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Titles and Forms of Address A Guide to

Correct Use 23rd Edition Bloomsbury


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Titles and Forms of Address_Prelims.fm Page i Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

TITLES AND FORMS


OF ADDRESS

a Guide to Correct Use

Twenty-third edition

A&C Black
An Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Titles and Forms of Address_Prelims.fm Page ii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

www.bloomsbury.com
50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway
London New York
WC1B 3DP NY 10018
UK USA

First edition 1918 Twelfth edition 1964


Second edition 1929 Thirteenth edition 1968
Third edition 1932 Fourteenth edition 1971
Fourth edition 1936 Fifteenth edition 1976
Fifth edition 1939 Sixteenth edition 1978
Sixth edition 1945 Seventeenth edition 1980
Seventh edition 1949 Eighteenth edition 1985
Eighth edition 1951 Nineteenth edition 1990
Ninth edition 1955 Twentieth edition 1997
Tenth edition 1958 Twenty-first edition 2002
Eleventh edition 1961 Twenty-second edition 2007

A&C BLACK and the ‘WHO'S WHO PUBLISHED ANNUALLY SINCE 1849’
belt logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

© Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2016


Entries from Who’s Who may not be reproduced, in any form whatsoever,
without the written permission of the publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval
systems—without the written permission of the publishers.
The publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to
the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept
any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may take place.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: HB: 978-1-472-92433-9

2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1

Printed and bound in Great Britain by


CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

To find out more about our authors and books visit www.bloomsbury.com.
Here you will findextracts, author interviews, details of forthcoming events
and the option to sign up for our newsletters.
Titles and Forms of Address_Prelims.fm Page iii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

iii

FOREWORD
The correct use of titles, and other distinguishing marks of honour or of
office, has generally become established over a long period through the
usage followed by the title-holders themselves and by those associated
with them. Similarly, and very gradually, there occur modifications and
changes in practice.
It seems desirable to point out that while great formality may from time
to time be appropriate, and the forms to be used in such cases are
therefore given, it will more often be proper – and more usual – to use
simpler forms, as indicated throughout, in ordinary correspondence
whether business or social, especially if e-mail is the mode employed
rather than traditional letter-writing. The forms are even more relaxed
when using social media.
In view of security risks, it is wise to enquire in advance how envelopes
should be addressed to people at home. If that is not possible, omit title,
office and rank, unless advised otherwise by the recipient. This
precaution obviously relates particularly to members of the armed
forces, the police and legal officers (from judges to members of the prison
service).
It should be made clear that etiquette is a different subject and is not
touched upon in this book.
The publishers are grateful to correspondents who have kindly
suggested additions and improvements. At the same time they are bound
to say that they are unable to provide an advisory or information
service.
2016
Titles and Forms of Address_Prelims.fm Page iv Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page v Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Contents v

Contents
FOREWORD iii
ABBREVIATIONS xiv
ROYALTY 1
The Queen 1
The Duke of Edinburgh 1
Princes and Princesses of the Blood Royal, and Dukes and Duchesses
of the Blood Royal 2
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 3

GLOSSARY: Peerage 4
THE PEERAGE: General Notes 6
Devolving titles 6
Addressing the Heir on Succession 8
Collaterals 8
Life Peers 8
Territorial Additions 9
New Peerages 9
Disclaiming of Hereditary Peerages 10
The Prefix ‘The’ 10
The Title ‘Lady’ 11
The Title ‘Honourable’ 11
Peeresses in Their Own Right 11
Husbands and Children of Peeresses in Their Own Right 12
Dowagers 12
Former Wives of Peers 12
Peeresses Re-marrying 13
Husbands and Children of Peers’ Daughters 13
Peerage of Scotland 13

THE PEERAGE: Dukes and Duchesses 15


Dowager Duchesses 16
Former Wives of Dukes 17
Eldest Sons of Dukes 18
Widows of Eldest Sons of Dukes, and Former Wives of Eldest Sons of
Dukes 18
Children of Eldest Sons of Dukes 18
Daughters and Younger Sons of Dukes 18
Wives of Younger Sons of Dukes 19
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vi Contents

Widows of Younger Sons of Dukes 20


Former Wives of Younger Sons of Dukes 20
Children of Younger Sons of Dukes 20
Married Daughters of Dukes 21
Children of Daughters of Dukes 22

THE PEERAGE: Marquesses and Marchionesses 23


Dowager Marchionesses 24
Former Wives of Marquesses 25
Eldest Sons of Marquesses 26
Widows of Eldest Sons of Marquesses, Former Wives of Eldest Sons of
Marquesses, and Children of Eldest Sons of Marquesses 26
Younger Sons of Marquesses 26
Wives of Younger Sons of Marquesses 27
Widows and Former Wives of Younger Sons of Marquesses 27
Children of Younger Sons of Marquesses 28
Daughters of Marquesses 28
Married Daughters of Marquesses 28
Children of Daughters of Marquesses 30

THE PEERAGE: Earls and Countesses 31


Dowager Countesses 32
Former Wives of Earls 33
Eldest Sons of Earls 33
Widows of Eldest Sons of Earls, Former Wives of Eldest Sons of Earls,
and Children of Eldest Sons of Earls 33
Younger Sons of Earls 33
Wives of Younger Sons of Earls 34
Widows of Younger Sons of Earls 35
Former Wives of Younger Sons of Earls 35
Children of Younger Sons of Earls 35
Daughters of Earls 35
Married Daughters of Earls 36
Children of Daughters of Earls 37

THE PEERAGE: Viscounts and Viscountesses 38


Dowager Viscountesses 39
Former Wives of Viscounts 39
Eldest Sons of Viscounts 40
Widows of Eldest Sons of Viscounts 41
Former Wives of Eldest Sons of Viscounts 41
Children of Eldest Sons of Viscounts 41
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page vii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Contents vii

Younger Sons of Viscounts, Wives of Younger Sons of Viscounts,


Widows of Younger Sons of Viscounts, and Former Wives of
Younger Sons of Viscounts 41
Children of Younger Sons of Viscounts 41
Daughters of Viscounts 41
Married Daughters of Viscounts 42
Children of Daughters of Viscounts 42

THE PEERAGE: Barons and Baronesses 43


Dowager Baronesses 44
Former Wives of Barons 44
Eldest Sons of Barons 45
Widows of Eldest Sons of Barons, and Former Wives of Eldest Sons 46
Children of Eldest Sons of Barons 46
Younger Sons of Barons, Wives of Younger Sons of Barons, Widows of
Younger Sons of Barons, and Former Wives of Younger Sons of
Barons 46
Children of Younger Sons of Barons 46
Daughters of Barons 46
Married Daughters of Barons 47
Children of Daughters of Barons 47

THE BARONETAGE 48
Baronetesses 50
Widows of Baronets 50
Widows of Baronets Re-marrying 50
Former Wives of Baronets 51
Children of Baronets 51
Honourables 51

KNIGHTS AND DAMES 52


The Most Noble Order of the Garter 53
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle 53
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath 53
The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George 54
The Royal Victorian Order 56
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire 56
Knights Bachelor 57
Widows of Knights 57
Widows of Knights Re-marrying, and Former Wives of Knights 57
Honorary Orders of Knighthood 58
Knighthoods in Orders not Bestowed by the Crown 58
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viii Contents

General Remarks 58
New Titles 59

SCOTTISH CLANS AND TERRITORIAL HOUSES 60


Chiefs and Chieftains 60
Wives of Chiefs and Chieftains 61
Widows of Chiefs and Chieftains 62
Children of Chiefs and Chieftains 62
Lairds 62

PRIVY COUNSELLORS 63
UNTITLED PERSONS 65
Widows and Former Wives of Esquires 66
Sons of Esquires 67
Daughters of Esquires 67
Orders of Knighthood 67

JOINT FORMS OF ADDRESS 68


DOUBLE NAMES 69
PRESIDENTS OF SOCIETIES 70
GLOSSARY: Religion 71
THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Church of England 73
Lords Spiritual 73
Archbishops of Canterbury and York 73
Retired Archbishops of Canterbury and York 74
Other Archbishops of the Anglican Communion 75
Retired Archbishops 75
Wives of Archbishops 76
Bishops 77
Bishops Suffragan 78
Bishops of the Anglican Communion 78
Bishops Coadjutor 79
Assistant Bishops 79
Retired Bishops 79
Wives of Bishops 80
Deans 80
Retired Deans 80
Provosts 80
Retired Provosts 81
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page ix Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Contents ix

Archdeacons 81
Retired Archdeacons 81
Canons 82
Prebendaries 82
Other Members of the Clergy 83
Titled Clerics 84
Anglican Religious Communities 84
Chancellors 86

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Church of Scotland 87


The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly 87
The Moderator 87
Ex-Moderators 88
Other Members of the Clergy 88
Dean of the Thistle and Chapel Royal 88

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Roman Catholic Church 89


The Pope 89
Cardinals 89
Cardinal Archbishops and Cardinal Bishops 90
Archbishops 90
Retired Archbishops 91
Bishops 91
Retired Bishops 92
Bishops Coadjutor 92
Bishops Auxiliary 93
Titular Sees 93
Provosts 93
Canons 94
Monsignori 94
Priests 95
Titled Priests 95
Roman Catholic Religious Communities 95

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Free Churches and Other


Denominations 98
Ministers 98
Retired Ministers and Other Clergy 98

THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: Eastern Church 99


Patriarchs 99
Metropolitans 99
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page x Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

x Contents

Archbishops and Bishops 99


Archimandrites 99

THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE 101


The Chief Rabbi 101
Rabbis 101
Rabbi Doctors 101
Ministers 102

OTHER FAITHS 103


THE ARMED FORCES: Comparative Ranks 104
THE ARMED FORCES: Royal Navy 106
Admirals of the Fleet 106
Admirals, Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals 106
Commodores 107
Captains 107
Commanders 108
Lieutenant Commanders 108
Lieutenants 108
Sub-Lieutenants, Midshipmen, Cadets 108
General List 109
Medical Officers 109
Chaplains 109
Titled Officers 109
Retired Officers 110
Decorations 110
Royal Naval Reserve 110

THE ARMED FORCES: Royal Marines 111


Captain General 111

THE ARMED FORCES: Army 112


Field Marshals 112
Generals, Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals 112
Brigadiers 112
Colonels 113
Lieutenant Colonels 113
Majors, Captains 113
Lieutenants, Second Lieutenants 114
Medical Officers 114
Chaplains 114
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page xi Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Contents xi

Titled Officers 114


Retired Officers 115
Decorations 115
Territorial Army 115

THE ARMED FORCES: Royal Air Force 116


Marshals of the Royal Air Force 116
Air Chief Marshals, Air Marshals, Air Vice-Marshals 116
Air Commodores 116
Group Captains, Wing Commanders, Squadron Leaders 117
Flight Lieutenants 117
Flying Officers, Pilot Officers 118
Medical Officers 118
Chaplains 118
Titled Officers 118
Retired Officers 118
Decorations 119
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 119

