Are the Titles offered by the Principality legal?
These Titles are recognised by International Protocols of Chivalry - as His Excellency, The Prince is acknowledged as a fons honorum - a font of honour - with the Undoubted Right to bestow Titles of Nobility, according to venerable Norman medieval law.
Various countries and organizations around the world have different laws and standards regarding the acceptance of Titles. For example, on rare occasions, the British Monarch has bestowed a Title on an American citizen which American law forbade that citizen to attach to their name.
There are a great many jurisdictions in the world and they are constantly changing their regulations, but our Titles are authentic and come from a genuine source.
I thought the Queen of England was the only person who could grant Knighthoods. Isn’t that so?
The British Monarchy is certainly a valid source of Honours, but it is only ONE source. There are many others.
In Europe, the Nordic and Benelux countries still have functioning Monarchies, as do several minuscule Principalities. There are also a small number of Asian, African and Pacific countries which have Monarchies.
Then there are countries which have become republics, but which still have existing Royal Families who continue to bestow Honours. There are even countries which no longer exist, but whose Royal Families have direct descendants living today; these descendants can also create Nobility.
In addition, both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have conferred Honours and Nobility for centuries.
Finally, there are the independent Orders of Chivalry, many of which have existed since the Middle Ages. The Grand Masters of these Orders usually hold the Rank of Prince and they have been recognised for hundreds of years as having the power to confer Knighthoods and other Honours.
Where does The Prince DOUGLAS’ Authority to confer Titles come from?
The Prince DOUGLAS was raised from the Rank of Baron to that of Prince in 1991, by the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (Jacobite Rite) The Lord ALEXANDER II.
Do I have to be of the Orthodox Faith to Petition The Prince for Honours?
No. The Prince has established his Honours privately rather than as a public institution, as is explained on our Disclaimer Page. One need not be connected to any specific political, religious or other official body in order to be eligible for His Excellency’s Favour. (See the question below on the Investiture Fee for further information.)
What is the origin of the Principality of St. Michel de Clermont?
The Barony of Clermont (now a Principality, as noted above) was founded in the High Middle Ages, during the period of the Fourth Crusade. It was a dependant fief of the Latin Empire of Constantinople.
In 1204, the Latin dynasty took power in Constantinople, and Clermont was founded soon after in what is now a part of the Republic of Greece by Frankish (French) Crusaders. These Crusader Barons built the Castle of Clermont (later known as Tornese) around the year 1220. Its historic ruins are pictured on the Photos Page. The Castle is located about 6 km from Killini, on the coast of the Peloponnese.
May these Titles be inherited by my children?
Noble Titles may certainly be inherited – and we follow the Continental European custom of having the Title inherited by all children equally. These Noble Titles include: Duke or Duchess, Marquis or Marchioness, Count or Countess and Viscount or Viscountess.
The Title of Knight or Dame is a Life Peerage and, unlike Noble Titles, may not be inherited.
Does the Investiture Fee you require of Applicants constitute a purchase of Honours? Am I buying a Title?
Absolutely not. Investiture Fees are standard to Orders of Chivalry and are intended to defray the costs of Investiture. Titles of Nobility are granted on the basis of demonstrated merit.
We suggest that you accompany your completed Application blank and Investiture Fee with a brief letter addressed to The Prince, advising His Excellency of your reasons for seeking Honours – your Reason of Petition. Because His Excellency receives a great deal of correspondence, it is recommended that you try not to exceed two pages.
You will want to assure The Prince of your good character and of your dedication to the ideals of Chivalry. You may also wish to tell him a little about yourself and your family, focussing particularly on your charitable and humanitarian activities. If you have an existing Noble Title or Noble ancestors, His Excellency would be most interested to hear about this as well.
May I nominate a friend, relative or colleague for Honours?
You certainly may.
Please provide your name and address as well as the information requested on the Application blank for the nominee, including his or her locale. Make certain to enclose the appropriate Investiture Fee – and also, please include some information for The Prince about why the nominee is being recommended for Honours.
Of what practical use is it to have a Title of Nobility in the modern world?
In very few cases these days do Nobles wield power or lead armies, but Titles command tremendous respect and moral authority. People to whom honour and courtesy are more than just euphemisms see Titles as a way of preserving a way of living up to the very best ideals that any man or woman can strive for.
You may find that once you have obtained and are using a Title, you will be given more notice and more credence – but it is important to remember that along with Honours come the responsibility to live up to the standard of personal integrity which they imply.
When I receive my Letters Patent what should I do with them?
Your Letters Patent are inscribed on a large format document, composed of fine linen weave paper. They bear your Title and show your name and locale.
All Letters Patent are meticulously prepared in calligraphic script, couched in the traditional language of Chivalry, by our heraldic artist - and are signed and Sealed personally by The Prince.
Letters Patent should be framed by a quality framer using conservation methods that seal out oxygen to preserve the precious document.
