Courtesy title

A courtesy title is a form of address in the British peerage system used for wives, children, and other close relatives of a peer. These styles may mislead those unacquainted with the system into thinking that they have substantive titles.

Other children and wives

Another form of courtesy title, in the form of an honorific prefix, is granted to younger sons, and all daughters of peers. The rules differ for different ranks of peers: the children of a baron, for example, get the prefix "Hon.", the daughters of an earl are called "Lady", and so on. These titles persist after the death of the father and the descent of the peerage to the eldest son.

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A peer's wife takes her courtesy title based on her husband's rank, unless she herself has a higher title. Thus a baron's wife is called "baroness", an earl's wife is called a "countess", a duke's wife a "duchess", etc. Despite being referred to as a "peeress", she does not, however, become a peer "in her own right": these are 'styles', not substantive titles. However, this is considered a legal title, unlike the social titles of a peer's children.

Related Topics:
Baroness - Countess - Duchess

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