During the celebrations of Luxembourg’s National day, Grand Duke Henri has announced that Tessy de Nassau, wife of Prince Louis, will now be styled as Princess of Luxembourg, and her two sons will be styled Prince Gabriel and Prince Noah de Nassau.

His daughter Princess Alexandra has also received the position of a knight in the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, which is an order passed onto both the Ottonian and Walram lines of the House of Nassau; in Luxembourg it is the Grand Duchy’s highest national order, bestowed for meritious service to the nation or the Grand Duke, whilst in the Netherlands it is a dynastic order conferred by the Queen upon members who have performed a special service to the Royal House.

For more information, please see this thread.

alex001 Luxembourg Royals Grand Duke Henri, Orders, Prince Gabriel de Nassau, Prince Noah de Nassau, Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg, Princess Tessy, Titles

  Prince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta, who was born only four days ago, received the additional title of  ’Prince of Piedmont’ from his grandfather the Duke of Aosta. The baby prince was born in Paris on March 7th and is the son of prince Aimone of Savoy-Aosta and princess Olga of Greece.

This title emphasizes the rivalry between the two branches of the Italian royal family, as prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, grandson of Italy’s last king Umberto II, also uses the title ‘Prince of Piedmont’.  The Aosta’s however claim that they are the heirs to king Umberto, and the rightful claimants to the Italian throne.

More information from the website of the house of Savoy Aosta  here (in Italian only).

Marengo Italian Royals Birth, Prince Aimone, Prince Umberto, Princess Olga, Titles

The Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key, has announced the restoration of Knight and Dame titles, which were dropped by the previous Labour government in 2000. It was widely believed at the time that the replacement of these titles, which are linked to the British honours system, was a step down the road to eventual republicanism and separation from Britain.

The Knight and Dame titles were replaced by the Principal and Distinguished Companion title. Holders of these titles will have the opportunity to exchange them for Knight and Dame titles if they wish. The change is set to occur before the announcement of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June of this year.

The move, which has the approval of the Queen,  has been criticised by people who believe that New Zealand’s honours system should be fully independent of the British system, but it has been welcomed by those who think the change in 2000 downgraded the meaning of the titles.

Lucia-mia British Royals Elizabeth II, New Zealand, Titles