LAW, DIPLOMATIC AND GOVERNMENT 120


Agents-General 120
Aldermen 120
Ambassadors 121
Attorneys-General 122
Bailies (of Scottish Burghs) 122
Chairmen of County Councils 122
Chairmen of District Councils 122
Chargés d’affaires 123
Circuit Judges 123
Consuls 124
Conveners 124
Councillors 124
Deputy Lieutenants of Counties 125
District Judges 125
District Judges (Magistrates’ Courts) 125
Envoys-Extraordinary, Ministers-Plenipotentiary 125
Governors-General, Governors, Lieutenant-Governors 125
HM Lord-Lieutenants of Counties 126
High Commissioners 126
Honourable 127
Judges of the High Court 127
Judges overseas 129
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page xii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

xii Contents

Justices of the Peace 129


Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom 130
Lady Mayoresses 130
Law Lords 130
Lord-Lieutenants and Lieutenants of Counties 130
Lord Advocate of Scotland 131
Lord Chamberlain 131
Lord Chancellor 132
Lord Chief Justice 132
Lord Justice of Appeal 132
Lord of the Manor 133
Lord Mayors 133
Lord Privy Seal 134
Lord Provosts 134
Lords of Session 134
Magistrates 135
Master of the Rolls 135
Masters of the High Court 135
Mayors 136
Members of Parliament 137
Ministers (Government) 137
Ministers (Diplomatic Service) 137
Police 137
Presidents 138
Prime Ministers 139
Provosts of Scottish Cities 139
Queen’s Counsel 139
Recorders 139
Sheriffs 140
Tribunal Judges 141
Vice Lord-Lieutenants 141

THE UNIVERSITIES 142


Chancellors 142
Vice-Chancellors 142
High Stewards 143
Deputy High Stewards 143
Heads of Colleges 143
Deans 144
Principals in Scotland and Wales 144
Professors 144
Titles and Forms of AddressTOC.fm Page xiii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:27 PM

Contents xiii

Ordained Professors 145


Doctors 145
Honorary Doctorates 147
Lesser Degrees 147

HONOURS, QUALIFICATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS 149


Notes on the Use of Abbreviations for Honorific and Other Affixes 149
Sequence of Decorations and Honours 151
Victoria Cross 151
George Cross 151
Order of Merit – OM 151
Order of the Companions of Honour – CH 152
Commonwealth Countries 152

REPLYING FORMALLY TO FORMAL INVITATIONS 155


Royal invitations from the Queen 155
Royal invitations from other members of the Royal Family 156
Invitations to official functions 156
Invitations to private functions (including weddings) 156

SOME PRONUNCIATIONS OF PROPER NAMES 157


ORDER OF PRECEDENCE 184
The Table of Precedence in England and Wales 184
The Table of Precedence in Scotland 187

INDEX 189
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xiv Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xiv ABBREVIATIONS

ABBREVIATIONS
This list consists solely of abbreviations which may be used after the
name. These fall into two groups:
• they require forms of address described in the text of this book;
• they are fellowships or similar qualifications which would be used
only in a professional context.
Pages 149–154 give the rules by which the order of the various categories
is determined.
The selection is restricted to the above two groups because so many
initials and acronyms are now in use. For fuller and more
comprehensive information readers are referred to:
Who’s Who
Published annually by A & C Black
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xv Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xv

A
AA Augustinians of the Assumption
AB Bachelor of Arts (US)
AC Companion, Order of Australia
AD Dame of the Order of Australia
ADC Aide-de-camp
AE Air Efficiency Award
AEM Air Efficiency Medal
AFC Air Force Cross
AFM Air Force Medal
AK Knight of the Order of Australia
AM Albert Medal; Member of the Order of Australia; Master
of Arts (US)
AO Officer of the Order of Australia
AOE Alberta Order of Excellence
ARA Associate, Royal Academy
ARRC Associate, Royal Red Cross

B
BA Bachelor of Arts
Bart or Bt Baronet
BCL Bachelor of Civil Law
BD Bachelor of Divinity
BEM British Empire Medal
BLitt Bachelor of Letters
BM Bachelor of Medicine
BMus Bachelor of Music
BSc Bachelor of Science
BSM Barbados Service Medal
BSS Barbados Service Star; Bachelor of Science (Social
Science)
Bt Baronet
Btss Baronetess

C
CA Chartered Accountant (Scotland and Canada)
CB Companion, Order of the Bath
CBE Commander, Order of the British Empire
CBiol Chartered Biologist
CC Companion, Order of Canada
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xvi Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xvi ABBREVIATIONS

CChem Chartered Chemist


CD Canadian Forces Decoration; Commander, Order of
Distinction (Jamaica)
CEng Chartered Engineer
CF Chaplain to the Forces; Companion, Order of Fiji
CGA Community of the Glorious Ascension
CGM Conspicuous Gallantry Medal
CH Companion of Honour
CHB Companion of Honour of Barbados
ChB Bachelor of Surgery
CI Imperial Order of the Crown of India
CIE Companion, Order of the Indian Empire
CJM Congregation of Jesus and Mary (Eudist Fathers)
CM Member, Order of Canada; Congregation of the Mission
(Vincentians); Master in Surgery; Certificated Master
CMG Companion, Order of St Michael and St George
CMM Commander, Order of Military Merit (Canada)
CNZM Companion, Order of Merit (NZ)
CPA Chartered Patent Agent
CPhys Chartered Physicist
CPM Colonial Police Medal
CPsychol Chartered Psychologist
CQ Chevalier, National Order of Quebec
CR Community of the Resurrection
CSC Conspicuous Service Cross; Congregation of the Holy
Cross
CSI Companion, Order of the Star of India; Cross, Order of
Solomon Islands
CSSp Holy Ghost Father
CSSR Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorist
Order)
CText Chartered Textile Technologist
CV Cross of Valour (Canada)
CVO Commander, Royal Victorian Order

D
DA Dame of St Andrew, Order of Barbados; Doctor of Arts
DAgr Doctor of Agriculture
DAppSc Doctor of Applied Science
Dart Doctor of Art
DASc Doctor in Agricultural Sciences
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xvii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xvii

DBA Doctor of Business Administration


DBE Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire
Dbus Doctor of Business
DCB Dame Commander, Order of the Bath
DCh Doctor of Surgery
DCL Doctor of Civil Law; Doctor of Canon Law
DCM Distinguished Conduct Medal
DCMG Dame Commander, Order of St Michael and St George
DCN Dame Commander, Order of the Nation (Antigua and
Barbuda)
DCnL Doctor of Canon Law
DCS Doctor of Commercial Sciences
DCVO Dame Commander, Royal Victorian Order
DD Doctor of Divinity
DDS Doctor of Dental Surgery
DDSc Doctor of Dental Science
DE Doctor of Engineering
DEc or DEcon Doctor of Economics
DEconSc Doctor of Economic Science
DEd Doctor of Education
DEng Doctor of Engineering
DFA Doctor of Fine Arts
DFC Distinguished Flying Cross
DFM Distinguished Flying Medal
DHL Doctor of Humane Letters; Doctor of Hebrew Literature
DHum Doctor of Humanities
DHumLit Doctor of Humane Letters
DJur Doctor Juris (Doctor of Law)
DL Deputy Lieutenant
DLit or DLitt Doctor of Literature; Doctor of Letters
DM or DMed Doctor of Medicine
DMet Doctor of Metallurgy
DMus Doctor of Music
DNZM Dame Companion, New Zealand Order of Merit
DO Doctor of Osteopathy
DPh or DPhil Doctor of Philosophy
DeŒcPol Doctor Œconomiæ Politicæ (Doctor of Political
Economy)
DSC Distinguished Service Cross
DSc Doctor of Science
DScMil Doctor of Military Science
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xviii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xviii ABBREVIATIONS

DSM Distinguished Service Medal


DSO Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
DSocSc Doctor of Social Science
DStJ Dame of Grace, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of
St John of Jerusalem; Dame of Justice, Most Venerable
Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
DTech Doctor of Technology
DTh or DTheol Doctor of Theology
DThMin Doctor of Theology and Ministry
DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
or DVetMed
DVMS Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
or DVM&S
DVSc Doctor of Veterinary Science

E
ED Efficiency Decoration; Doctor of Engineering (US)
EdB Bachelor of Education
EdD Doctor of Education
EM Edward Medal; Earl Marshal
ERD Emergency Reserve Decoration (Army)
Esq. Esquire
Eur Ing European Engineer

F
FAcSS Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences
FAMS Fellow, Ancient Monuments Society
FArborA Fellow, Arboricultural Association
FAS Fellow, Antiquarian Society
FASI Fellow, Architects’ and Surveyors’ Institute
FBA Fellow, British Academy
FBAM Fellow, British Academy of Management
FBC Fellow, Birmingham Conservatoire
FBCS Fellow, British Computer Society
FBHI Fellow, British Horological Institute
FBHS Fellow, British Horse Society
FBID Fellow, British Institute of Interior Design
FBIIBA Fellow, British Insurance and Investment Brokers'
Association
FBIPP Fellow, British Institute of Professional Photography
FBIR Fellow, British Institute of Radiology
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xix Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xix

FBIRA Fellow, British Institute of Regulatory Affairs


FBIS Fellow, British Interplanetary Society
FBKSTS Fellow, British Kinematograph, Sound and Television
Society
FBOA Fellow, British Optical Association
FBOU Fellow, British Ornithologists’ Union
FBPhS Fellow, British Pharmacological Society
FBPsS Fellow, British Psychological Society
FBTS Fellow, British Toxicology Society
FCA Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants
FCAI Fellow, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain
& Ireland
FCAM Fellow, CAM Foundation
FCBSI Fellow, Chartered Building Societies Institute (merged
with Chartered Institute of Bankers)
FCCA Fellow, Chartered Association of Certified Accountants
FCCEA Fellow, Commonwealth Council for Educational
Administration
FCCS Fellow, Corporation of Secretaries
FCFI Fellow, Clothing and Footwear Institute
FCGI Fellow, City and Guilds of London Institute
FChS Fellow, Society of Chiropodists
FCI Fellow, Institute of Commerce
FCIA Fellow, Corporation of Insurance Agents
FCIArb Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
FCIB Fellow, Corporation of Insurance Brokers; Fellow,
Chartered Institute of Bankers
FCIBS Fellow, Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland
FCIBSE Fellow, Chartered Institution of Building Services
Engineers
FCIEEM Fellow, Chartered Institute of Ecology and
Environmental Management
FCIH Fellow, Chartered Institute of Housing
FCIHort Fellow, Chartered Institute of Horticulture
FCIHT Fellow, Chartered Institution of Highways &
Transportation
FCII Fellow, Chartered Insurance Institute
FCIJ Fellow, Chartered Institute of Journalists
FCIL Fellow, Chartered Institute of Linguists
FCILT Chartered Fellow, Chartered Institute of Logistics and
Transport
FCIM Fellow, Chartered Institute of Marketing
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xx Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xx ABBREVIATIONS

FCInstCES Fellow, Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering


Surveyors
FCIOB Fellow, Chartered Institute of Building
FCIPD Fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Development
FCIPHE Fellow, Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating
Engineering
FCIPR Fellow, Chartered Institute of Public Relations
FCIS Fellow, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and
Administrators
FCILT Chartered Fellow, Chartered Institute of Logistics and
Transport
FCIPS Fellow, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply
FCIWEM Fellow, Chartered Institution of Water and
Environmental Management
FCLIP Fellow, Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals
FCMA Fellow, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants
(formerly Institute of Cost and Management
Accountants); Fellow, Communications Management
Association
FCMC Fellow grade, Certified Management Consultant
FCOptom Fellow, College of Optometrists
FCOT Fellow, College of Teachers
FCP Fellow, College of Preceptors
FCPS Fellow, College of Physicians and Surgeons
FCQI Fellow, Chartered Quality Institute
FCSD Fellow, Chartered Society of Designers
FCSI Fellow, Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
FCSP Fellow, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
FCT Fellow, Association of Corporate Treasurers; Fellow,
College of Teachers
FCTB Fellow, College of Teachers of the Blind
FDS Fellow in Dental Surgery
FDSRCPSGlas Fellow in Dental Surgery, Royal College of Physicians
and Surgeons of Glasgow
FDSRCS Fellow in Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of
or FDS RCS England
FDSRCSE Fellow in Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of
Edinburgh
FEI Fellow, Energy Institute
FEIS Fellow, Educational Institute of Scotland
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxi Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxi

