Right Honourables
Preserved but no longer current.
The corresponding prefix for a marquess is The Most Honourable, and for a duke Bis Grace. Younger sons of earls, and all sons of viscounts and barons are Honourables, as are justices of the High Court, maids of honour, and certain Colonial and other ministers. Members of Parliament when in the House are usually addressed as "My honourable friend," or "the honourable member for So-and-so.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Right Honourables” mean?
The corresponding prefix for a marquess is The Most Honourable, and for a duke Bis Grace. Younger sons of earls, and all sons of viscounts and barons are Honourables, as are justices of the High Court, maids of honour, and certain Colonial and other ministers. Members of Parliament when in the House are usually addressed as "My honourable friend," or "the honourable member for So-and-so.
Is “Right Honourables” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.