibly derived from the traditional Spanish honorific of
Excelentisimo Senor
(
The Most Excellent
).
Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara
, who was
regent
for Queen
Isabella II
from 1840 to 1843, and three times served as Prime Minister: in 1837, from 1840 to 1841, and from 1854 to 1856, was created
Prince of Vergara
with the exceptional (and not strictly non-royal) style of
Royal Highness
(
Alteza Real
)
[
citation needed
]
in 1872. Espartero had previously declined an offer to the throne following the
Spanish Revolution of 1868
, which instead went to the Italian
Amadeo of Savoy
, who in turn bestowed the royal princedom on him.
Furthermore, according to the provisions of Royal Decree 1368/1987 promulgated by King
Juan Carlos I
in 1987, a
Regent
of Spain is to enjoy the style of
Highness
(as well as protocolary honours equal to those of the
Prince of Asturias
), unless they were to possess rank conferring a higher style.
[19]
During the short-lived
Luz de America
uprising of 1809 in modern-day
Ecuador
, the
Junta de Gobierno Autonoma de Quito
("Autonomous Government
Junta
of
[the Royal Audiencia of] Quito
"), granted its president,
Juan Pio de Montufar, 2nd Marquis of Selva Alegre
, the style of
Most Serene Highness
, while claiming for itself the collective dignity of "
Majesty
" (as it purported to be acting in the name of King
Ferdinand VII
). Selva Alegre's pseudo-monarchical government, which was formed following
Napoleon's invasion of Spain
in 1808 and lasted for a mere seventy-five days, was considered by both contemporaries and later historians to be a thinly-disguised effort to establish a "Kingdom of Quito"; Selva dressed himself in regal vestments, bestowed honours on citizens, and instituted the
National Order of San Lorenzo
(which was much later revived by
Ecuadorian President
Camilo Ponce Enriquez
in 1959).
[20]
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
, enjoyed the official style of
Most Serene Highness
during his
eleventh and final tenure
as
President of Mexico
for life from 1853 until his deposal in 1855.
[21]
Elsewhere
[
edit
]
United States
[
edit
]
Shortly before the
inauguration of George Washington
as the first
President of the United States
, then-
Vice President
John Adams
organised a
congressional committee
on the matter of the title and style of the President. There Adams agitated for the adoption of the style of
Highness
(as well as the title of
Protector of Their [the United States'] Liberties
) for the President.
[22]
Others favored the variant of
Electoral Highness
or the lesser
Excellency
, the latter of which was vociferously opposed by Adams, who contended that it was far beneath the presidential dignity, as the executives of the states, some of which were also titled "President" (e.g. the
President of Pennsylvania
), at that time often enjoyed the style of
Excellency
; Adams said that the President "would be levelled with colonial governors or with functionaries from German princedoms" if he were to use the style of
Excellency
. On further consideration, Adams deemed even
Highness
insufficient and instead proposed that the Executive, both the President and the Vice President (i.e., himself), be styled
Majesty
, with only which the "great danger" of insufficient dignity being attached to the executive could be solved.
[22]
Adams' efforts were met with widespread derision and perplexion;
Thomas Jefferson
called them "the most superlatively ridiculous thing I ever heard of", while
Benjamin Franklin
considered it "absolutely mad".
[22]
The proposal came to naught, and American Presidents, from Washington onwards, have eschewed honorific titles and styles altogether and are simply referred to as
Mr. President
.
Samoa
[
edit
]
In modern-day
Samoa
, the
O le Ao o le Malo
, the Samoan head of state, has since the country's independence enjoyed the title of
Highness
, as do the heads of the four paramount
chiefly dynasties
. However, as all of the heads of state, elected by the
Fono
, the country's parliament (which is itself almost entirely composed of customary chiefs), since independence have been one of the four chiefs, it is ambiguous as to whether the country constitutes a
parliamentary republic
or a
democratic
elective monarchy
.
Other Arab Countries
[
edit
]
Emirs
of Qatar, Kuwait and UAE also use the style of Your Highness.
Patrilineal descendants of former ruling Emirs of Iraq use His Highness for the head of the house
[23]
African royalty
commonly use "Highness" to refer to their junior dynasts. Some ranking monarchs also make use of the style. An example of the former is Princess
Elizabeth Bagaya
of the
Tooro Kingdom
in Uganda. An example of the latter is the princess' sister-in-law,
Queen Best Kemigisa
.
Other uses
[
edit
]
Regardless of the official traditions in the various colonial empires, the style is evidently used to render, often merely informally, various somewhat analogous titles in non-western cultures, regardless whether there is an actual linguistic and/or historical link. Furthermore, in
North America
, some chiefs of certain indigenous tribes or nations use the style of Highness, which may or may not be recognised by their governments.