FES Fellow, Entomological Society; Fellow, Ethnological


Society
FFA Fellow, Faculty of Actuaries (in Scotland); Fellow,
Institute of Financial Accountants
FFB Fellow, Faculty of Building
FFDRCSI Fellow, Faculty of Dentistry, Royal College of Surgeons
in Ireland
FFHom Fellow, Faculty of Homeopathy
FFOM Fellow, Faculty of Occupational Medicine
FFPath, RCPI Fellow, Faculty of Pathologists of the Royal College of
Physicians of Ireland
FFPH Fellow, Faculty of Public Health
FFSRH Fellow, Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare
of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
FGA Fellow, Gemmological Association
FGCM Fellow, Guild of Church Musicians
FGE Fellow, Guild of Glass Engravers
FGI Fellow, Institute of Certificated Grocers
FGS Fellow, Geological Society; Fellow, Guildhall School of
Music and Drama
FGSM(MT) Fellow, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (Music
Therapy)
FHAS Fellow, Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland
FHEA Fellow, Higher Education Academy
FHS Fellow, Heraldry Society
FIA Fellow, Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (formerly
Institute of Actuaries)
FIAgrE Fellow, Institution of Agricultural Engineers
FIAL Fellow, International Institute of Arts and Letters
FIAM Fellow, International Academy of Management
FInstAM Fellow, Institute of Administrative Management
FIAP Fellow, Institution of Analysts and Programmers
FIAWS Fellow, International Academy of Wood Science
FIBiotech Fellow, Institute for Biotechnical Studies
FIBMS Fellow, Institute of Biomedical Sciences
FIC Fellow, Imperial College; Fellow, Institute of Consulting
FICAI Fellow, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
FICD Fellow, Institute of Civil Defence; Fellow, International
College of Dentists
FICE Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers
FICFor Fellow, Institute of Chartered Foresters
FIChemE Fellow, Institution of Chemical Engineers
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxii ABBREVIATIONS

FICI Fellow, Institute of Chemistry of Ireland


FICM Fellow, Institute of Credit Management
FICMA Fellow, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants
FICorr Fellow, Institute of Corrosion
FICS Fellow, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers; Fellow,
International College of Surgeons
FICT Fellow, Institute of Concrete Technology
FICW Fellow, Institute of Clerks of Works of Great Britain
FIDE Fellow, Institute of Design Engineers
FIED Fellow, Institution of Engineering Designers
FIET Fellow, Institution of Engineering and Technology
FIEx Fellow, Institute of Export
FIExpE Fellow, Institute of Explosives Engineers
FIFM Fellow, Institute of Fisheries Management
FIFP Fellow, Institute of Freight Professionals
FIFST Fellow, Institute of Food Science and Technology
FIGCM Fellow, Incorporated Guild of Church Musicians
FIGD Fellow, Institute of Grocery Distribution
FIGEM Fellow, Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers
FIH Fellow, Institute of the Horse; Fellow, Institute of
Hospitality
FIHE Fellow, Institute of Health Education
FIHospE Fellow, Institute of Hospital Engineering
FIIC Fellow, International Institute for Conservation of
Historic and Artistic Works
FIIM Fellow, Institution of Industrial Managers
FIMA Fellow, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications
FIMarEST Fellow, Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and
Technology
FIMechE Fellow, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
FIMFT Fellow, Institute of Maxillo-facial Technology
FIMH Fellow, Institute of Military History
FIMI Fellow, Institute of the Motor Industry
FIMIT Fellow, Institute of Musical Instrument Technology
FIMMM Fellow, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
FIMS Fellow, Institute of Mathematical Statistics
FInstAM Fellow, Institute of Administrative Management
FInstD Fellow, Institute of Directors
FInstLEx Fellow, Institute of Legal Executives
FInstM Fellow, Institute of Meat
FInstMC Fellow, Institute of Measurement and Control
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxiii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxiii

FInstP Fellow, Institute of Physics


FInstPI Fellow, Institute of Patentees and Inventors
FInstRE Fellow, Institution of Royal Engineers
FInstSMM Fellow, Institute of Sales and Marketing Management
FIOA Fellow, Institute of Acoustics
FIPA Fellow, Institute of Practitioners in Advertising;
Fellow, Insolvency Practitioners Association
FIPG Fellow, Institute of Professional Goldsmiths
FIP3 Fellow, Institute of Paper, Printing and Publishing
FIQ Fellow, Institute of Quarrying
FIRSE Fellow, Institute of Railway Signalling Engineers
FIRTE Fellow, Institute of Road Transport Engineers
FIS Fellow, Institute of Statisticians
FISA Fellow, Incorporated Secretaries’ Association
FISE Fellow, Institution of Sales Engineers; Fellow,
Institution of Sanitary Engineers
FIST Fellow, Institute of Science Technology
FISTC Fellow, Institute of Scientific and Technical
Communicators
FIStructE Fellow, Institution of Structural Engineers
FITE Fellow, Institution of Electrical and Electronics
Technician Engineers
FIWSc Fellow, Institute of Wood Science
FKC Fellow, King’s College London
FKCHMS Fellow, King’s College Hospital Medical School
FLAI Fellow, Library Association of Ireland
FLCM Fellow, London College of Music
FLI Fellow, Landscape Institute
FLIA Fellow, Life Insurance Association
FLS Fellow, Linnean Society
FLSW Fellow, Learned Society of Wales
FMA Fellow, Museums Association
FMES Fellow, Minerals Engineering Society
FMS Fellow, Institute of Management Services; Fellow,
Medical Society
FNAEA Fellow, National Association of Estate Agents
FNECInst Fellow, North East Coast Institution of Engineers and
Shipbuilders
FNI Fellow, Nautical Institute
FNucI Fellow, Nuclear Institute
FOR Fellowship of Operational Research
FPhS Fellow, Philosophical Society of England
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxiv Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxiv ABBREVIATIONS

FPMI Fellow, Pensions Management Institute


FPhysS Fellow, Physical Society
FRA Fellow, Royal Academy
FRAD Fellow, Royal Academy of Dancing
FRAeS Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
FRAgS Fellow, Royal Agricultural Societies (ie of England,
Scotland and Wales)
FRAI Fellow, Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain
& Ireland
FRAM Fellow, Royal Academy of Music
FRAS Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society; Fellow, Royal
Asiatic Society
FRASE Fellow, Royal Agricultural Society of England
FRBS Fellow, Royal Society of British Sculptors; Fellow, Royal
Botanic Society
FRCA Fellow, Royal College of Art; Fellow, Royal College of
Anaesthetists
FRCEM Fellow, Royal College of Emergency Medicine
FRCGP Fellow, Royal College of General Practitioners
FRCM Fellow, Royal College of Music
FRCN Fellow, Royal College of Nursing
FRCO Fellow, Royal College of Organists
FRCO(CHM) Fellow, Royal College of Organists with Diploma in
Choir Training
FRCOG Fellow, Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists
FRCOphth Fellow, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
FRCP Fellow, Royal College of Physicians, London
FRCPath Fellow, Royal College of Pathologists
FRCPCH Fellow, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
FRCPE Fellow, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh
or FRCPEd
FRCPGlas Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Glasgow
FRCPI Fellow, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
FRCPsych Fellow, Royal College of Psychiatrists
FRCR Fellow, Royal College of Radiologists
FRCS Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of England
FRCSE Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
or FRCSEd
FRCSGlas Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Glasgow
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxv Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxv

FRCSI Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland


FRCSLT Fellow, Royal College of Speech and Language
Therapists
FRCSoc Fellow, Royal Commonwealth Society
FRCS (OMFS) Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of England (Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery)
FRCVS Fellow, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
FREconS Fellow, Royal Economic Society
FREng Fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering
FRES Fellow, Royal Entomological Society of London
FRGS Fellow, Royal Geographical Society
FRHistS Fellow, Royal Historical Society
FRI Fellow, Royal Institution
FRIAS Fellow, Royal Incorporation of Architects of Scotland
FRIBA Fellow, Royal Institute of British Architects (and see
RIBA)
FRICS Fellow, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
FRIN Fellow, Royal Institute of Navigation
FRINA Fellow, Royal Institution of Naval Architects
FRMCM Fellow, Royal Manchester College of Music
FRMedSoc Fellow, Royal Medical Society
FRMetS Fellow, Royal Meteorological Society
FRMS Fellow, Royal Microscopical Society
FRNCM Fellow, Royal Northern College of Music
FRNS Fellow, Royal Numismatic Society
FRPharmS Fellow, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
FRPS Fellow, Royal Photographic Society
FRPSL Fellow, Royal Philatelic Society, London
FRS Fellow, Royal Society
FRSAI Fellow, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
FRSAMD Fellow, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
FRSB Fellow, Royal Society of Biology
FRSC Fellow, Royal Society of Canada; Fellow, Royal Society
of Chemistry
FRSCM Hon. Fellow, Royal School of Church Music
FRSE Fellow, Royal Society of Edinburgh
FRSGS Fellow, Royal Scottish Geographical Society
FRSL Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
FRSM Fellow, Royal Schools of Music
FRSPH Fellow, Royal Society for Public Health
FRSTM&H Fellow, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxvi Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxvi ABBREVIATIONS

FRTPI Fellow, Royal Town Planning Institute


FRTS Fellow, Royal Television Society
FRVC Fellow, Royal Veterinary College
FRZSScot Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
FSA Fellow, Society of Antiquaries
FSAE Fellow, Society of Automotive Engineers; Fellow,
Society of Art Education
FSAScot Fellow, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
FSCA Fellow, Society of Company and Commercial
Accountants
FSDC Fellow, Society of Dyers and Colourists
FSE Fellow, Society of Engineers
FSG Fellow, Society of Genealogists
FSGT Fellow, Society of Glass Technology
FSLTC Fellow, Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists
FSRHE Fellow, Society for Research into Higher Education
FSS Fellow, Royal Statistical Society
FSTD Fellow, Society of Typographic Designers
FTCD Fellow, Trinity College, Dublin
FTCL Fellow, Trinity College of Music, London
FTI Fellow, Textile Institute
FTII Fellow, Chartered Institute of Taxation
FWA Fellow, World Academy of Art and Science
FWeldI Fellow, Welding Institute
FZS Fellow, Zoological Society

G
GBE Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Order of the British
Empire
GC George Cross
GCB Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Order of the Bath
GCIE Knight Grand Commander, Order of the Indian Empire
GCM Gold Crown of Merit (Barbados)
GCMG Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Order of St Michael and St
George
GCMJ Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Supreme Military Order
of the Temple of Jerusalem
GCSG Knight Grand Cross, Order of St Gregory the Great
GCStJ Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross, Most Venerable Order of
the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
GCSI Knight Grand Commander, Order of the Star of India
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxvii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxvii

GCVO Knight or Dame Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order


GM George Medal
GNZM Knight Grand Companion, New Zealand Order of Merit
GOQ Grand Officier, National Order of Quebec (Canada)

H
HM His (or Her) Majesty, or Majesty’s

I
IRRV (Fellow/Member of) Institute of Revenues, Rating and
Valuation
ISO Imperial Service Order

J
JCD Juris Canonici (or Civilis) Doctor (Doctor of Canon (or
Civil) Law)
Jnr Junior
JP Justice of the Peace
JSD Doctor of Juristic Science

