Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right to that courtesy throughout their lifetime,[1] although in some cases the title is attached to a particular office and is held only during tenure of that office.[2]
"His Excellency" and "Her Excellency" redirect here. For other uses, see His Excellency (disambiguation).
Generally people addressed as Excellency are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, Roman Catholic bishops, high-ranking ecclesiastics and others holding equivalent rank, such as heads of international organizations.[3] Members of royal families generally have distinct addresses such as Majesty, Highness, etc.
While not a title of office itself, the honorific Excellency precedes various titles held by the holder, both in speech and in writing. In reference to such an official, it takes the form His or Her Excellency; in direct address, Your Excellency, or, less formally, simply Excellency.
The abbreviation HE is often used instead of His/Her Excellency; alternatively it may stand for His Eminence.
Government[edit]
Heads of state and government[edit]
In most republican nation states, the head of state is formally referred to as His or Her Excellency.[4]
If a republic has a separate head of government, that official is almost always addressed as Excellency as well. If the nation is a monarchy, however, the customs may vary. For example, in the case of Australia, all ambassadors, high commissioners, state governors and the governor-general and their spouses are entitled to the use of Excellency.
Governors of colonies in the British Empire were entitled to be addressed as Excellency and this remains the position for the governors of what are now known as British Overseas Territories.[5]
International diplomacy[edit]
In various international organizations, notably the UN and its agencies, Excellency is used as a generic form of address for all republican heads of state and heads of government. It is often granted to the organization's head as well, and to those chiefs of UN diplomatic missions, such as Resident Coordinators (who are the designated representatives of the Secretary-General), who are accredited at the Head of State level (like an Ambassador), or at the lower Head of Government level.
Monarchy[edit]
Royalty[edit]
In some monarchies the husbands, wives, or children of a royal prince or princess, who do not possess a princely title themselves, may be entitled to the style. For example, in Spain spouses or children of a born infante or infanta are addressed as Excellency, if not accorded a higher style.
Former members of a royal house or family, who have forfeited a royal title, may be awarded the style afterwards. Examples are former husbands or wives of a royal prince or princess, including Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg, following her divorce from Prince Joachim of Denmark. Likewise, Count Carl Johan Bernadotte of Wisborg, who lost his succession rights to the Swedish throne and discontinued use of his royal titles in 1946 when he married the commoner Elin Kerstin Margaretha Wijkmark, was accorded the style.
In some emirates, such as Kuwait and Qatar, the Emir, heir apparent and prime minister are called His Highness. Their children are styled with His/Her Excellency unless they possess a higher honorific.
Nobility[edit]
In Spain members of the high nobility, holding the dignity of grandee, are addressed as The Most Excellent Lord/Lady.
In Denmark, some counts (lensgrever), historically those related by blood or marriage to the Danish monarch, who have entered a morganatic marriage or otherwise left the Royal Family have the right to be styled as Your Excellency, e.g., the Counts of Danneskiold-Samsøe, some of the counts of Rosenborg and the Countess of Frederiksborg (ad personam).
In the Sultanate of Sulu, senior nobility and holders of royal offices that are granted the title of Datu Sadja are addressed as His/Her Excellency.[6]
Knights[edit]
Excellency can also attach to a prestigious quality, notably in an order of knighthood. For example, in the Empire of Brazil, it was attached to the highest classes, each time called Grand Cross, of all three imperial orders: Imperial Order of Pedro I, Imperial Order of the Southern Cross with the military honours of a Lieutenant general and Order of the Rose.
Knights of the Collar and Knights Grand Cross of the Spanish Orders of Chivalry, such as the Order of Charles III, Order of Isabella the Catholic, Order of Civil Merit, Order of Alfonso X the Wise, Royal Order of Sports Merit, Civil Order of Health, as well as recipients of the Grand Cross of Military, Naval, and Aeronautical Merit are addressed as such. Furthermore, Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Order of Saint Gregory the Great and the Order of St. Sylvester of the Holy See, and Grand Cross of The Lion, Crested Crane, Crown, and The Drum of Rwanda, and Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and Knights Grand Cross of several other orders of high prestige, are often addressed as Excellency.[7]
Ecclesiastical use[edit]
By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial of 31 December 1930[8] the Holy See granted bishops of the Catholic Church the title of Most Reverend Excellency or Excellentia Reverendissima in Latin. In the years following the First World War, the ambassadorial title of Excellency, previously given to nuncios, had already begun to be used by other Catholic bishops. The adjective Most Reverend was intended to distinguish the religious title from that of Excellency given to civil officials.
