His or Her Worship is an honorific prefix for mayors, Justices of the Peace and magistrates in Commonwealth Realms. In spoken address, these officials are addressed as Your Worship or referred to as His or Her Worship; South Africa is an exception, as the term is still used to address judges in court. In Australia all States now use Your Honour as the form of address for magistrates (the same as has always been used for judges in higher courts).
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The term worship implies that citizens give or attribute special worth or esteem (worthship) to their first-citizen or mayor.[1][2] According to Chaucer, the term means to respect; to honour; or to treat with civil reverence.[3]
Mayors of cities and the original Cinque Ports (Sandwich, Hythe, Dover, Romney and Hastings), are styled The Right Worshipful. Also some historic boroughs, such as Shrewsbury and Atcham[4] in Shropshire, address their mayors by this prefix. In India especially in Tamil Nadu the Mayor of Chennai is addressed as Worshipful Mayor with robes and attire as per the Lord Mayor of the City of London.