Excellency is an honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state.
Usually, people addressed as excellency are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, certain ecclesiastics, royalty, aristocracy, and military, and others holding equivalent rank (e.g., heads of international organizations, high commissioners in the Commonwealth of Nations).
It is sometimes misinterpreted as a title of office in itself, but in fact is an honorific that precedes various titles (such as Mr. President, and so on), both in speech and in writing. In reference to such an official, it takes the form His/Her Excellency; in direct address, Your Excellency, or, less formally, simply Excellency.
The abbreviation HE is often used instead of His Excellency; alternatively it may stand for His Eminence.
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In most republican nations, the president is formally addressed as His Excellency; however in day-to-day conversation Mr. President remains the most common means of address.
If a republic has a prime minister, he is often addressed as Excellency as well. If the nation is a constitutional monarchy, however, rules vary. Many European monarchies do not specifically give this form of address to their prime ministers, while most of the monarchies of Asia do.
Governors of colonies in the British Empire were entitled to be addressed as excellency and this remains the position for the Governors of what are now known as British Overseas Territories.[1]
In various international organizations, notably the UN and its agencies, Excellency is used as a generic form of address for all heads of state and heads of government. It is often granted to the organization's head as well, and to those chiefs of UN diplomatic missions, such as Resident Coordinators (who are the designated representatives of the Secretary-General), who are accredited at the Head of State (like an Ambassador), or the lower Head of Government level.
In recent years, some international organizations, such as the OSCE, or the European Union, have designated their Permanent Representatives in third countries as Ambassadors, although they do not represent sovereign entities. This is now largely accepted, and because these Ambassadors rank after the UN representative in the orders of precedence of representatives of international organizations, the UN coming naturally first as pre-eminent, the UN Resident Coordinators are now also commonly but informally referred to in diplomatic circles as ambassadors, although the UN itself does not refer to them in this way.
Judges of the International Court of Justice are also called Your Excellency.
In some monarchies the husbands, wives, or children, of a royal prince or princess, who do not possess a princely title themselves, may be entitled to the style. Former husbands or wives of a royal prince or princess, who did have a royal title but lost this one, may be awarded the style after divorce.
In Spain, husbands or children of an infante or infanta (by birth) can be addressed as Excellency.
In some emirates (e.g., Kuwait or Qatar), besides the Emir, the Heir Apparent and Prime Minister (the only family members called His Highness), all children of a (former) emir are called His Excellency or Her Excellency (unless they possess a higher title).
In Spain and some other countries, high ranking noblemen (of Peerage rank in British terms) with the minimum rank of Duke, or with the dignity Grandee, are addressed as His/Her Excellency.
In Denmark feudal counts and barons have the right to be entitled your excellencies.
Excellency can also attach to an honorary quality, notably in an order of knighthood. For example, in the Empire of Brazil, it was attached to the highest classes, each time called Grand Cross, of all three imperial orders: Imperial Order of Pedro I, Imperial Order of the Southern Cross (in this case, also enjoying the military honours of a Lieutenant general) and Order of the Rose.
Knights Collar and Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III of Spain, Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great and Order of St. Sylvester of the Holy See, Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and Knights Grand Cross of several other orders of high prestige, are also addressed as such.[2]
In most countries the general officers with the minimum rank equivalent or higher to that of Lieutenant General (army), Vice-Admiral (navy), or Air Marshal (airforce), are addressed as Excellency.
By a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial of 31 December 1930[3] the Holy See granted bishops of the Roman Catholic Church the title of Most Reverend Excellency (Latin, Excellentia Reverendissima). In the years following the First World War the ambassadorial title of Excellency, previously given to nuncios, had already begun to be used of other Catholic bishops. The adjective Most Reverend was intended to distinguish the religious title from that of Excellency given to civil officials.
The instruction Ut sive sollicite of the Holy See's Secretariat of State, dated 28 March 1969, made the addition of Most Reverend optional.[4]
According to the letter of the decree of 31 December 1930, patriarchs too were to be addressed with the title of (Most Reverend) Excellency, but in practice the Holy See continued to address them with the title of Beatitude, which was formally sanctioned for them with the motu proprio Cleri sanctitati of 2 June 1957.
Cardinals, even those who were bishops, continued to use the title of Eminence.
In some English-speaking countries, the honorific of Excellency does not apply to bishops other than the nuncio. In British law, Anglican archbishops and bishops are granted the titles, respectively, of Grace (Your Grace, His Grace, as for a duke) and Lordship. The same titles are extended by courtesy to their Catholic counterparts, and continue in use in most countries that are or have been members of the Commonwealth. An exception is former British East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania).
In 1991, the Brazilian Presidential Office issued a composition manual to establish the correct usage of the Portuguese language for all government agencies. The manual states that the title of Excelência (Excellency) is the proper form used to address the President and Vice President, all members of Parliament and judges, among other officials.[5]
The President of Ireland is addressed as Your Excellency or in the Irish language, a Shoilse. Alternatively, one may address the president simply as President or in the Irish language a hUachtaráin.
Within the Commonwealth of Nations, the following officials usually use the style Excellency:
While reference may be made to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, the style Excellency is not used with reference to the Queen.
In the Portuguese Republic, the proper style of the President of the Republic of Portugal is His Excelency (Portuguese: Sua Excelência)).
In the United States, the form Excellency was commonly used for George Washington during his Presidency, but it began to fall out of use with his successor, and today has been replaced in direct address with the simple Mr. President or The Honorable. However, in many foreign countries and in United Nations protocol the President of the United States is usually referred to as His Excellency. Diplomatic correspondence to President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, as during the Trent Affair, for instance, frequently referred to him as His Excellency.
In several of the former Thirteen Colonies, the form Excellency is used for the governor. These include Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. West Virginia likewise adopted the title His/Her Excellency from its parent state. The term is used frequently in the U.S. state of Georgia on the state governor's letterhead, the text of executive orders, any document that requires the governor's signature, and in formal settings. Nevertheless, Excellency is used frequently when introducing the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Governor of Virginia, and the Governor of North Carolina at formal events. The Governor of Michigan is traditionally afforded the courtesy title, though it has fallen out of use in recent years. [1]
Other governors are sometimes addressed as excellency at public events. This is a traditional practice that is not at all incorrect, but it is less common, and is the product of custom and courtesy rather than of legislation.
Though ambassadors are traditionally accorded the title elsewhere, the U.S. government does not use excellency for its diplomatic corps, preferring the honorable instead.
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