K
KA Knight (or Dame) of St Andrew, Order of Barbados
KBE Knight Commander, Order of the British Empire
KC King’s Counsel
KCB Knight Commander, Order of the Bath
KCIE Knight Commander, Order of the Indian Empire
KCMG Knight Commander, Order of St Michael and St George
KCN Knight Commander, Order of the Nation (Antigua and
Barbuda)
KCSI Knight Commander, Order of the Star of India
KCVO Knight Commander, Royal Victorian Order
KG Knight, Order of the Garter
KGCN Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Nation (Antigua and
Barbuda)
KGN Knight Grand Collar, Order of the Nation (Antigua and
Barbuda)
KHC Hon. Chaplain to the King
KHDS Hon. Dental Surgeon to the King
KHNS Hon. Nursing Sister to the King
KHP Hon. Physician to the King
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxviii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxviii ABBREVIATIONS

KHS Hon. Surgeon to the King; Knight, Order of the Holy


Sepulchre
KM Knight of Malta
KNH Knight, Order of the National Hero (Antigua and
Barbuda)
KNZM Knight Companion, New Zealand Order of Merit
KP Knight, Order of St Patrick
KPM King’s Police Medal
KStJ Knight, Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John
of Jerusalem
KSG Knight, Order of St Gregory the Great
KSS Knight, Order of St Sylvester
KT Knight, Order of the Thistle
Kt Knight

L
LG Lady Companion, Order of the Garter
LitD or LittD Doctor of Literature; Doctor of Letters
LLB Bachelor of Laws
LLD Doctor of Laws
LLM Master of Laws
LRCP Licentiate, Royal College of Physicians, London
LT Lady, Order of the Thistle
LVO Lieutenant, Royal Victorian Order

M
MA Master of Arts
MB Bachelor of Medicine
MBE Member, Order of the British Empire
MBPsS Graduate Member, British Psychological Society
MC Military Cross
MD Doctor of Medicine
MEC Member of Executive Council
MEc Master of Economics
MHA Member of House of Assembly; Master of Health
Administration
MHK Member of the House of Keys
MHR Member of the House of Representatives
MICE Member, Institution of Civil Engineers
MLA Member of Legislative Assembly; Master in Landscape
Architecture
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxix Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxix

MLC Member of Legislative Council


MM Military Medal
MMM Member, Order of Military Merit (Canada)
MNZM Member, New Zealand Order of Merit
MP Member of Parliament
MPP Member, Provincial Parliament
MRHS Member, Royal Horticultural Society
MRSB Member, Royal Society of Biology
MRSC Member, Royal Society of Chemistry
MSC Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
MSc Master of Science
MSM Meritorious Service Medal; Master in Science
Management
MusB Bachelor of Music
or MusBac
MusD Doctor of Music
MVO Member, Royal Victorian Order

N
NEAC New English Art Club
NZM New Zealand Order of Merit

O
OBC Order of British Columbia
OBE Officer, Order of the British Empire
OC Officer, Order of Canada
OFM Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
OFMCap Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (Franciscans)
OFMConv Order of Friars Minor Conventual (Franciscans)
OGS Oratory of the Good Shepherd
OJ Order of Jamaica
OM Order of Merit; Order of Manitoba
OMI Oblate of Mary Immaculate
OMM Officer, Order of Military Merit (Canada)
ONZ Order of New Zealand
ONZM Officer, New Zealand Order of Merit
OOnt Order of Ontario
OP Ordinis Praedicatorum (of the Order of Preachers
(Dominican))
OQ Officer, National Order of Quebec
OSA Order of St Augustine (Augustinian)
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxx Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxx ABBREVIATIONS

OSB Order of St Benedict (Benedictine)


OSFC Franciscan (Capuchin) Order

P
PC Privy Counsellor
PhD Doctor of Philosophy

Q
QC Queen’s Counsel
QFSM Queen’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service
QGM Queen’s Gallantry Medal
QHC Honorary Chaplain to the Queen
QHDS Honorary Dental Surgeon to the Queen
QHP Honorary Physician to the Queen
QHS Honorary Surgeon to the Queen
QPM Queen’s Police Medal
QSM Queen’s Service Medal (NZ)
QSO Queen’s Service Order (NZ)

R
RA Royal Academician
RAF Royal Air Force
RAM (Member of) Royal Academy of Music
RBA Member, Royal Society of British Artists
RCamA Member, Royal Cambrian Academy
RD Royal Naval Reserve Decoration
RDI Royal Designer for Industry (Royal Society of Arts)
RE Fellow, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers
RGN Registered General Nurse
RHA Royal Hibernian Academy; Royal Horse Artillery
RI (Member of) Royal Institute of Painters in Water
Colours
RIBA (Member of) Royal Institute of British Architects
RICS (Member of) Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
RM Royal Marines; Registered Midwife
RMN Registered Mental Nurse
RN Royal Navy; Registered Nurse
RNT Registered Nurse Tutor
ROI Member, Royal Institute of Oil Painters
RP (Member of) Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxxi Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ABBREVIATIONS xxxi

RRC Royal Red Cross


RSA Royal Scottish Academician
RSCN Registered Sick Children’s Nurse
RSW Member, Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Water
Colours
Rtd Retired
RWS (Member of) Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours

SC Star of Courage (Canada); Senior Counsel


ScD Doctor of Science
SCF Senior Chaplain to the Forces
SCM Silver Crown of Merit (Barbados); State Certified
Midwife
SEN State Enrolled Nurse
SGM Sea Gallantry Medal
SJ Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
SJD Doctor of Juristic Science
SOM Saskatchewan Order of Merit (Canada)
SOSc Society of Ordained Scientists
SRN State Registered Nurse
SRP State Registered Physiotherapist
SSC Solicitor before Supreme Court (Scotland)
SSF Society of St Francis
SSJE Society of St John the Evangelist
SSM Society of the Sacred Mission
STD Sacrae Theologiae Doctor (Doctor of Sacred Theology)

TD Territorial Efficiency Decoration; Efficiency Decoration


(T&AVR) (since April 1967); Teachta Dala (Member of
the Dáil, Eire)
ThD Doctor of Theology
TSD Tertiary of St Dominic

UJD Utriusque Juris Doctor, Doctor of both Laws (Doctor of


Canon and Civil Law)
Titles and Forms of Address_Abbreviations.fm Page xxxii Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

xxxii ABBREVIATIONS

V
VA Royal Order of Victoria and Albert
VC Victoria Cross
VD Volunteer Officers’ Decoration; Victorian Decoration
VG Vicar-General
VL Vice Lord-Lieutenant
VRD Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers’ Decoration

W
WRAC Women’s Royal Army Corps
WRAF Women’s Royal Air Force
WRNS Women’s Royal Naval Service
WS Writer to the Signet

Y
yr younger
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 1 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ROYALTY 1

ROYALTY
A writer not personally known to the Queen or other member of the
Royal Family should address his letter to the Private Secretary, Equerry
or Lady in Waiting of the person concerned, asking that the subject of the
letter be made known to Her Majesty (or to His or Her Royal Highness).

The Queen
In speech On presentation to the Queen the subject does not start
the conversation. He or she will answer, using in the
first instance the title Your Majesty, and subsequently
Ma’am.

In writing Letter
Madam, or
May it please Your Majesty,
I have the honour to remain, Madam,
Your Majesty’s most humble and obedient subject,
Envelope

Formally (For formal or State documents only)


To The Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty

Otherwise To Her Majesty The Queen

The Duke of Edinburgh


The Duke is entitled to the style of a Prince of the Blood Royal, as His
Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

In speech The same rules apply as for the Queen, the title used in
the first instance being Your Royal Highness, and
subsequently Sir.

In writing Letter
Sir,
I have the honour to remain, Sir,
Your Royal Highness’s most humble and obedient
servant,
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 2 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

2 ROYALTY

In writing Envelope

To His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of


Edinburgh

Princes and Princesses of the Blood Royal, and Dukes


and Duchesses of the Blood Royal

Princes and Dukes of the Blood Royal


Persons related by birth to a hereditary monarch are ‘of the blood royal’. The
sons, brothers and uncles of the sovereign are princes of the blood royal; the
daughters, sisters and aunts are princesses of the blood royal.
Royal peerages (dukedoms or earldoms) are created for sons and male-line
grandsons, usually upon coming of age or upon marriage. Royal peers
remain princes but it is advisable to use the style employed by the Crown.
Royal status is indicated by the HRH style. For example, Prince William
should be addressed as HRH the Duke of Cambridge.
Prince William’s wife, Catherine, is styled HRH the Duchess of Cambridge.
Through marriage she is ‘Princess William’ because she takes her husband’s
rank and title, but as she is not ‘of the blood royal’ she is not ‘Princess
Catherine’.

In speech For all royal princes the same rules apply as for the
Queen, the title used in the first instance being Your
Royal Highness, and subsequently Sir. Royal princesses,
whether married or unmarried, are called in the first
instance Your Royal Highness, and subsequently
Ma’am.

In writing Letter

Sir (or Madam),

I have the honour to remain, Sir (or Madam),

Your Royal Highness’s most humble and obedient


servant,

In writing Envelope

To His (or Her) Royal Highness the Prince (or Princess)


. . . or

To His (or Her) Royal Highness the Duke (or Duchess) of


. . .
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 3 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

ROYALTY 3

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall


As the second wife of the Prince of Wales, she chose to use her husband’s
secondary designation, rather than ‘Princess of Wales’, and is styled
HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.
In speech The same rules apply as for Duchesses (page 15).
and writing
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 4 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

4 GLOSSARY: Peerage

GLOSSARY: Peerage
Abeyance: a title which is in a state of suspension between co-heirs.
Baronetage: hereditary Order of Baronets, created in 1611 by James I.
Collaterals: relations of the peer or baronet which are more remote
than brothers or uncles, for example first cousins and kinsmen.
Courtesy title: the style of address used by the children of a duke,
marquess or earl; they do not hold their own title but use the title
through custom or courtesy.
Decoration: a medal or order awarded to honour a recipient. It might be
civil, military or state.
Devolving title: a title passing down from one person to another, for
example from father to son.
Dignity: a high office or rank.
Dormant: if a peer dies and heirs cannot be traced but are believed to
exist, or there is insufficient evidence to prove a claim to the title is
legitimate, the peerage falls dormant.
Earl Marshal: a Great Officer of State with authority over the College of
Arms.
Extinct: if a peer dies and no heir with a direct descent from the first
peer is eligible to inherit, the title becomes extinct and reverts to The
Crown.
Garter King of Arms: the chief herald at the College of Arms,
responsible for the granting of new coats of arms and maintaining a
register of arms, pedigrees and genealogies for England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.
Gazetted: a new title officially announced or published in the London
Gazette.
Heir apparent: the eldest son, the eldest surviving son (where a
deceased elder brother has left no heir) or the only son of the holder of a
title.
Heir presumptive: the next in line who could be displaced in succession
by the birth of an heir apparent.
Heiress presumptive: when a title may pass in the female line, a
daughter is heiress presumptive until a son is born. If there is more than
one daughter but no son, they are co-heirs to an English Barony, created
by writ of summons.
Knightage: non-hereditary knights which can be one of the higher
classes of the Orders of Chivalry or the ancient title of Knight Bachelor.
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GLOSSARY: Peerage 5