The instruction Ut sive sollicite of the Holy See's Secretariat of State, dated 28 March 1969, made the addition of Most Reverend optional,[9] sanctioning what had always been the practice, except possibly for the beginnings of letters and the like.
According to the letter of the decree of 31 December 1930, titular patriarchs too were to be addressed with the title of (Most Reverend) Excellency, but in practice the Holy See continued to address them with the title of Beatitude, which was formally sanctioned for them with the motu proprio Cleri sanctitati of 2 June 1957.
Cardinals, even those who were bishops, continued to use the title of Eminence.
Eastern Orthodox titular metropolitans are addressed with the style of Excellency.
In some English-speaking countries, the honorific of Excellency does not apply to bishops other than the nuncio. In English law, Anglican archbishops are granted the title of His/Her Grace, similar to a duke, and bishops are granted the title of Lord. The same titles are extended by courtesy to their Catholic counterparts, and continue in use in most countries that are or have been members of the Commonwealth, with the exception of the former British East African countries of Kenya, Uganda of Tanzania.
By country[edit]
Afghanistan[edit]
In Afghanistan the title Jalalat Mahab is used for Sardars, or Princes of the former Muhammadzai Dynasty, who are descendants of the Afghan King Sultan Mohammed Khan Telai. Although Jalalat Mahab is derived from the Arabic term Jalalat literally meaning His Majesty, it is regarded as equal to His Excellency or His Royal Highness internationally.
The descendants of King Nadir Shah held the title Alaa Hazrat in which context Hazrat is Turkish and means Majesty or Highness and thus literally translated means Higher Majesty or Higher Highness and is internationally also equal to His Royal Highness. The King himself held the title Alaa Hazrat Humayoon which literally translated means His Most Noble Majesty, and can be equalized with His Majesty internationally. President Daoud Khan, the Cousin of the last Afghan King Zahir Shah, who acted as prime minister under his cousin held the address Jalalat Mahab Aali Qadr Sardari Alaa during his term as Prime Minister.
Albania[edit]
The president, the chairman of the Parliament and the prime minister are addressed as His/Her Excellency.
Armenia[edit]
The president, the prime minister, the chairman of the Parliament, as well as ministers and ambassadors of Armenia are addressed as Excellency, which in Armenian is Ձերդ գերազանցութիւն, Romanized Dzerd gerazancutiwn. The members of the traditional Armenian nobility are also addressed as Excellency, which in Armenian it is Ձերդ պայծառութիւն Romanized as Dzerd paytzarrowtiwn, literally Your Brightness.
Bangladesh[edit]
In Bangladesh the president, prime minister, the speaker of the Parliament and international diplomats are styled with His/Her Excellency.
Belgium[edit]
Members of the Council of Ministers of Belgium, consisting of the prime minister, deputy prime minister(s), other ministers, and Secretaries of state, and also honorary ministers of state, are entitled to the style of His/Her Excellency.
The style is also used for the governors of Belgium, which are governors of the ten provinces of Belgium, governor of Brussels, governor of the national bank of Belgium and both foreign ambassadors in Belgium and Belgian ambassadors to other countries.
Moreover, within the Catholic Church in Belgium, the (arch-)bishops and (pro-)nuntia are addressed as His Excellency Monsignor or Zijne Excellentie Monseigneur in Dutch, Son Excellence Monseigneur in French and Seine Exzellenz Monsignore in German .
Brazil[edit]
In 1991, the Brazilian Presidential Office issued a composition manual to establish the appropriate usage of the Portuguese language for all government agencies. The manual states that the title of Excelência (Excellency) is the proper form used to address the president and vice president, all members of parliament and judges, among other officials.[10]
Cambodia[edit]
In the Kingdom of Cambodia, deputy prime ministers, senior ministers, members of the Council of Ministers, secretary of state, and members of Parliament are addressed as "His/Her Excellency" (Khmer: ឯកឧត្ដម, Êk Ŏtdâm/លោកជំទាវ, Loŭk Chumtéav).
Commonwealth of Nations[edit]
Within the Commonwealth of Nations, the following officials usually use the style His or Her Excellency: