Browse Categories:

British Monarchy

Royalty | Princely Houses | Aristocracy

"For a time during the 1980s the Royal Family were not just the most influential family in Britain but probably in Europe and Prince Charles specifically was very much like a de facto Cabinet member and what he said actually had impact on public policy." - Andrew Morton.

"In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do." - Gianni Versace.

"I am an aristocrat. I love liberty; I hate equality." - John Randolph.

"Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant. Of a teacher and a learner." - John Updike.

A ROYAL FAMILY is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term "imperial family" more appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress regnant, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate in reference to the relatives of a reigning duke, grand duke, or prince. It is also considered proper in some circles to refer to the extended relations of a deposed monarch and his or her descendants as a royal family.

A royal family typically includes the spouse of the reigning monarch, surviving spouses of a deceased monarch, the children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and cousins of the reigning monarch, as well as their spouses. In some cases, royal family membership may extend to great grandchildren and more distant descendants of a monarch. In certain monarchies where voluntary abdication is the norm, such as the Netherlands, a royal family may also include one or more former monarchs. There is often a distinction between persons of the blood royal and those that marry into the royal family.

The ARISTOCRACY are people considered to be in the highest social class in society, who traditionally have land, money, and power. They are often members of a hereditary nobility that derives its stature from a lineage traceable to the original inhabitants or rulers of a region. They are usually below only the leader(s) of a country in the social hierarchy.

The term "aristocracy" was first given in Athens to young citizens (the men of the ruling class) who led armies from the front line. Because military bravery was highly regarded as a virtue in ancient Greece, it was assumed that the armies were being led by "the best". From the ancient Greeks, the term passed on to the European Middle Ages for a similar hereditary class of military leaders often referred to as the "nobility". As in ancient Greece, this was a slave-holding class of privileged men whose military role allowed them to present themselves as the most "noble", or "best".

Aristocracy Princely Houses Royalty



Copyright © TheInternationalMan.com 2000-2010. All rights reserved.