The
Aga Khan
was granted the style of
His Highness
by
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom
in 1957 upon the death of his grandfather
Aga Khan III
. This has been a traditional gesture by British sovereigns since the Aga Khan III allied himself with Britain against Afghanistan.
Variations and precedence
[
edit
]
While the actual precedence depends on the rank itself, and sometimes more specifically on the monarchy, rather than on the style of address, the holders tend to end up roughly in the following order of precedence:
- His/Her Imperial and Royal Highness
(HI&RH)
- His/Her Imperial Highness
(HIH)
- His/Her Royal Highness
(HRH)
- His/Her Grand Ducal Highness
(HGDH), used by junior members of the houses of Luxembourg, Grand Ducal Hesse, and Baden
- His/Her Highness (HH)
- His/Her Exalted Highness
(HEH), used only by the
Nizam of Hyderabad
, the pre-eminent Indian princely ruler
- His/Her Sultanic Highness
(HSH), a rare, hybrid western-Islamic honorific style, exclusively used by the son, daughter-in-law and daughters of Sultan
Hussein Kamel of Egypt
- His/Her Ducal Serene Highness
(HDSH)
- His Most Eminent Highness
(HMEH), a hybrid with
His Eminence
, created in 1630 for the
Grand Master
of the
Knights of Malta
, as
Prince of the Holy Roman Empire
at par with a
Cardinal
(Prince of the Church).
- His/Her Most Serene Highness
(HMSH)
- His/Her Serene Highness
(HSH)
- His/Her Illustrious Highness
(HIll.H)
- His/Her Tribal Highness
(HTH), a rare hybrid of Highness exclusively used by
Amghar Mohammed Ameziane, Prince of the Rif
and direct descendants.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
Pine, L.G.
(1992).
Titles
. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc. pp.
36, 69, 92, 94, 104, 148?149
.
ISBN
978-1-56619-085-5
.
- ^
Selden,
Titles of Honor
, part I, Ch. vii. p. 100
- ^
a
b
c
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
public domain
:
Chisholm, Hugh
, ed. (1911). "
Highness
".
Encyclopædia Britannica
. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 456.
- ^
"His Highness Prince Sverre Magnus"
.
Monarchy of Norway
. Retrieved
30 April
2011
.
- ^
"Top 100 in line to the throne"
.
Channel 4
. 27 March 2009.
- ^
"Making money the royal way ! - Economic Times"
. Archived from
the original
on 14 July 2012
. Retrieved
18 July
2011
.
- ^
"
'His Exalted Highness' to be staged today"
.
The Hindu
. 2007-03-14.
- ^
"Crown Office"
.
The London Gazette
(60384): 213. 8 January 2013.
- ^
British Royal Family Website.
The Queen and Honours
. The Royal Household. Buckingham Palace. accessed 5 February 2019.
- ^
Encyclopedia Iranica in Constitutional History of Afghanistan
- ^
Adamek in Who is Who in Afghanistan
- ^
Mir Assadullah Sadat in Alqab Dowalti
- ^
"Afghanistan's Constitution of 1964"
(PDF)
.
Constitute
.
- ^
Christopher Buyers in Royal Ark, Afghanistan
- ^
Amos, Deborah (1991).
"Sheikh to Chic"
. Mother Jones. p. 28
. Retrieved
12 July
2016
.
- ^
"Saudi Arabia: HRH or HH? - American Bedu"
. 7 August 2016. Archived from
the original
on 7 August 2016.
- ^
"Family Tree"
.
datarabia.com
. Retrieved
7 December
2016
.
- ^
Washington institute in "After King Abdullah"
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/media/3420
- ^
"Real Decreto 1368/1987, de 6 de noviembre, sobre regimen de titulos, tratamientos y honores de la Familia Real y de los Regentes"
.
Boletin Oficial del Estado
. Agencia Estatal Boletin Oficial del Estado. p. 33717
. Retrieved
22 November
2014
.
- ^
Pimentel, Rodolfo Perez.
"Juan Pio Montufar y Larrea"
.
diccionariobiograficoecuador.com
. Diccionario Biografico del Ecuador
. Retrieved
22 November
2014
.
- ^
Sible, Randy.
"The Life of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna: Savior, Emperor, President, and Dictator"
.
Latin American Studies
. Retrieved
22 November
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Hutson, James H. (March 1968). "John Adams' Title Campaign".
The New England Quarterly
.
41
(1): 30?39.
doi
:
10.2307/363331
.
JSTOR
363331
.
- ^
Batatu, H (1978).
The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq
. Princeton University Press.