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1 Commonwealth usage

1.1 Entitlement

In the United Kingdom, all sons and daughters of viscounts and barons and the younger sons of earls are styled with this prefix. (The daughters and younger sons of dukes and marquesses and the daughters of earls have the higher style of Lord or Lady before their first names, and the eldest sons of dukes, marquesses and earls are known by one of their father or mother's subsidiary titles.) The style is only a courtesy one, however, and on legal documents they are described as, for instance, John Smith, Esq., commonly called The Honourable John Smith. As the wives of sons of peers share the titles of their husbands, the wives of the sons of viscounts and barons and the younger sons of earls are known as, e.g., The Hon. Mrs John Smith.

Some persons are entitled to the prefix by virtue of their offices. Rules exist that allow certain individuals to keep the prefix The Honourable even after retirement.

• Judges of the High Court and other superior courts in the Commonwealth (if the judge is a knight, the style Sir A B is used socially instead of The Honourable Mr Justice B.);
• Members of executive councils (and by extenstion, cabinets);
• Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada;
• Members of legislative councils (or senates) where the legislature is bicameral; and
• Certain representatives of the SovereignThis article treats the generic title monarch . For the origins of the word king and its English use, see Germanic king. For other meanings of the word, see Monarch (disambiguation A monarch is a type of ruler or head of state. The word derives from Greek, e.g. Lieutenant-Governors of CanadianCanada historically the Dominion of Canada is the second-largest, and northernmost, country in the world. It is a decentralized federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories, governed as a constitutional monarchy, and formed in 1867 through an act of Confe provinces.

Many corporate entities are also entitled to the style, for example:

• The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament Assembled;
• The Honourable East India Company;
• The Honourable Artillery Company; etc.

1.2 Usage

The style The Honourable is always written on envelopes, and formally elsewhere, in which case the style Mr or Esq.Alternative meanings: Esquire Magazine, one of the electric guitar models from the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation''. Esquire or Esq. for short was originally a title for the sons of nobles etc. who did not possess any other title. However, today th is omitted. In speech, however, The Honourable John Smith is referred to simply as Mr John Smith.

In the House of CommonsIn a bicameral parliament of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. The Commons generally holds much more power than the upper house (the senate or House of Lords). The leader of the majority and other lower houses of ParliamentAlternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). A parliament is a legislative body, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system derived from that of the United Kingdom. and other legislatures, members refer to each other as honourable members etc. out of courtesy, despite the fact that they are not entitled to the style in writing.

Where a person is entitled to the prefix The Right HonourableThe Right Honourable (abbreviated "The Rt Hon. or "The Right Hon. is an honorific prefix which belongs to certain classes of people in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth Realms. Entitlement People entitled to the prefix in a personal capacity are: he will use this higher style instead of The Honourable.