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Imperial Highness is a form of address used for members of an imperial family. It denotes imperial – as opposed to royal – status to show that the holder in question is descended from an emperor rather than a king (compare His/Her Royal Highness). It is typically used to address a prince or princess who is the child of the emperor and/or empress, or their spouse.[1] Used with possessive pronouns such as his, her, or their, the title is abbreviated accordingly as H.I.H. or T.I.H.[1]
The first dynasty to use the style in Europe on the generic basis were the Romanovs in the eighteenth century; the archdukes and archduchess of the House of Habsburg were only styled as Royal Highness given the officially elective nature of the Holy Roman Empire.
With the establishment of the Austrian Empire in 1804, the style of members of its imperial family changed to Imperial Highness. Following the Austro-Hungarian compromise with its creation of two intertwined but distinct states, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, the style was changed to Imperial and Royal Highness to reflect the double role; however, the colloquialism of omitting "and Royal" was acceptable even for the most formal occasions.
Today, the style has mainly fallen from use with the exception of the Imperial House of Japan (Japanese: 殿下, Hepburn: denka). In the past, the style has been applied to the more senior members of imperial dynasties, including the French, Turkish, Russian, Brazil, and Ethiopian imperial houses, among many others. Archdukes of Austria from the Habsburg dynasty traditionally hold the style of Imperial and Royal Highness (German: Kaiserliche und königliche Hoheit), with the "Royal" signifying their status as Princes of Hungary. These styles have been abrogated but are often given out of courtesy. Some members of the royal family of Belgium descending from the Habsburgs do hold it as an official style (the "and Royal" might here possibly be read as referring as well to Belgium). Members of the British royal family, theoretically, as the imperial family of British India, could have used the title, but did not.
^ abHickey, Robert (2013). Honor & respect: The official guide to names, titles and forms of address. Columbia, South Carolina: The Protocol School of Washington. p. 37. ISBN 9780989188609.
ImperialHighness is a form of address used for members of an imperial family. It denotes imperial – as opposed to royal – status to show that the holder...
styles, ImperialHighness and Royal Highness. His/Her ImperialHighness is a style used by members of an imperial family to denote imperial – as opposed...
Highness", "Her Highness" (HH), "Their Highnesses", etc. Although often combined with other adjectives of honour indicating rank, such as "Imperial"...
from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012. "Her ImperialHighness Princess Takamado and her family". kunaicho.go.jp. Archived from the...
duchies), Grand Ducal Highness, Royal Highness, and ImperialHighness. Therefore, if a woman entitled to the treatment of Royal Highness married a man who...
Habsburg-Lorraine abandoned the style of Royal Highness in favour of the style of Imperial and Royal Highness to reflect the creation of the Empire of Austria...
the Japanese government and also her name was formally entered into the Imperial Family's registry. Her father loved her greatly and established the Deoksugung...
royal family of Hungary, held the style of Imperial and Royal Highness (HI&RH). Abbreviation to ImperialHighness is common and accepted. In the German Empire...
style Imperial and Royal Highness. In most of Europe, the style of Grand Ducal Highness was of lower rank than ImperialHighness and Royal Highness but...
His ImperialHighness Younger sons: Prince (Shâhpūr, or King's Son), followed by first name and surname (Pahlavi), and style His ImperialHighness. Daughters:...
Retrieved 28 April 2011. "Personal History of Her ImperialHighness Princess Takamado and her family". Imperial Household Agency. Retrieved 19 May 2012. "Wedding...
as Her ImperialHighness Princess Kako. Japan: Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown (29 December 2014) "Their ImperialHighnesses Prince and...
Hirobumi His ImperialHighness Prince Kitashirakawa Naruhisa, the 3rd head of a collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family His ImperialHighness Marquess...
child to assume the imperial throne. Later he said that this remark was just a joke. 5 January 1946 – 6 June 2012: His ImperialHighness Prince Tomohito of...
held the title of French prince (Prince français) with the style ImperialHighness. He also had been the emperor's heir in Frankfurt and briefly in Italy...
Naruhito, His ImperialHighness Prince Hiro (浩宮徳仁親王殿下 Hiro-no-miya Naruhito shinnō denka) 7 January 1989 – 30 April 2019: His ImperialHighness The Crown...
a title of pretence, the prefix of "Grand Duke" with the style of ImperialHighness which is still being questioned. As the son of a cadet member of the...
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usually styled as "Imperial Majesty", however other members of the imperial family are customarily styled "His/Her ImperialHighness" whilst the Emperor's...
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