100+ Royalty Words

November 30, 2023

You might be already familiar with royalty words like king and queen, but what about all the other people and terms that make up a monarchy? If you’re writing a fantasy book or simply want to become more familiar with several royal lingo, check out these royalty words.

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Words Related to Leadership

Table of Contents

Monarch

Simply speaking, the monarch is the one in charge of a royal household. People refer to them as Queen, King, Emperor, or Empress. As long as they are above all other governing bodies, they are a monarch.

Our president wouldn’t be a monarch because, ultimately, they can’t make decisions completely on their own. That’s thanks to the checks and balances added to our constitution.

Duchess

Now, we’re getting into some of the more precise royalty words. What title a person has shows their rank. A duchess is the highest given title for a female, unlike a princess, which is purely defined by birth. A duchess ranks right below the monarch. This title is typically given on her wedding day. Remember, a princess is born, and a duchess is made.

Duke

A duke is the male version of a duchess. This royalty title can either be inherited or given by the ruling king or monarch. And, once again, the title is usually given on the wedding day. For instance, Prince Charles became Duke of Sussex when he tied the knot with Meghan Markle While his brother, Prince William, assumed the title Duke of Cambridge, whereas his wife Kate Middleton, became the Duchess of Cambridge.

Throne

This word has two definitions, depending on how you use it. If you are referring to the actual object, it is the chair for the monarch. It serves more as a symbol and isn’t actually sat in day in and day out like in the movies.

We can also use the word throne in the metaphorical sense. For instance, saying, “They took the throne,” means they’ve overthrown those in power.

While we usually only see someone ascend to the throne when a monarch dies, there have been times when it has been taken not by its rightful heir.

Nobility

Remember how we said there are many words defining someone’s rank? Nobility is the blanket term for all of those. The nobility are part of the highest social class and most likely run certain aspects of the country. If you are born into the royal family or given a title like duke/duchess, count/countess, or viscount/viscountess,then you fall under the nobility title.

Countess

Another word in the nobility ranking you need to know is countess, which is two ranks below a duchess. A countess doesn’t have as many responsibilities as her male counterpart, an earl or count.

Viscount

A viscount, or viscountess for females, ranks below a count/countess. The role of a viscount is almost as an assistant to the count. They might perform tasks like collecting taxes or making sure the town is running smoothly. They might also run the castle in which the royal family of that area lives.

Reign

This is another one that has two definitions, depending on how you phrase it. The act of reigning means to rule. This is simply what the king and queen do; they reign.

This royalty word can also refer to how long a person or dynasty has ruled. Typically, we don’t just stop after one king or queen dies. For example, Charles III continued the royal family’s reign after Queen Elizabeth II’s death.