Royal Highness

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For other uses of HRH, see HRH (disambiguation).

Royal Highness (abbreviation HRH) is a style His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness. It appears in front of the names of some members of some royal families other than the King or Queen. The title is sometimes used to designate between princes and princesses who are members of the royal line of succession and those who are not. For example, the son of the monarch may be titled "His Royal Highness The Crown Prince" while his wife may simply be "Her Highness The Crown Princess".

The style His/Her Royal Highness ranks below His/Her Imperial Highness (referring to an Imperial House) but above His/Her Highness and His/Her Serene Highness (referring to Princely or Ducal Houses).

In the British monarchy the style of HRH is associated with the rank of prince or princess (although this has not always applied, the notable exception being Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was given the style of HRH in 1947 but was not created a prince until 1958). This is especially important when a prince has another title such as Duke (or a princess the title of Duchess) by which he or she would usually be addressed. For instance HRH The Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a prince and a member of the royal family while His Grace The Duke of Devonshire is a non-royal duke and not a member of the British royal family.

In the United Kingdom, a Letters Patent issued on 28 August 1996 states that a style received by a spouse of a member of the Royal Family on their marriage ceases at the point of divorce. For that reason Diana Spencer, when she and Charles, Prince of Wales divorced, ceased to be HRH.

See also

• Royal and noble styles
• Forms of Address in the United Kingdom
• Princes of The Holy Roman Empire [1]
• List of British princes
• List of British princesses
• Use of courtesy titles and honorifics in professional writing

Styles used by monarchs and royalty
Reigning monarchs His Apostolic Majesty (HAM) | Britannic Majesty (HBM) | Canadian Majesty (HCM) | His Holiness (HH) | Imperial and Royal Majesty (HIRM) | Imperial Majesty (HIM) | Majesty (HM) | Royal Highness (HRH) | Highness (HH) | Serene Highness (HSH)
Members of Royal Families Imperial and Royal Highness (HIRH) | Imperial Highness (HIH) | Royal Highness (HRH) | Grand Ducal Highness (HGDH) | Highness (HH) | Serene Highness (HSH)