Letters Patent: a document issued by the Sovereign by which peerage


titles are granted.
London Gazette: official newspaper of the United Kingdom government
in which statutory notices are required to be published. It is Britain’s
oldest continuously published newspaper.
Lord Great Chamberlain: a Great Officer of State with authority over
the Palace of Westminster.
Lord Lyon King of Arms: a Great Officer of State and the chief heraldic
officer of Scotland, dealing with all matters relating to Scottish Heraldry
and Coats of Arms.
Nobility: a class of persons of elevated rank holding hereditary titles.
Order of Chivalry: in medieval times, a society or fellowship of knights
in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades. In modern times,
orders of merit are established by monarchs or governments to bestow
honours on deserving individuals; each order may have several classes.
Peerage: a peer holds one or more titles (duke, marquess, earl, viscount,
baron) inherited from a direct ancestor or bestowed upon him by the
monarch. The separate peerages of England and Scotland were combined
as the Peerage of Great Britain in 1707; the separate peerage of Ireland
combined with Great Britain in 1801 to form the Peerage of the United
Kingdom.
Precedence: a list of titles which sets out the order of rank for formal
occasions. It can be used when deciding the order in which guests arrive
and for seating plans.
Primogeniture: the right of the eldest child, especially the eldest son, to
inherit the estate of one or both parents.
Remainder: a description in the letters patent which specifies how the
title may descend after the death of a peer, for example to male heirs only
or to include female heirs. A Special Remainder is a clause which allows
for a variation from the normal.
Spiritual peerage: the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the
Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and 21 of the longest-
serving English diocesan bishops are ex-officio members of the House of
Lords. When they retire (compulsory at 70) their membership of the
House of Lords ceases.
Temporal peerage: a secular peerage as opposed to a spiritual peerage;
the Lords Temporal are made up of elected hereditary peers, life peers,
law lords, the Earl Marshal and the Lord Great Chamberlain.
Warrant: an order serving as legal authorisation.
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 6 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

6 THE PEERAGE: General Notes

THE PEERAGE: General Notes


The peerage has five descending, hereditary degrees. They are Dukes,
Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons. We will begin with some
general remarks applying to all degrees before taking the five degrees in
turn. Rules for each separately appear in sections beginning on pages 15,
23, 31, 38 and 43.
Peers and the House of Lords Since the House of Lords Act 1999, only
ninety hereditary peers still sit in the House of Lords. Today the
majority of peers active in the House of Lords are the Life Peers (page 8)
and the Lords Spiritual (page 73). The Law Lords (page 130) were
normally members of the legal profession on whom a peerage had been
conferred but since 2009 they are disqualified from sitting or voting in
the House of Lords until their retirement from the Supreme Court.

Devolving titles
A hereditary title descends only in the oldest direct line, that is from
father to son, or grandfather to grandson, except in such instances as
will be mentioned, in which descent also includes the female line, and
those in which remainder is expressly granted.
In the case of an ancient peerage, succession sometimes devolves upon a
distant cousin, but he succeeds not because he is a cousin of the
preceding peer, but because he is descended from some former holder of
the title.
The brother or nephew of a newly created peer would not succeed to his
honours unless special remainder were granted to his Patent, nor would
a cousin of an older creation, unless his descent were from a former
holder of it. This explains why some peers succeeding take lower titles
than their predecessors.

Courtesy titles
All peers have a family name as well as their titles, although in
numerous cases, especially in the lower ranks of the peerage, the two are
the same. The family name is used by the sons and daughters of peers,
except in the cases of eldest sons of dukes, marquesses and earls.
In almost every case peers of these three categories have lesser titles
also, of which the eldest son usually takes the highest as his courtesy
title and uses it in every way as if it were his by right. In the few cases
where there are no second titles, as in the earldoms of Devon,
Titles and Forms of Address.fm Page 7 Friday, February 26, 2016 5:28 PM

THE PEERAGE: General Notes 7

Huntingdon, and Temple of Stowe, the family name is used as a courtesy


title.

The eldest son of a duke is born in the degree of a marquess, but his
courtesy title depends upon his father’s lesser dignities. He takes the
highest of these, which may be only that of an earl, a viscount, or a
baron. He takes his title from birth, and, when he marries, his wife
becomes a marchioness or a countess, or whatever it may be, and his
children take the titles attached to those ranks. The eldest son of an
eldest son takes a third title from the ducal collection, but of a lower
grade than that of his father.

The correct ways of using these titles will be found under their various
headings. They are in all respects the same, whether they are actual or
courtesy titles, except that the prefixes, Most Honourable and Right
Honourable, or The (which stands in their place; see page 10), are not
used for courtesy titles.

Peer titles
Most peers hold more than one title and will use the most senior one. Lesser
titles are available for their heirs to use as courtesy titles.
Examples
12th Duke of Northumberland (Ralph George Algernon Percy) has the
family name Percy. He succeeded his elder brother, the 11th Duke, in 1995.
He is addressed on an envelope as His Grace the Duke of Northumberland.
His ducal collection includes the lesser titles of: Earl of Northumberland,
Baron Warkworth, Earl Percy, Earl of Beverley, Lord Lovaine, and Baron
of Alnwick.
His eldest son and heir (George Dominic Percy) uses the courtesy title Earl
Percy.
His other children are Lady Catherine Percy, Lady Melissa Percy, and Lord
Max Percy.
His wife is Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland.

8th Marquess of Exeter (William Michael Anthony Cecil) has the family
name Cecil. He succeeded his father, the 7th Marquess, in 1988. He is
addressed on an envelope as The Most Hon. the Marquess of Exeter.
He also holds the lesser titles of: Baron Burghley, and Earl of Exeter.
His eldest son and heir (Anthony John Cecil) uses the courtesy title Lord
Burghley.
His other child is Lady Angela Cecil.
His wife is The Most Hon. the Marchioness of Exeter.
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8 THE PEERAGE: General Notes

Addressing the Heir on Succession


Until after his predecessor’s funeral it is customary to continue to
address the heir of a peerage or baronetcy by the courtesy title or other
style by which he was formerly known.

Collaterals
All courtesy titles, or titles connected with the family name of a peer, are
attached only to the actual descendants of that peer, with one occasional
exception. It is that when a peer is succeeded by other than a son, the
new peer’s brothers and sisters may take the titles that would have been
theirs if their father had succeeded.* In such cases he would have
succeeded had he lived, so the honour really comes through him. His
widow, however, if he has left one, does not share this privilege.
For instance, the 8th Duke of Devonshire died without issue. His heir
was the eldest son of his brother, Lord Edward Cavendish, who had
predeceased him. As long as the 8th duke lived his heir presumptive had
no title, nor of course had his two brothers. But when Mr Victor
Cavendish succeeded to the dukedom, his brothers became Lord Richard
and Lord John Cavendish. His mother, however, remained Lady Edward
Cavendish.
*These privileges cannot be claimed as a right. They are given by favour
of the Crown, and warrants are granted in such cases only upon the
recommendation of the Home Secretary.

Life Peers
Life peers rank with hereditary barons and baronesses according to the
date of their creation. Wives of life peers take the title of Lady, and their
children The Honourable. Husbands of women life peers do not take any
title. Children of women life peers, however, take the title The
Honourable. In all respects, except that the title does not descend, rules
as for Barons and Baronesses apply (see page 43).

Life Peers
Life peers were introduced under the Life Peerages Act of 1958 and it gave
women the right to a seat in the House of Lords for the first time. Life peers
now outnumber hereditary peers.
The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right to an automatic seat in the
House of Lords for those who had inherited it (except the Earl Marshal and
the Lord Great Chamberlain so they are able to carry out their ceremonial
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THE PEERAGE: General Notes 9

functions), but as a compromise ninety-two hereditary peers were elected to


remain. Ten hereditary peers were given life peerages, allowing them to sit
in the House of Lords even though not elected.
The House of Lords Reform Act 2014 provided for members of the House
of Lords to resign, retire or to be excluded. They retain their titles, however.
Title usage
It should be noted that personal preference can overrule custom and form.
For example, the 13th Marquess of Lothian, who is entitled to sit as a Life
Peer in the House of Lords as Baron Kerr of Monteviot, prefers to be styled
as ‘The Rt Hon. Michael Ancram’.
A peer might prefer a less formal mode of address for professional or modesty
reasons, or to avoid overtones of privilege; others might consider their
formal title infers seniority. However, the form ‘Lord Alan Sugar’ is
incorrect and should never be used.

Territorial Additions
All peerages have still, as in their origin, a territorial basis, which is
expressed in the Letters Patent creating a new peerage, as Baron Smith,
of (a place with which the new Baron has connections) in the County of
. . . . This, which may be described as the ‘address’ of the peerage, does
not form part of the title, and should never be used as though it did.
There is, however, an increasing tendency to do so.
Some peerages, however, have a territorial addition included in their
titles, to avoid confusion with older peerages of the same name (whether
or not these still survive). In these cases, of which the Baronies of
Morris, Morris of Aberavon, Morris of Handsworth, and Morris of
Kenwood make a good example, the Letters Patent will read, e.g. Baron
Morris of Handsworth, of Handsworth in the County of West Midlands,
and it will be clear that the territorial addition forms part of the title, and
should be used in addressing or referring to the peer. It is not possible for
peers to change their titles from the form in which they were first
created.
(See also page 60 for the Scottish use of territorial additions.)

New Peerages
When a new peerage is created, it is not possible to address the new peer
as Lord or Lady . . . immediately, because the title must be decided and
the Letters Patent prepared. The new title will then be gazetted. If Hilary
Smith receives a peerage, he or she retains the existing form of address
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10 THE PEERAGE: General Notes

until becoming, e.g. Baron(ess) Smith of Newtown; no title can be used


until the actual title is known. (But see page 59 for new knighthoods, etc).

Disclaiming of Hereditary Peerages


The Peerage Act of 1963 authorised the disclaimer for life of certain
hereditary peerages. A peer who disclaims his peerage loses all titles and
precedence attached to it; he cannot, however, disclaim a baronetcy or a
knighthood, and if he possesses one will be known by the appropriate
title. His wife also loses the title and precedence which she received from
her husband’s hereditary peerage, although not, of course, any title and
precedence she may herself have possessed. The eldest son of a
disclaimed peer may continue if he wishes to use the courtesy title he
used previously, and other children to use the titles Lord, Lady or The
Honourable.

Disclaiming of hereditary peerages: Rt Hon. Tony Benn


Rt Hon. Tony Benn was the elder surviving son of 1st Viscount Stansgate.
His brother had been the heir but was killed in the Second World War.
When his father died in 1960 he was already a Member of the House of
Commons and on succeeding to the title he automatically lost his seat. He
won a by-election in May 1961 only to be prevented from taking his seat.
He instigated an Act to make a disclaimer possible and disclaimed his title
for life in 1963. On Tony Benn’s death in 2014, his son chose to use the title
3rd Viscount Stansgate.

The Prefix ‘The’


Members of the peerage are entitled by ancient custom, almost
amounting to a right, to the following appellations:
Dukes – The Most Noble . . .
Marquesses – The Most Honourable . . .
Other Peers – The Right Honourable . . .
The practice is not to make use of the full title of peers when referring to
them, but to shorten the prefix to ‘The’ as ‘The Duke of Norfolk’.
The use of ‘The Lord’ is really short for ‘The Most Hon. Lord’ or ‘The
Right Hon. Lord’. When ‘Lord’ is used without a prefix it is for a courtesy
title.
Where any peer is entitled to the additional prefix of Right Honourable
by virtue of a Privy Counsellorship (see page 63), the addition merges in
that attaching to the existing title; but Dukes and Marquesses retain the
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THE PEERAGE: General Notes 11

right to both their designations in legal documents and formal


circumstances. ‘The Right Hon.’ should not be shortened to ‘The’ (as
above) when a peer is also a Privy Counsellor; his membership of the
Privy Council entitles him to the full prefix at all times. Membership of
the Privy Council being an office and not an honour, the initials PC
should not be appended to any name or title (and see page 149).

The Title ‘Lady’

This is probably the commonest of all, as it is used of all peeresses under


the rank of duchess, of all daughters of the three highest ranks of the
peerage, and of the wives of baronets and knights. Since 1958 it has also
been used of life peers, baronesses by rank.

The prefix ‘The’ was once by general custom used in addressing the
daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls, e.g. ‘The Lady Jean Smith’.
The practice existed only by courtesy, and was not recognised as correct
by, for example, the College of Arms; it is no longer generally used,
although it would be wrong to deprive elderly ladies of the prefix should
they feel strongly about it.

Widows (including Dowagers when they so wish) or former wives use


their forename before the title. (See below and entries under Peerage,
Baronetage and Knights.) They do not retain their husbands’ titles on re-
marriage.

The Title ‘Honourable’

This title is a fairly frequent one, including as it does the younger sons of
earls, all the sons and daughters of viscounts and barons, and the wives
of the sons, beside its use outside the ranks of the peerage. The important
rule to note is that it is never used in speech. Neither is it used in letter-
writing, except on the envelope. (See also page 127 for uses outside the
peerage.)

Peeresses in Their Own Right

Some baronies and a few earldoms descend in the female line. A peeress
in her own right is addressed exactly as though the rank were obtained
through marriage.
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12 THE PEERAGE: General Notes

Husbands and Children of Peeresses in Their Own


Right
Husbands take no style or dignity from their wives. Their children,
however, are addressed in all respects as if the peerage were held by
their father.

Dowagers
These rules apply to the five grades of the peerage and also to the
baronetage.
A dowager peeress is the earliest surviving widow of a preceding holder
of the title, irrespective of her relationship to the existing holder. She
may thus be mother, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt, etc.
Example The Dowager Duchess of Middlesex
Socially, however, a dowager peeress may prefer to be known not as
Dowager, but by her forename; it is necessary to find out which style she
prefers but in case of doubt the use of her forename is recommended.
Where a Dowager is alive, succeeding widows use their forename.
Example Mary, Duchess of Middlesex
If the existing peer has no wife, the widow of his predecessor usually
prefers to be addressed as if her husband were still alive, without prefix
or forename.
When the Dowager dies, the next senior widow becomes the Dowager.
In Scotland the style of Dowager is applied only where the peeress is
mother or grandmother of the present peer; it is carefully retained in
Scottish families, since it emphasises that the widow became ancestress
of an heir.

In the past, a dowager peeress would have made an announcement in the


press of the style of address she preferred, but this practice has fallen out of
favour.