Before framing, however, you may wish to have your Letters Patent photo-reduced at a photocopying establishment so that you will have a smaller sized copy for attachment to your résumé, faxing to credit card issuers when asking them to add your Title to your card, etc.
Why do you request a postal address when enquiries are made via email?
Very rarely, email replies do not go through. In one case, unfortunately, we have had an enquiry from the same individual several times, but as this person did not provide a postal address and as replies sent to their email ‘bounce’ they are unaware that we have answered their repeated question, very probably to their satisfaction!
At the bottom of some your web pages why do they refer to your agents as Nobilitat Regalia-CB?
The CB code is used to point out to our agents that your contact/interest has come via the Chancellery's Official web site. Some of our members run their own entirely separate & independent web sites & this is to avoid any such confusion.
Why do you use a Post Office Box - Have you something to hide?
Firstly, let us be very clear we have nothing to hide! The Chancellery has had a continuous web presence since early 1992 via its Peerage Conferred web address. Under Canadian Law, if you receive a large volume of mail (post) you must by law use a Postal Box Address. That is why we use a Post Office Box Address. - Because our mail volume is very large indeed!
Who are Nobilitat Regalia?
They are the agents appointed by the Principality to deal with the processing of paperwork for honours & order regalia within the Principality.
Why do insist on either a Personal Cheque/Check or Bankers Draft Upfront with my application form?
Our agents usually ask that payment of passage fees be made with the initial application as a matter of convenience. When an application is received, it is assessed & then forwarded to His Excellency Prince Douglas for a final decision. If your application is approved, because the passage fee monies have been received at the same time as receipt of your application, your letters patent can then be processed much more quickly. - If your application is DECLINED however, we will return your passages fees cheque/check or draft UN-CASHED.
We do however realise that some people may be wary about sending monies upfront (and quite rightly too) which is why if you prefer you can forward your application with a covering letter to His Excellency, advising that you are sending your application for PRE-APPROVAL. - Assuming your application is then granted, you will receive a postal invoice advising of the amount of passage fees payable. Please note that this will add considerably to the delay in the processing of your letters patent, as we are reliant on the Airmail/Canadian Postal system. Until your passage fees are received by the chancellery, your application & letters patent will be placed on hold as we do not send letters patents on either a credit or cash on delivery system.
Why can't I pay my passage fees by a Credit/Debit Card such as AMEX/MASTERCARD/VISA?
Our agents Nobilitat Regalia recently trialled Payment by card via Pay-Pal's Invoice by E-mail Service for Passage Fees Due. However due to the very high cost of processing these individual card payments it was felt that this scheme was financially unsustainable. In short these costs would have had to have been passed on to you (the petitioner) in the way of much higher passage fees. The Prince felt that this was simply unacceptable to our members & so the trial was ended. - Our agents are constantly reviewing the situation & should the situation change, the necessary announcement will be made via our news pages.
Why do you have a Disclaimer on your Site if your Titles are really ‘Authentic’?
The Disclaimer is there precisely because of the authenticity of the Titles we offer. We do not represent them as being something they are not - Honours from The Queen of England, for example.
However, neither do we minimize their genuineness. The Prince IS a fons honorum - with as much Right to bestow Titles as ANY other legitimate source of Honours.
Why do you request that all payments of Fees be made in United States
currency?
We deal with Applicants from all around the World and this seems now to
be the easiest means of exchange, just as the British Pound once was. There
may be some individuals who will be inconvenienced by having to deal in
United States dollars, for which we sincerely apologise, but this does seem
to be the easiest mechanism for the greatest number of people.
Is there any truth to the claims & postings that are on some internet web sites such as the Earl of Bradford's web site of Fake Titles.Com?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! - There is no basis to for these claims & postings whatsoever! We would say such postings are typical of an Order Assassin/Grump. See the Prince's Official Statement re: The Earl of Bradford & Order Assasin/Grumps for further information & clarification.
Why don't you sue or take legal action if these rumours & postings are untrue?
Litigation is a very expensive business & the Chancellery has previously taken such action over the last few years. The problem is that once you successfully close down one site, another springs up in its place on the internet & so the cycle continues. Whilst these fictitious claims can sometimes be annoying & potentially damaging, we prefer instead to ignore these people & let our existing membership be our "Goodwill Ambassadors". We think that in the long-term this speaks volumes & is a much better way to counter attack those people that seek to attack us unjustifiably.
Additional questions …
We will be updating this FAQ from time to time to reflect the questions and concerns that are most regularly raised by enquirers. In the meanwhile, please send any specific question not answered elsewhere to:
chancellery@peerageconferred.org
Or if you prefer to write via e-mail or snail mail - Please e-mail all inquiries to the Prince's
GRAND SECRETARY
Include a Postal Address for further information
(all Postal Addresses are to be held in strict confidence
and will not be shared, sold or traded). Thank You.
Snail Mail to our Agents
NOBILITAT REGALIA-CB
c/o The Chancellery, P.O. Box #1944,
Victoria, BC, Canada,
V8W 3A8
