Royalty
Monarchs and other royalty, for example Napoleon, have traditionally availed themselves of the privilege of using a mononym, modified when necessary by an ordinal or descriptor (e.g., Queen Elizabeth II). While many European royals have formally sported long chains of names, in practice they have tended to use only one or two and not to use surname. In Japan, the emperor and his family have no surname, only a given name, such as Hirohito, which in practice is rarely used: out of respect and as a measure of politeness, Japanese prefer to say "the Emperor" or "the Crown Prince." In India, the first six Mughal emperors were known by just one name, adopted by each emperor upon his accession.
Roman Catholic popes, except for John Paul I and II, have traditionally, on their election, adopted a single name.
Read more about this topic: Mononymous Person
Famous quotes containing the word royalty:
“Powerful, yes, that is the word that I constantly rolled on my tongue; I dreamed of absolute power, the kind that forces to kneel, that forces the enemy to capitulate, finally converting him, and the more the enemy is blind, cruel, sure of himself, buried in his conviction, the more his admission proclaims the royalty of he who has brought on his defeat.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)
“Royalty is a government in which the attention of the nation is concentrated on one person doing interesting actions. A Republic is a government in which that attention is divided between many, who are all doing uninteresting actions. Accordingly, so long as the human heart is strong and the human reason weak, Royalty will be strong because it appeals to diffused feeling, and Republics weak because they appeal to the understanding.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)
“Everyone likes flattery; and when you come to Royalty you should lay it on with a trowel.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)