Royalty and nobility in Washingtonia
The islands which today make up the Kingdom of Washingtonia had since their first encounter with Western civilization in 1532 (founded and incorporated into the Kingdom of France in 1532) been under monarchical rule. Royal and noble customs have thus from this long history of monarchy become ingrained in Washingtonian society. The republican movement, since the end of the Civil War lost much support when the Monarchy ceded some of its absolute power to democracy, thus the prospects of Washingtonia becoming a republic seem unlikely.
What is regarded today as relevant concerning the Kingdom's monarchical history started when George Washington declared himself King of "Washingtonia" (the islands were formerly known as Beauchemin, after founder Grégoire Beauchemin) shortly after acquiring the islands and his earlier exile from the United States. The move, which was seen as unorthodox by the colonists already living on the island, was hailed as justice by those who accompanied Washington. His tyrannical rule and behavior shortly thereafter, however, painted a bad picture of the newly founded monarchy. When his son, George II, succeeded him, and his benevolent rule followed, the monarchy won legitimacy for the first time.
Today, the monarchy is a shadow of what it had been during the absolutist era. Although still much stronger than most contemporary monarchies around the world, the monarchy, royalty and nobility in Washingtonia function more as cultural and ceremonial symbols than anything else. From the former long list of ranks and titles, including dukes and counts, only a handful remain. The noble houses which existed since the founding of the Kingdom, however, have remained. The most notable (and powerful) of these are the houses of Concord and Lexington, which were the Washington dynasty's main rivals during the Civil War.
Organization
Titles and ranks
- King | Queen
- Spouse: King Consort | Queen Consort
- Regency: King Regent | Queen Regent (unless person already has a title, in which case: '(Title) Regent')
- Crown Prince | Crown Princess
- Spouse: Prince Consort | Princess Consort
- Prince | Princess
- Spouse: Prince Consort | Princess Consort
- Baron | Baroness (Marquis | Marquise, in the House of du Motier)
- Lord | Lady
- Knight | Dame
- Esquire | Esquiress
Former
- Duke | Duchess
- Count | Countess
Royal Family
Main article: House of Washington
Noble houses
Chapter 3 Section 7(a) of the Constitution allows the King to create noble houses by Royal Decree. Currently, only five noble houses excluding the Royal Family exist in Washingtonia. The houses of Concord and Lexington are the largest and most prestigious among them.