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'Royal Highness' (abbreviation 'HRH') is a style (''His Royal Highness'' or ''Her Royal Highness''); plural 'Royal Highnesses' (abbreviation 'TRH', ''Their Royal Highnesses''). It appears in front of the names of some members of some royal families other than the King or Queen.
The style ''His/Her Royal Highness'' ranks below His/Her Imperial Highness (referring to an Imperial House) but above His/Her Grand Ducal Highness, His/Her Highness, His/Her Serene Highness and some other styles (referring to Grand Ducal, 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'' 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. The Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of The Earl of Wessex, is legally Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Wessex but it was decided by her parents that she be styled as the daughter of an earl and not Her Royal Highness. The Duke of York's daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie enjoy the style Her Royal Highness.
In the United Kingdom, Letters patent issued on 21 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 HRH the Princess of Wales, when she and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales divorced, ceased to be ''HRH'', and was styled Diana, Princess of Wales

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See also

External link

★ London Gazette, 30 August 1996 (Number 54510), page 1, containing the Letters Patent relating to divorce and the style of Royal Highness.

See also

★ British prince

★ British princess

★ Forms of address in the United Kingdom

★ Royal and noble styles

★ Use of courtesy titles and honorifics in professional writing