Former Wives of Peers


The wife of a peer whose marriage has been dissolved uses her forename.
Example Mary, Duchess of Middlesex
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
It was one of those calm summer afternoons in the country, when
it seems that one can almost feel the vibration of the sunshine. Not a
breath of air fanned their faces. Only in the tree-tops a lazy breeze
stirred the delicate leaves of the lime-trees, which trembled and
showed by turn the dark green of their upper and the pale green of
their lower surfaces.
On the rustic table, its round top cut from a single slate, were
scattered papers and letters. Paule set herself to open the mail to
which her brother paid so little heed.
“More articles about you,” she cried, “in the Clarion des Alpes
and La Savoie Républicaine. Do you want to read them?”
“No, please not,” begged the captain.
“Some invitations,” Paule went on. “The men of your year are
giving a dinner in your honor. A season-ticket for the Aix-les-Bains
Casino. Another for the Villa des Fleurs. The Baroness de Vittoz is at
home on Tuesdays.”
“What is all this to me? I want to see nobody, absolutely nobody.”
“You have become fashionable! You must play your part. They
are disposing of your liberty. That’s one way of sharing in your
laurels.”
“Let’s agree not to talk about it, Paule dear.”
“But everyone is talking about it. Glory is the rage to-day. Some
day soon the Dulaurenses will call upon us, and other people too
whom we have not seen since the story of our ruin got about.”
Her smooth forehead, overshadowed by dark hair, still wore the
furrow which testified to the bitterness of that time of trial.
Marcel said nothing. He let himself be carried away by the
multitudinous memories connected with the land which was his
forefathers’. In his mind’s eye he could see the shadows of the past
springing up from the ground about him and hovering round him like
a flock of birds. Only the members of large families can know the
happy exaltation of spirit which has its birth in an environment that is
fresh, gay, and frank. This blessing, which changes childhood with a
stroke of the wand into fairyland and is able to shed its sweetness
throughout middle life right down to old age, is the reward of those
who have had the courage to live and to perpetuate life. So Marcel
now smiled upon another tiny Marcel, whom he could see distinctly
scampering over the neighboring fields with a merry little troop of
brothers and sisters. Then began with Paule the series of “Do you
remembers.” He plunged back into the far away years when the soul
is still wrapped in mystery, and finally he said:
“Do you remember.... But no, you were not born then. We were
lying on the grass. They were our first holidays, I think. Father used
to tell us about the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey,” and we straightway
translated the stories into action. I was in turn Hector and the
cunning Ulysses. But at that time I preferred Hector, for he is
generous and of that tragic courage which impresses a child’s mind.
Since then reading Homer has been to me like visiting a friend. Who
can tell whether or not I owe to these influences my taste for
adventure?”
“But you are not thinking of going back?” enquired Paule
anxiously. “Mother has aged greatly. Don’t you think so?”
“Yes, she is a little bent now, and her cheeks are sometimes pale.
You are watching over her for us. You are our security, Paule, the
comfort of all the rest of us, who are scattered over the world.”
The girl did not reply. Marcel regretted his remark, for he felt its
selfishness. Of all Dr. Guibert’s children Paule had suffered most
directly from the blow of the financial disaster which had crushed the
whole family through the misfortunes of an uncle. She had lost her
dowry and thereby many a chance of marriage. Her brothers
depended on her devotion to cherish their mother’s old age, as if she
must always forget her own life and feel in vain the tender beating of
her young heart.
Marcel gazed at her a long time. With affectionate admiration he
regarded her graceful figure, so supple and so full of the promise of
future strength; the pure tint of her complexion, accentuated by the
black of her dress; her deep, sombre eyes, so sweet withal, the eyes
of a woman who has tasted life and knows it, without fearing it; he
saw the whole charming picture of a maiden both proud and
virtuous. Why should she not inspire love?
He noticed the dark hair overhanging her troubled brow, and
sought to make her smile.
“I love that black hair of yours,” he said. “I have never seen any
so black. How proudly you carry the weight of it. Do you remember,
when you were little and wore it down your back, there was so much
of it that the peasant women coming back from market used to stop
to look at you and say, ‘What a shame to put a false plait upon the
poor child!’ And your nurse was very angry, ‘A false plait, is it! Come
and pull it and you’ll see if it comes off in your hands.’ So they
actually tested the genuineness of your hair, and you wept because
you were too beautiful!”
Slowly, leaning on the iron balustrade and setting each foot in
turn on every step, Madame Guibert was coming down to her
children. As an autumn flower blooms in a deserted garden, so a
feeble smile had lighted up her face since Marcel’s arrival. He came
now to meet her and set her chair in a sheltered spot.
“Are you comfortable, Mother?” he asked. The smile on the old
face deepened.
“My dear big boy, you are so like him.”
Marcel’s face grew grave. “It is eighteen months now since he
passed on,” he said. “I shall never forget that night at Ambato! I
wandered round the camp. I called to him. I called to you all. I felt
death coming to me....”
There was a sorrowful silence for a moment, and then Madame
Guibert spoke again.
“Eighteen months! Is it possible? ... Yet I have lived through them,
thanks to Paule. While the breath of life is in me, I shall thank God
for giving me such a husband, such sons and daughters.”
She wiped the tears from her eyes and began the painful recital
for which her son was waiting.
“Your Uncle Marc’s misfortune was the beginning of all our
sorrows. We were too happy, Marcel. Your father was the
embodiment of strength, self-reliance, and hard work. After the most
wearying days he always came home happy. And you all succeeded
in your careers.”
“Some were jealous of you,” said Paule.
“It is better to be envied than pitied,” added her brother, who was
as proud as she.
“Your uncle’s bank at Annecy prospered, until a confidential clerk
absconded with title deeds and deposits, and Marc, unable to bear
the temporary storm aroused by this flight, and stunned by the
shock, committed suicide. God grant that he has been permitted to
repent! Your father left directly. He understood the situation. All was
paid, both capital and interest—but we had to sacrifice the greater
part of our fortune. However, we were able to save Le Maupas,
which belongs to the family.”
“Le Maupas is to all of us the living picture of our childhood days,”
said Marcel.
Madame Guibert continued, “Before disposing of his fortune your
father asked the consent of all of you.”
“Yes, I remember. It was at the beginning of the campaign. But
father’s conduct seemed to me an excess of punctiliousness. These
money matters are quite strange and indifferent to me.”
“Paule was consulted, too.”
“There was our name,” said Paule, “and our honor.”
“Your marriage portion was involved, my child.... After his
brother’s tragic end,” the mother went on, “your father was so
affected that he never recovered his gaiety. But his energy and
capacity for work were doubled. When the epidemic broke out at
Cognin he did not take sufficient care of himself. He was the last to
be attacked by the disease, and at a time when he was exhausted
and worn out. From the first he knew that he was lost, but he never
admitted it. I understood at the last. He studied the progress of his
illness himself. One day he said to me, ‘Don’t be unhappy, God will
help you.’ ‘He will help us,’ I said. He made no reply. He thought of
his death fearlessly. He died in our arms, conscious to the last.”
“Only I was not there,” said Marcel.
“There at the bedside were Étienne, just back from Tonkin,
François, Paule, and Étienne’s fiancée, too, Louise Saudet.”
“Where was Marguerite?”
“She could not come,” answered Madame Guibert sadly, but with
no bitterness in her voice. “They would not allow her. She belongs to
God. We have not seen her since she entered the convent.”
All three were silent, lost in memories. The thought of death was
in their hearts, but all about them the world of living things vibrated in
the sunshine. A leaf already shrivelled, forerunner of autumn,
dropped from a branch and floated slowly down through the warm
air. Paule pointed a finger at it, calling her brother’s attention. To
Marcel, plunged in sorrowful reflection, it seemed a symbol.
“It has lived to the summer. Others go in the springtime,” he said.
He was thinking of the premature end of his sister Thérèse, and
of death which had threatened him more than once. But soon he
shook oil this gloomy foreboding. “Short or long,” he exclaimed, “life
must be lived with full courage. That was father’s way. His memory
comforts me; it doesn’t dishearten me.”
“And Étienne left soon after for Tonkin again?” he continued.
“Yes,” said Madame Guibert. “You remember his first trip with the
Lyons Exploration Company’s mission? He was struck by the wealth
of the mines and the soil there, and told us also of the wild beauty of
the country. He has settled with his wife at Along Bay. Isn’t that the
name, Paule?”
The girl assented, and her mother went on:
“He is in charge of the coal-mines there. At the same time he is
quite a farmer, and is growing rice and tomatoes. François has gone
out to him, and also your cousin Charles, Marc’s son. They are doing
well, with the blessing of God. Étienne helps us to live.”
“Was his wife quite willing to go?”
“Louise is as brave as she is quiet. They sailed eight days after
their wedding. They have a boy now. I have never seen him, but yet I
love him.”
“When Louise was married,” Paule added, “there was quite an
outcry at Chambéry. All the women pitied her mother. ‘How can you
let your daughter go?’ they asked, and they accused her of an
unpardonable lack of affection. Madame Saudet saw that Louise was
happy, and that was enough for her. The others only thought about
themselves and their own peace of mind. As M. Dulaurens says,
‘calm is the all-important thing.’”
A name casually introduced into a conversation often seems to
attract the person mentioned. Such chance coincidences have
passed into a proverb. A carriage at this moment was passing
through the open gate into the chestnut avenue, and Paule
recognised the Dulaurens livery.
“They had quite given us up,” observed Madame Guibert, turning
very red. Brave as she was in her attitude towards life, she was timid
towards society.
“It is on account of our hero,” said Paule with a mocking glance at
her brother.
But they all rose and went to meet the visitors. The carriage had
already emerged from the avenue and was crushing the gravel of the
courtyard. Madame Dulaurens was the first to get out and began at
once with an allusion to the Captain. She greeted Madame Guibert
and said:
“How proud you must be to have such a son!”
Madame Dulaurens was by birth a De Vélincourt and never forgot
the fact. On the strength of this she looked upon all her actions as
great condescensions, and even deigned to bestow a kind of
benevolent patronage on those meritorious exploits which it should
be the privilege of the aristocracy to perform; or, if not, the
aristocracy could at least claim the credit for them, by applauding
them enthusiastically.
Hidden behind his wife, M. Dulaurens was bowing with
unnecessary frequency. He was dressed in grey from head to foot.
Instinctively he had found the right protective coloring for himself. He
lived in a state of timid admiration of the woman who, despite his
lowly origin, on account of his great fortune, had married him, and
who gave him to understand on every possible occasion the extent
of her sacrifice. This marriage, the foundation alike of his self-respect
and his political opinions, had endowed him with a deep respect for
the nobility, of whom the type to him was his wife’s handsome
person, stately and massive, commanding of feature, imperious and
with a voice both authoritative and disagreeable. Alice stepped out
last. She was wearing a pale blue dress, the delicate shade of which
suited her very well. She came forward with a languid grace, which
suggested that with her beauty frail health was combined. Marcel
had eyes henceforward for no one but the girl. There was no
pleasure expressed in his replies to the compliments heaped upon
him, against which indeed his modesty and his soldierly sense of
honor revolted.
There was no doubt that this visit was paid to him, and that he
was the aim and object of it. Although she treated Madame Guibert
and Paule with politeness and even with kindness—with a haughty
and condescending kindness which did not deceive the daughter,
who was more acute, or better versed in the ways of the world, than
her mother—still it was to Marcel that Madame Dulaurens, née de
Vélincourt, kept turning, as if she desired to capture for herself his
new-born celebrity and bear him away in the carriage with her.
Finally she spoke out quite frankly: “Well, young man, you have
been home several days and you are never seen anywhere. One
would think you were in hiding. That is not like you, as the enemy
well knows.”
“The enemy” was a conveniently vague name for the distant
tribes whose complicated names she could not trouble to keep in her
memory.
M. Dulaurens, who had a sincere admiration for action and
courage in other people, hastened to emphasize his wife’s allusion.
“Yes, it was a hard campaign,” he said. “The Government’s lack of
foresight.... You had few calm moments.”
Paule with difficulty suppressed a hearty laugh as she heard the
fatal adjective. So often was the word “calm” on M. Dulaurens’s lips
that he had been nicknamed Sir Calm by those who tried to find a
single phrase to express both his aristocratic pretensions and his
love of peace.
“All our friends wish to make your acquaintance,” his wife
continued. “Please make my house your own, if you care to come.”
And then, as though suddenly noticing Paule’s presence, she added,
“With your sister, of course.”
They would put up with the sister for the sake of entertaining the
brother. The slight pause had shown how the case stood. It was
Paule who replied:
“Thank you very much, Madame Dulaurens, but we are still in
mourning.”
“Oh, only half-mourning! It is eighteen months now.” She turned
again to the Captain. “We are going on Sunday to the Battle of
Flowers at Aix. Do come with us. It will be an excuse for an
excursion. And in the evening we are to dine at the Club with a few
friends, quite a small party. You will meet some comrades there—
Count de Marthenay, who is in the dragoons, and Lieutenant Berlier,
your friend, is he not? You have heard that they are talking of his
marriage with Isabelle Orlandi, the beauty.”
She gave out the falsehood, which she had invented on the spur
of the moment, for the purpose of wounding the proud Paule who
dared to cross her wishes. Woman can see, it is hard to say how, by
some method of divination of which both the desire to please and the
desire to injure make her mistress, those affinities which cause the
hearts, souls, and bodies of men and women to seek and find one
another. How excellent a plan it is, for instance, to make a dinner-
party go off well by placing the guests according to one’s ideas of
their sympathies—the very way, perhaps to bring those sympathies
into being. Again, the evil-speaking that there is in the world bears
witness to remarkable intuition and marvellous powers of analysis. In
the majority of cases the libel rests on no positive evidence, and yet
there is all the appearance of truth. The persons concerned are
sketched with a natural touch, cruelly of course, but always with due
regard to probability.
Madame Dulaurens gained nothing tangible by the exercise of
her inventive faculty, for the young girl gave no sign; whether it was
because she had learnt self-restraint so early or because the news
was really indifferent to her.
“Then we can count on you?” she demanded, pretending to be
waiting for the answer from Marcel’s own lips.
Alice glanced at the young officer with her eyes pale as the
Savoy skies; while Paule also had her eye on him, but her look was
serious. He understood perfectly that Madame Dulaurens was trying
to separate him from his sister; and, listening to the guidance of that
family loyalty which Dr. Guibert had instilled into each of his children,
he refused the invitation.
“Thank you, Madame, but my homecoming has revived so many
recent sorrows that I do not wish to leave Le Maupas.”
There was a flash of joy in the dark eyes, while long quivering
lashes veiled the downcast blue ones.
“He is in need of rest,” put in Madame Guibert.
Alice was looking over the graveled courtyard. She spoke now
with a slight blush.
“It was your father who cured me. Once you used to come to La
Chênaie very often. Paule was my dearest friend. You must not give
us up.”
When at last she raised her pale blue eyes she met Marcel’s
glance and smiled. Then she blushed again, for her color was
influenced by the secret workings of her heart.
“They shall certainly call upon you, Mademoiselle Dulaurens,”
said Madame Guibert, rather surprised at Paule’s silence.
“Mademoiselle Dulaurens! You used to call me Alice!”
“A long time ago,” said the old lady. “You were a little girl then.”
“Am I not so now? At least, not very big,” Alice replied.
Madame Dulaurens could ill support the failure of her schemes.
She was thinking about the fame of her At Homes. With the help of
this hero from Madagascar she would have been able to crush her
rival, the Baroness de Vittoz, who had captured a gouty explorer
engaged in a course of the waters at Aix. She had satisfied herself of
the truth of Jean Berber’s words. Young Captain Guibert’s career,
she found, had been most brilliant. His resolution and bravery were
greatly responsible for the success of the expedition. Honorable
mention for gallantry, the Legion of Honour, another stripe, all bore
witness to his deserts. He was a lion to be proud of. And celebrity of
this kind was more alluring to the militant Madame Dulaurens than
that of literary men or scientists. Besides, was not a spur wanted to
encourage the languid pretensions of the Count de Marthenay to
Alice’s hand?
“I cannot accept a refusal,” she said, as she gave the signal for
departure. “We shall expect you at Aix on Sunday.” And then,
returning mechanically to her opening remark to Madame Guibert,
she said to her, in honeyed tones which were a very inapt expression
of her soul, “Madame, every mother envies you your son.”
Alice was particularly gracious to Paule as she said good-bye.
