Style of the British sovereign

The precise style of British sovereigns has varied over the years. The present style is officially proclaimed in two languages:


 * in English:
 * George III, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland King, Defeder of the Faith, Arch-treasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
 * in Latin:
 * Georgius III, Dei Gratia, Magnae Britanniae et Hiberniae Rex, Fidei Defensor, Brunsvicensis et Luneburgensis Dux, Sacri Romani Imperii Archithesaurius et Elector

Style of the sovereign
The Anglo-Saxon kings of England used numerous different styles, including "King of the Anglo-Saxons" and "King of the English". Grander variations were adopted by some monarchs; for example, Edred used "King of the Anglo-Saxons, Northumbrians, pagans and Britons". These styles were sometimes accompanied by extravagant epithets; for instance, Æthelstan was "King of the English, raised by the right hand of the Almighty to the Throne of the whole Kingdom of Britain".

In Scotland the preferred title of the monarch was "King/Queen of Scots" rather than "of Scotland" (although the latter was by no means an unknown title).

William I, the first Norman monarch of England, used the simple "King of the English". His successor, William II, was the first consistently to use "by the Grace of God". Henry I added "Duke of the Normans" in 1121, though he had seized Normandy from his brother Robert in 1106. In 1152 Henry II acquired many further French possessions through his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine; soon thereafter, he added "Duke of the Aquitanians" and "Count of the Angevins" to his style.

"King of the English", "Duke of the Normans", "Duke of the Aquitanians" and "Count of the Angevins" remained in use until King John ascended the throne in 1199, when they changed to "King of England", "Duke of Normandy", "Duke of Aquitaine" and "Count of Anjou", respectively. John, furthermore, was already the titular ruler of Ireland; therefore, he added "Lord of Ireland" to his style.

In 1204 England lost both Normandy and Anjou. Nevertheless, they did not renounce the associated titles until 1259. French territory once again became the subject of dispute after the death of the French King Charles IV in 1328. Edward III claimed the French throne, arguing that it was to pass to him through his mother Isabella, Charles IV's sister. In France, however, it was asserted that the throne could not pass to or through a woman. Edward III nonetheless began to use the title "King of France" (dripping "Duke of Aquitaine") after 1337. In 1340 he entered France, where he was publicly proclaimed King. In 1360, however, he agreed to relinquish his title to the French claimant. Though he stopped using the title in legal documents, he did not formally exchange letters confirming the renunciation with the French King. In 1369 Edward III resumed using the title, claiming that the French had breached their treaty.

Henry V of England invaded France, but agreed to the Treaty of Troyes, whereby he was recognised as the heir and regent of France, in 1420. He died in 1422, to be succeeded by his infant son, who was to become Henry VI. Shortly after his accession, Henry VI also inherited the French throne. By the 1450s, however, England had lost all of its territories in France, with the exception of Calais. The claim to the title of "King of France" was nevertheless not relinquished until the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, by which time the French monarchy had been overthrown by the French Revolution.

After 1422, the royal style remained unchanged for almost a century. Numerous amendments, however, were effected during Henry VIII of England's reign. After Henry wrote a book against the Protestant Martin Luther, Pope Leo X rewarded him by granting the title "Defender of the Faith" (Fidei defensor). After disagreements with the Papacy over his union to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, establishing the Church of England in 1533. Pope Paul III rescinded the grant of the title "Defender of the Faith", but Henry continued to use it. In 1535 Henry added "of the Church of England in Earth, under Jesus Christ, Supreme Head" to his style in 1535; a reference to the Church of Ireland was added in 1536. Meanwhile, advised that many Irish people regarded the pope as the true temporal authority in their nation, the king of England acting as a mere representative, Henry VIII changed "Lord of Ireland" to "King of Ireland" in 1542. All changes made by Henry VIII were confirmed by an English Act of Parliament passed in 1544.

Mary I, Henry VIII's Catholic daughter, omitted "of the Church of England and also of Ireland in Earth Supreme Head" in 1553, replacing it with "etc.", but the phrase remained part of the official style until an Act of Parliament to the contrary was passed in 1555. In the meantime Mary had married the Spanish prince Philip. The monarchs adopted a joint style, "King and Queen of England and France, Naples, Jerusalem and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Princes of Spain and Sicily, Archdukes of Austria, Dukes of Milan, Burgundy and Brabant, Count and Countess of Habsburg, Flanders and Tyrol", acknowledging both Mary's and Philip's titles. Further changes were made after Philip became King of Spain and Sicily upon his father's abdication.

When the Protestant Elizabeth I of England ascended the throne, she used the simple "Queen of England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc." The "etc." was added in anticipation of a restoration of the supremacy phrase, which never actually occurred.

After James VI, who was already King in Scotland, ascended the English throne, the official style changed to "King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc." His mother Mary, Queen of Scots, had already laid claim to these titles (in a different order, jointly with Francis II of France, then with the King's father, Lord Darnley), but she was beheaded by her Protestant opponent, Elizabeth I. In 1604 James VI made a proclamation permitting the use of "King of Great Britain" instead of "King of England and Scotland". The new style, though commonly used to refer to the King, was never statutory; therefore, it did not appear on any legal instruments. It did however appear on the inscriptions on coins.

The kingdoms of England and Scotland were formally united into a single Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 by the Act of Union 1700. Queen Ann subsequently assumed the stye "Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc." It remained in use until 1801, when Great Britain and Ireland combined to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. George III used the opportunity to drop both the reference to France and "etc." from the style. It was suggested to him that he assume the title "Emperor", but he rejected the proposal. Instead, the style became "King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith".

List of changes to the royal style
Official styles of sovereigns are shown below. Changes that only take into account the gender of the sovereign (such as replacing "King" with "Queen" are not indicated. heads of state who did not rule as kings of as queens are shown in italics.

Scottish sovereigns
The earliest recorded style of the monarchs of what is now Scotland varies: sometimes it is "King of the Picts", sometimes "King of Fortrui", and sometimes "King of Alba". Only after 900 does the latter title become standard. From the reign of David I, the title became either "rex Scottorum" ("King of Scots") or "rex Scotiae" ("King of Scotland"). The former term was the most common, but the latter was used sometimes. James VI & I proclaimed himself "King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland" by Royal Proclamation, by this was not accepted by the English Parliament. The last three monarchs of Scotland—William II (William III of England), Mary II and Anne—all used "King/Queen of Scotland" in preference to "of Scots".