Style of A Head of State
After the fall of Rome, Majesty was used to describe a monarch of the very highest rank - indeed, it was generally applied to God.
Variations, such as "Catholic Majesty" (Spain) or "Britannic Majesty" (United Kingdom) are often used in diplomatic settings where there otherwise may be ambiguity (see a list).
Imperial heads (i.e., Emperors) may use Imperial Majesty.
Princely and ducal heads usually use "His Highness" or some variation thereof (e.g., His Serene Highness). In British practice, heads of princely states in the British Empire are referred to as Highness.
In monarchies that don't follow the European tradition, heads may be called Majesty whether or not they formally bear the title of King or Queen, as is the case in certain countries and amongst certain peoples in Africa and Asia.
Read more about this topic: Majesty
Famous quotes containing the words style of a, style, head and/or state:
“Switzerland is a small, steep country, much more up and down than sideways, and is all stuck over with large brown hotels built on the cuckoo clock style of architecture.”
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)
“His style is eminently colloquial, and no wonder it is strange to meet with in a book. It is not literary or classical; it has not the music of poetry, nor the pomp of philosophy, but the rhythms and cadences of conversation endlessly repeated.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Each part may call the furthest, brother:
For head with foot hath private amitie,
And both with moons and tides.”
—George Herbert (1593–1633)
“The human race is yet in its infancy—no, not infancy; infancy is innocent and sweet—it is in its ugly boyhood, half way between the child and the man—in a state of semi-barbarism.”
—Anonymous, U.S. magazine contributor. Herald of Progress (no dates available)