List of titles and honours of the British Monarch

This list of titles and honours of the British Monarch details the current and former titles of the sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and its predecessor states.

The present United Kingdom was formed in 1922 when the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which had been formed in 1801 from the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland, was partitioned to create the Irish Free State. The Kingdom of Great Britain was itself formed in 1707 from the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. England and Scotland had been in a personal union since 1603, while Ireland had been in a personal union with the Kingdom of England since the elevation of the Lordship of Ireland to the status of a kingdom in 1542. Wales was gradually conquered by England in the Middle Ages, beginning with the Norman invasion of Wales and concluding with the conquests of Edward I in 1277-83. Wales was legally incorporated into England between 1535 and 1542 by King Henry VIII.

The medieval monarchs of England also controlled large parts of France, particularly under the Angevin kings. Several of the listed titles are therefore French, many held as fiefs of the French Crown rather than independently. Also represented is the English claim to the France, maintained for over 400 years before being dropped after the French Revolution.

While the English claim to France was not seriously pursued after the Middle Ages, later monarchs did hold foreign titles. When William III became King alongside his wife Mary II, he maintained his Dutch titles. The Georgian kings ruled as Electors and Kings of Hanover, as well as holding the office of Arch-Treasurer of the Holy Roman Empire. These titles lapsed when Queen Victoria succeeded to the throne.

While the British Empire only gave the monarch one significant new title, that of Emperor of India, its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations and decolonisation created many new independent states, each with a separate monarchy. The British monarch was initially the sovereign of all these states, but many subsequently declared themselves republics and abolished their monarchies. Of the thirty-two realms Elizabeth II became queen of on her accession in 1952, only sixteen retain her as their monarch. All current and former Commonwealth realms are listed below.

Titles held by the monarch of the United Kingdom

Kingdoms

Lordships

Non-hereditary titles

Religious titles

Military Titles

The monarch is always the Commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces. Additionally, Queen Elizabeth II is the Colonel-in-chief (patron) of the following regiments:

Commonwealth Realms

These Kingdoms are independent of the British Crown, but are held in personal union with the United Kingdom and follow the same rules of sucession. Monarchies listed under 'Queen' have only had Elizabeth II as their sovereign, and are thus yet to have a reigning king. Date indicates the year the monarchy was established.

Customary Titles

These titles are used by custom in their respective areas, but are not formally held by the monarch.

Titles formerly held by British Monarchs

The following titles include those held by the monarchs of the predecessor kingdoms to the United Kingdom, and titles formerly used but now abolished.

Kingdoms, Empires and Equivalent

Principalities

Duchies

Electorate

Counties

Lordships

  • Lord of Ireland — used by the Kings of England between 1171 and 1542 to signify their sovereignty over parts of Ireland. Elevated to a Kingdom in 1542.

Religious Titles

Offices of the Holy Roman Empire

Commonwealth Realms

These Kingdoms were independent of the British Crown, but were held in personal union with the United Kingdom and followed the same rules of sucession. Monarchies listed under 'Queen' only had Elizabeth II as their sovereign, and thus never had a reigning king. Dates indicate the year the monarchy was formed and the year of its dissolution.

Titles held by the heir apparent of United Kingdom

The following are the titles usually granted to the heir apparent, though most must be granted by the monarch and are not assumed automatically. Other titles have seen sporadic use, such as Edward III granting his heir Edward, the Black Prince the title Prince of Aquitaine.

Principalities

Duchies

Earldom

Baronial and Lordships

Offices

See also

References

  1. ↑ Royal Title of Elisabeth II, George V and Edward VIII
  2. ↑ Lord of Mann Elisabeth II Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ The Prince of Wales's full title
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.