Royal Titles & Forms of Address

Which is higher, Count or Duke? Is it “Your Highness” or “Your Majesty”? What’s the difference: King, Emir, Sultan, or Emperor? Read on…
I sometimes get emails asking these questions. I made a royal fool of myself, literally, when I first started working in the UHNW arena. I once asked someone what HRH meant because I was handed a business card with it printed on. The answer, he said with a grimace, “His Royal Highness.” I almost fainted from embarrassment.
I am, by no means, an expert on this subject. There are literally hundreds of royal titles, and customs vary by country. Here is a basic breakdown:
I sometimes get emails asking these questions. I made a royal fool of myself, literally, when I first started working in the UHNW arena. I once asked someone what HRH meant because I was handed a business card with it printed on. The answer, he said with a grimace, “His Royal Highness.” I almost fainted from embarrassment.
I am, by no means, an expert on this subject. There are literally hundreds of royal titles, and customs vary by country. Here is a basic breakdown:
Royal titles in Europe
European Ranking (Truncated)
- King/Queen
- Prince/Princess
- Duke/Duchess
- Count/Countess
- Baron/Baroness
- Knight – Lady – Dame – Lord
- Lord of the Manor
Middle Eastern royal titles
The Middle East (Highest title)
Another very common title in the middle east is Sheikh (pronounced shake)
- Bahrain: King
- Brunei: Sultan
- Jordan: King
- Kuwait: Emir
- Qatar: Emir
- Saudi Arabia: King
- United Arab Emirates: Emir
Another very common title in the middle east is Sheikh (pronounced shake)
Asian royal titles
Asia (Highest title)
- Cambodia: King
- Japan: Emperor