UK rank and style of Peter Phillips

Although Peter Phillips, the eldest grandson of Queen Elizabeth II,
does not derive any title from his royal ancestry, does he rank as a
gentleman (his father possessing coat-armour) or as an esquire (given
that the eldest sons of knights rank as esquires, and his mother is a
Lady of the Garter)?

If the latter, does each eldest son of a dame also rank as an esquire,
and their eldest sons in perpetuity, as with knights?

sundymundy...

Princess Anne, his mother, chose not to have titles for her children

mjcar...

Neither "esquire" nor "gentleman" is a title. Furthermore, rank is not
to be confused with precedence (for instance, all Viscounts have the
same rank, but their precedence differs).

Lisa Davidson...

I believe that in the UK only in rare instances is a rank from the
mother a factor in the rank of her sons. The Prince of Wales comes to
mind and an odd title or two are I believe it.

Tom Wilding / Stephen Stillwell...

The Prince of Wales does not take his rank from his mother exactly. There
was a Letters Patent issued by George VI on 9 November 1948 which defined
the style and title of the children of the then Duke and Duchess of
Edinburgh as HRH Prince/Princess. This is from whence he and Anne get their
titles. Their younger brothers get theirs by virtue of being the children

Stan Brown...

Aren't their HRHs styles rather than titles?

The P of W and the Pss Royal get those *titles* by specific grant
from their mother, the Sovereign.

of The Sovereign - the gender of the sovereign is not an issue.

(Gary Holtzman) garyholtzman...

But surely on their mother`s accession to the throne Charles and Anne would
have become Royal Highnesses and prince and princess, even if there had been no
LP of 1948?

A number of the peerages go through the female line in Britain --
Mountbatten, Fife, Saltoun are examples.

Don Aitken...

Fife and Mountbatten are both examples of special remainders, which
allow deviation from strict male-line inheritance only for those
related in specified ways to the *original* grantee. In the case of
Fife, the terms of the special remainder are exhausted; the title now
goes to the heirs male of the late Princess Maud of Fife, Countess of
Southeask, younger daughter of the grantee and mother of the present
duke. The only people in line are the duke's son and grandsons.

In the case of Mountbatten, the special remainder might still operate;
the title goes to the heirs male of the present Countess, the elder
daughter of the grantee, and in the vent of their extinction to her
sister, Lady Pamela Hicks, and her heirs male.

The position with Scottish titles, of which Saltoun is one of many, is
different. In the event that the direct male line fails at any point,
the title goes to the eldest daughter, rather than a more remotely
related male. This rule continues to apply indefinitely.

No non-Scottish title created since Lucas of Crudwell in 1663 "goes
through the female line" as a general rule, although the dukedom of
Marlborough could descend through a female in certain, highly
improbable, contingencies.

Stan Brown...

It would arise, AIUI, whenever the mother holds rank in her own right
and not in respect of her husband.

In previous discussions, we've said that the heir apparent of a
peeress in her own right can use the peeress's subsidiary title in
courtesy.

In the case of the Prince of Wales and his siblings, his mother holds
her position in her own right.

The Royal Family has always represented that Princess Anne's children,
while they are the grandchildren of the sovereign, are commoners without
any titles or styles.

However, I am certainly no expert in this particular area so would
welcome any clarifications on these points.

Lisa May Davidson

the_verminator...

No- it gives him precedence at certain functions but no rank of any
kind.

Tom Wilding / Stephen Stillwell...

His rank is Mr.

mjcar...

Thanks, but last time I looked, "Mister" was a polite term of address,
not a rank.

Breton...

It is a rank which is also used as a form of address, just as Sir is a
form of addres which indicates rank.

mjcar...

How so? I can call someone Mr Brown, regardless of whether he
possesses the rank of Esquire or Gentleman or neither. "Sir" is only a
form of address which conveys rank when used in front of a first name -
e.g. "Sir John" - but again, the rank is not clear merely from the form
of address: it could be either a baronet or a knight who is being
addressed. (On the other hand, calling someone Sir does not indicate
rank at all).

On what authority do you claim that "Mister" is a rank?

flaviaR...

Possibly in reference to "Master" being what one calls young boys.

mjcar...

Possibly, but there is considerable difference between Master John
Brown and the Master of Falkland...

flaviaR...

Vey true!
I was just trying to come up with an answer.

Anne Elizabeth Rumain...

hello mommy

now i see what you do on the computer all day!

anne elizabeth