Grand Ducal Highness

His/Her Grand Ducal Highness (acronym: HGDH) is a style of address used before the princely titles of the non-reigning members of some German ruling families headed by a Grand Duke. No currently reigning family employs the style, although it was used most recently by the younger sisters of the late Grand Duchess Charlotte of Luxembourg. Since Grand Duchess Charlotte's marriage to Prince Felix of Parma, all of their male-line descendants have used the style Royal Highness.

A reigning Grand Duke, his heir apparent, and their spouses would use the style of "Royal Highness". The male line descendants of a reigning Grand Duke, other than the heir, would use the style "Grand Ducal Highness". This practice was followed by the ruling families of Luxembourg, Hesse and by Rhine, and Baden. Other grand ducal families either existed before this system developed or were controlled by different rules. At present, the style is used only by the former ruling family of Baden, as the Hessian grand ducal family has become extinct.

Russian Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses were the children or grandchildren of the Emperor and used the style "Imperial Highness". The Grand Dukes of Tuscany used the style "Royal Highness" for themselves but it is not clear what style other members of the family would have used in the absence of the Austro-Hungarian styles. By the time the system of different classes of "Highness" came into regular use for the relatives of rulers (in the nineteenth century), the Grand Dukes of Tuscany were also members of the House of Austria. As such, they had the title of Archduke and used the style "Imperial and Royal Highness". In most of Europe, the style of "Grand Ducal Highness" was be lower in rank than "Royal Highness", and "Imperial Highness", but higher in rank than "Highness" and "Serene Highness". If a woman with the rank of "Royal Highness" married a man with the rank "Grand Ducal Highness", the woman would usually retain her pre-marital style. Also, if a woman with the rank of "Grand Ducal Highness" married a man with the rank of "Serene Highness", she would keep her pre-marital style. However if a woman bearing the style "Grand Ducal Highness" married a man bearing the style of "Royal Highness" or "Imperial Highness" she would, being consistent with the established tradition of conferring styles, assume her husband's style of "Imperial Highness" or "Royal Highness"

External links

* [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/highness.htm Article on the use of the style "Highness"]