But Paule did not unbend. When the carriage had driven away
Marcel stood looking across the deserted courtyard. So lost in
thought was he that he did not notice his sister gazing at him with an
expression of mingled sadness and affection.
“What are you thinking of?” she asked.
He turned round and gave a rather melancholy smile, as though
aware of his own weakness. “We must go and see them, mustn’t
we?” he said.
He was surprised at the effect of his question, for Paule’s face
clouded and her eyes were veiled. “So you already find us
insufficient for you?” she murmured.
She mastered herself quickly and added determinedly. “I at least
shall not go. I was not asked.”
“Yes, you were,” said Marcel.
“Yes, as an afterthought, and Madame Dulaurens made me feel
that.”
“My darling Paule, you know that I shall not go without you.”
“Well, then, don’t let us go, will you? Let us stay here. Mother and
I love you so much. We are so happy to have you with us and to look
after you. Stay with us! The house has been silent as the grave so
long, but you have brought the sunshine back to it.”
Madame Guibert joined in, “Marcel, stay with us.”
Marcel’s brow darkened. He did not care to feel that he was
deprived of freedom even by his nearest and dearest, and above all
he was very much out of sympathy with himself. He had come home
quite determined to shut himself up at Le Maupas, to plunge himself
in the fragrance of his native air and the memories of those whom he
had lost, and also to restore a little happiness to his mother and
sister—and now it had taken but one visit from a mere girl to upset
all his ideas and to shatter his pride and his strength of will.
The gentle pleading of mother and sister left him silent. But Paule
could not bear to see her brother sad for long. “Marcel,” she said,
“you must go to La Chênaie. But I cannot go with you. I have nothing
to wear.”
Marcel’s reply came too quickly and betrayed the vehemence of
his desire.
“I will buy you some clothes, dear. I have saved some money.”
“But you have helped so often,” asserted Madame Guibert, with a
loving glance at her son, whose close presence she did not even yet
seem to realise.
Late in the evening, while Madame Guibert was slowly making
her invariable round to see that the house was safely locked up,
Paule, sitting in the drawing-room with Marcel saw him lost in
thought again. She went up to him and laid her hand gently on his
shoulder.
“Are you dreaming of the fair Alice?” she asked.
So kind was her tone that he could only smile, as he denied his
weakness. But immediately afterwards he admitted the truth, adding,
“She certainly is fair, isn’t she? Is she a friend of yours?”
“We were at the Sacred Heart Convent together. She is the same
age as I, perhaps a little younger. At the Convent she was like a little
sister in her affection for me. She is sweet, gentle, and timid, and
likes to be led rather than to lead.”
“A very good thing in a woman,” said Marcel approvingly.
He had no hesitancy in admitting the superiority of his own sex.
Paule stroked her brother’s forehead with her soft hand.
“Alice is not the right wife for you,” she said.
“I never thought of marrying her,” was his brusque answer.
But his sister did not abandon her purpose. “She is deficient in
courage,” she said. “And besides we are not in the same set.”
“Not in the same set! Because the Dulaurenses have more
money than we have? In France, thank God, it is not yet the case
that wealth determines social position.”
Paule was sorry she had provoked this outburst. “That is not what
I meant to say,” she explained. “The people we are speaking of have
a totally different outlook on life. They make a show and cannot
distinguish between worthless things and those of importance. I don’t
know how to make it clear to you, but I did not wish to make you
cross.”
“Are you going to preach to me about the ways of the world?”
asked her brother. “Before you have even seen it you pretend to
judge it!”
Paule was hurt by the tone of his voice and turned away. Pouring
out all the pent-up bitterness of her heart, she cried: “Do you think I
cannot see behind the outward smile and the lie on the lips? These
people hate us and would like to treat us with contempt. They run
after you—you only—just to flatter their own vanity, and they want to
have nothing to do with mother and me; we are only two poor
women. But Alice is intended for Count de Marthenay, not for you!”
Even without its closing sentence this indignant speech would
have had its effect. What Paule told him now bluntly, Marcel had
already gathered, though not in so clear a fashion. His pride and the
affection which he had for his mother and sister would have been a
check upon him. But the end of Paule’s speech blotted out all that
went before. The very thought of this drawing-room soldier, who had
come so unexpectedly across his path, held up to him as a rival sure
of victory over him, roused all his instincts as a fighter and a
conqueror. He was jealous before he was even in love.
CHAPTER III
THE BATTLE OF FLOWERS
“Here they come, here they come!” shouted Jean Berlier, pointing
to the end of the race-course.
The course at Marlioz is less than two miles from Aix-les-Bains,
on the road to Chambéry. The view from the stands, which occupy
one of the slopes facing Mont Revard is fine and picturesque.
Beyond a foreground of green fields, separated by screens of poplar-
trees, the eyes light suddenly on the craggy escarpments of the
mountain-chain, resembling some old fortress. By day there is little
grace or beauty in the scene, but at eventide the setting sun lends to
it a wonderful attractiveness.
“Here they come,” repeated Isabelle Orlandi, clapping her hands.
The flower-decked carriages had indeed reached the edge of the
green sward, ready to file past the stands filled with a brilliant crowd.
The spectators stamped enthusiastically and, swarming about like a
lot of mad people or a hive of bees, tore flowers from the baskets of
the passing vendors, spread their ammunition in front of them, and
preluded the coming battle with the excited and useless shouts of
soldiers on the point of assault. Under the light of a cloudless sky the
fairy-like procession advanced, radiant in the sunshine. From afar all
that was to be seen of it was a succession of bright patches and at
intervals the rapid flashes reflected from the polished harness of the
horses and the dazzling carriage-wheels as they caught the sun’s
rays. It grew bigger and bigger, and outlined against the golden
horizon, it brought to mind in its splendor and richness the
procession of the Magi painted by some Venetian artist who adored
color.
The Dulaurens family and their party filled the first row of the
grand stand, Jean Berlier next to Isabelle, Marcel Guibert between
Madame Dulaurens and Alice. Paule had refused to come with her
brother, who sat quite silent, thinking of the sad faces of the women
at home and regretting the peace and sweetness of Le Maupas,
while beginning to experience the first humiliating inner symptoms of
love.
The band began to play dance music, and to the strains of its
light rhythm, almost drowned by laughter and shouting, the battle
opened. Late arrivals, hurrying across the race course eager to take
part in the fun, were mingled in a distracted mass of gay parasols
and dresses on the lawn.
It was at the little ones that the first bouquets were thrown, gently
tossed by delicate hands. The children opened the flowery
procession like harbingers of spring, delicious buds of humanity.
Rosy babies with bare arms, riding donkeys which carried them
triumphantly in big red baskets; small sailor boys proudly wielding
their pasteboard oars in long canoes decked with reeds, drawn by
Arab horses whose tails and flowing manes served as angry waves;
tiny girls dressed in pink, peeping out from green nests like
wonderful birds; all this little company, guarded by an escort of
careful nurses, was mad with applause and sunshine, with music
and gaiety. It was like the youthful Bacchus in his triumph.
Slowly the carriages following them came up one after another
and took their part in the gentle strife. They bore the very grace of
the earth, the beauty of women and the scent of flowers. The soul of
the plundered gardens still pervaded these moving flower-beds.
English dog-carts, tilburies, victorias, phaetons, landaus, all were
smothered in flowers of a thousand hues—heavy moon-daisies,
purple as an autumn sunset; while marguerites, the lover’s fortune-
teller; gladioles with their red bells merrily a-ring; cyclamens the color
of the lees of wine, the rare and precious jewels of Mont Revard’s
crown; hydrangeas with their pink and pale blue globes; orchids of
varying hue, splendid in their triumphant leaflessness, or still more
glorious in a setting of exotic palm-branches or of red forest-heather,
whose tiny branches are so slender and sensitive that the heat of the
day is sufficient to stir them.
Half outstretched among these sumptuous spoils of the
ransacked gardens, the young women of the procession smiled in
quiet confidence. They relied on the pleasure stirred by their
irreproachable forms to complete their own success in the contest
against the beautiful blossoms of mother earth. For they knew full
well that they themselves were the sovereign flowers, more
seductive and intoxicating than all others, since they could
supplement the still unconscious grace of nature with the harmony of
motion and the wonder of the intelligent mind. On the splendid,
supple stem of a woman’s perfect form, is not the face set as though
it were the divine calyx of beauty?
The enthusiasm of the crowd made no distinction between the
charm of earth and the charm of woman. The incessant stream of
flying bouquets was a link between the occupants of the stands and
the beauties of the procession, who bent before the tributes paid to
them and, amid the perfume that invaded earth and air alike, made
their wondrous progress over a carpet of flowers, under a rain of
flowers. The popular excitement grew still greater as the spectators
saw the Allegory of Summer approaching. On a chariot with golden
wheels drawn by white horses, ears of wheat were bound in sheaves
whose gold was enhanced by the red and blue of the poppies and
cornflowers, the rubies and sapphires of the fields. Young girls,
whose flowing robes were the color of straw, whose unbound hair
streamed in fair waves, veritable types of the supple maidens of
Botticelli’s Primavera, symbolised, like the ripe grain itself, prosperity
and happiness.
“Bravo!” cried the crowd, designating this golden car to the jury
for the first prize. Isabelle Orlandi and Jean Berlier emptied their
baskets with joyful gaiety. The girl was wearing a white dress, and
her bodice, half covered by a bolero, was trimmed with pleated satin
of the color of mother-of-pearl. Pleasure intoxicated her, and her
flushed brown cheeks betrayed her quickened pulses. The two
young people reserved their hardest shots for the arrival of a few
ancient crones who were not afraid to dishonor this procession of
youth by their presence. They are to be met with at all fashionable
promenades at Nice, at Monte Carlo, at Aix. In fact, they are
apparently the same at all these functions. They try to forget or to
cheat death, and their very faces adjure us to make the best of life or
remind us of the threats of time. One of them was at last hit, and
kept on her hat and head-dress with difficulty under the shocks of the
missiles. Isabelle and Jean could no longer restrain their laughter.
Beside Alice Dulaurens, whose mauve dress trimmed with white
lace enhanced her ethereal grace, Marcel felt his will weakening and
his melancholy disappearing. A cloud of colors and scents
surrounded and enervated him. He could see nothing but flowers on
the path of his future life. At intervals, however, a strange vision
would come back to his memory, some vivid landscape of his
childhood, or some dark valley in the Colonies, and he regretted
these pictures of his old enthusiasms which he tried in vain to keep
fresh. But why seek to bring back the past when the present had so
many charms? He gazed, not without that sadness which
accompanies a growing desire, at the dazzling white neck of the girl
as she bent forward to get a better view of the course of her
awkwardly thrown bouquet and he could not but admire the bloom of
her pale skin.
Alice turned to her companion, whose silence troubled her, and
one look from her blue eyes was purification to the young man’s
thoughts. With her little ungloved hand she pointed to the basket
which was rapidly emptying itself.
“Here are some flowers,” she cried. “Aren’t you going to throw
any?”
She blushed as she uttered these simple words, and her extreme
shyness made her look the lovelier.
The allegorical chariot of Summer passed on, and, following a
carriage covered with vervain and roses, came the regimental break
of the dragoons quartered at Chambéry, artistically decorated with
brilliant sunflowers and big bunches of jonquils. Among the officers
in uniform the only one standing was Lieutenant de Marthenay,
whose elegance was of the rather cumbersome kind which
evidences the passing of youth. He carried a bouquet of rare and
lovely orchids. It was very evident that he was looking for someone
on the stands. When he saw Mademoiselle Dulaurens, he smiled,
bowed, and made as if he would throw the bouquet to her. This bold
impertinence, drawing the public gaze upon the young girl, vexed
Marcel Guibert, who dived into Alice’s basket and with a very
efficacious zeal was the first to begin the fight with his rival. His aim
was well-calculated, but not so the strength. He struck the Dragoon
full in the face, thereby extinguishing the bright smile. De Marthenay,
taken aback, let the precious orchids fall on the ground where they
were picked up at once by a watchful collector of flowers.
Furious at this, he swept the stand with his glance, only to see
Isabelle Orlandi, who was clapping her hands and crying:
“Well hit! Three cheers for the Tirailleurs!”
Jean Berlier backed her up, amused at her exuberant spirits. De
Marthenay, however, paid no attention to their raillery. At last he
noticed Marcel Guibert’s strong, contemptuous face a little behind
Alice. But while his anger and malice grew stronger and stronger, the
Dragoon’s chariot passed on.
At every turn which brought him in front of the Dulaurens party,
he saw Alice, forgetful of the battle, talking to his rival; she seemed a
changed, absorbed, and less retiring Alice. And, every time, Isabelle
and her admirer took a spiteful joy in interrupting his observations by
incessantly bombarding him. They had the advantage of the position,
and they kept at it all the afternoon.
In the meantime an unexpected carriage had appeared in the
procession. Entirely decorated with scarlet, copper red, and orange
cannas, flame-like in shape and color, Clément Dulaurens’ motor
puffed past snorting and panting. In the brilliant daylight it looked like
a raging fire.
It was the first motor car allowed to take part in the show, and it
was by no means welcome. Its abominable smell overwhelmed the
scent of the flowers, and the horrible noise which accompanied its
quivering progress brought down upon it the wrath of the crowd, in
spite of indignant protests from some lovers of the sport.
Shouts of “Poisonous monster!” “Go to the ‘devil’” were heard.
“Fire! fire!” cried others at this wizard of the flaming flowers.
In the face of all this outcry, the young man did not try to force
public favor. He was clever enough to leave the procession and on
reaching the deserted race-course he let his swift obedient machine
go. Across the lawn he went at full speed in his flaming car like a
dazzling rocket and disappeared in the direction of the sun, but not
too soon to hear the far-off cheers which at last greeted the
matchless power of the machine and its meteor-like beauty.
Either from satiety or fatigue the battle was dying down. In vain
the flower-sellers offered their flowers at a reduction. Cradled on
their donkeys, the happy babies were the only ones who took much
interest in the show. Foreseeing that people would soon be tired of it
the jury began to distribute the prizes.
The sun was already setting on the Marlioz plain. Delicate
shades of pink, violet, gold, and mauve were dusted over the horizon
like some impalpable powder. And as the sun set, keeping to
themselves all its vanishing glory the rocks of Mount Revard spread
themselves with a robe of brilliant red, under which they seemed to
quiver with joy as in a bath of light. As he was leaving the stand after
Alice, Marcel stopped to admire this rapturous display of nature; the
girl turned round to call him and wondered at the joy in his face. He
had felt in himself a similar exaltation of all his vital forces.
The Dulaurens and their guests got into the coach awaiting them
on the road and drove back to Aix-les-Bains.
On the evening of the Battle of Flowers it is the custom to dine in
the open air, either at the Club or at the Villa, weather permitting.
The restaurants encroach upon the gardens and on the well-worn
lawns; Rows of little tables are set out, where lamps with many
colored shades shine among the trees like scintillating glow-worms.
Armand de Marthenay, who had been asked to dine with the
Dulaurenses, joined the party in the big hall of the Club. They had
reserved one of the favorite and most sheltered tables, at the end of
the terrace, for Alice was sensitive to cold and at nights a fresh
breeze blew from the mountains. The cavalry lieutenant was in a bad
humor. He could not swallow his discomfiture of the afternoon. As
soon as he saw Marcel Guibert he came up to him rashly and
remarked:
“You fail to distinguish, my dear sir, between war and play.”
Marcel drew himself up to his full height. Much taller than de
Marthenay, he looked down on him contemptuously and said, “You
fail to distinguish between respect and mere gallantry.”
Hearing the sound of this dialogue and fearing a scene, Madame
Dulaurens came up to them. The title of one and the fame of the
other were equally in her mind, and it suited her vanity to have the
two officers in the party.
De Marthenay, unable to complain of the words addressed to
him, tried to find an excuse for a quarrel, when Isabelle Orlandi came
up like a whirl-wind and saved the compromising situation.
“Come here, Jean, quickly. Here is the dragoon.”
And with the unchecked caprice of a spoilt child she added
quickly, “Show me your face!”
“But, Mademoiselle Orlandi—” protested the lieutenant, growing
pale.
“Just for a minute, only just for a minute.”
She pretended to examine his face and said, as though she were
presenting him to the public, “It’s simply wonderful! There’s not a
mark.”
“What do you want of me?” stammered de Marthenay.
The young girl burst out laughing and went on making fun of him.
“You can’t deny it! These colonials can shoot splendidly—You
beat them in a cotillion! But in war! Hardly!”
“I don’t understand you—”

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