The baron acted as the sovereign's "tenant-in-chief" and possessed a number of fiefs-basically a subdivision of a county. The lowest rank in the traditional peerage system is that of baron and baroness. The title has also been awarded to outgoing Speakers at the House of Commons. The title is often given to the children of earls, however the rank may overlap with other titles: A handful of dukes and earls pull double-duty as viscounts. Back in feudal days, the viscount was exactly what it sounds like: a “vice count,” a deputy or lieutenant who served the earl. One step below that is viscount and viscountess. The title is hereditary, though it's not unheard of for the reigning monarch to give a former prime minister an earldom. He was often entitled to receive every “ third penny”-that is, one third!-of all judicial revenues. He might also be responsible for collecting taxes and fines and playing the part of judge or sheriff. He could be the administrator of a shire, province, or county. Originally, an earl was a do-it-all governor-judge-cop-taxman. There are about 34 marquess positions, and the titles are generally inherited by the first-born son. Unlike a duke, however, a marquess had the extra responsibility of defending this frontier from invaders. Like a duke, a marquess held responsibility over a large mass of land. The title was traditionally given to a duke-like noble who oversaw a Welsh or Scottish march, or border territory. The step below duke is marquess or marchioness.
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(If Harry isn't named a duke, Markle will likely be called "Princess Henry of Wales"-using Harry's real name-but never Princess Meghan.) And while Harry will remain a prince, his soon-to-be wife, Meghan Markle, will not inherit the title of princess-she will simply become a duchess. It’s expected that Queen Elizabeth II will give Prince Harry the title of Duke of Sussex after his wedding. (That’s why you see royals flaunting territorial titles such as the “Duke of Cornwall” or “Duchess of Cambridge.”) Currently there are 30 dukes, and those titles will be passed down to their male heirs.
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Traditionally, the duke was the sovereign ruler of a duchy or dukedom (a large swath of land) and the title is frequently, but not always, given to a member of the royal family. The highest peerage titles are duke and duchess. All ranks must first meet his or her approval. The sovereign is considered the “fount of honour” and has the exclusive right of conferring titles. Despite constant press references to him as “Prince Philip,” that title only became official in 1957, when Elizabeth II conferred “the style and titular dignity of a prince” on her husband. Prince Philip was a Prince of Greece, but renounced his title before marrying Elizabeth, so when Elizabeth became queen in 1952, he was properly referred to as the Duke of Edinburgh. However, if the queen is running the show-as is true at the present moment-her husband has no automatic right to a title. If a king sits on the throne, his wife is called the queen consort. There are some special naming rules for the head of state. In feudal times, these titles-and the jobs that came with them-were passed down to male heirs and their spouses.Īt the top, of course, sits the king or queen. Members of the peerage system, called Peers, were the monarch’s vassals: They swore loyalty to the king or queen in exchange for money or land. The noble titles of duke, duchess, earl, countess, and so on are relics of the peerage system, a hierarchy that conferred power to people in ye olde British political and landowning order. 15.The simple answer: You’re born with it, or Her Majesty gives it to you. Let’s take a look at how William’s and Harry’s better halves, Kate and Meghan, managed to embarrass the British royal family with some inappropriate pics that probably shouldn’t have gone public. However, when the (future) princesses’ embarrassing photos start spreading all over the Internet, that is really not something the Queen wants to see. Everybody expects royals to be perfect at all times, but they are people just like everybody else so that might be pretty hard to accomplish.
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One of the riskiest things in every royal family is bringing a new person into the family.
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Or was it even more embarrassing when Princess Diana admitted to her long-lasting affair with James Hewitt during an interview in 1995? Or when everybody suspected Prince Harry was Hewitt’s son? Her Majesty the Queen must have had some pretty hard times dealing with all those scandals in the past, and, unfortunately, it didn’t all end right then and there. Do you remember the time when a conversation between Prince Charles and Camilla was caught on tape back in 1992 where he said he’d like to be one of Camilla’s tampons? Yes, that really happened. The British royal family has had its share of scandals and embarrassing moments in the past.