Title and form of address to use for the husband of a baron, viscount, earl, marquess, duke, prince, or king?

Question

Likewise, what title and form of address to use for the wife of a baroness, viscountess, countess, marchioness, duchess, or princess?

How about the husband of a knight (viz David Furnish, husband or Sir Elton John) or the wife of a dame?

G of L: I'm aware that there is no accepted tradition for these matters as of yet; that's why I'm asking people's thoughts on what the tradition should be, or might become.

calvin: It's very difficult to prove a negative; all we can say is that we are unaware of any such unions having been recognized. There have certainly been plenty of same-sex couples in history, and also many periods of time when records (if any) might have been expunged after the fact. But yes, history provides little guidance.

AdamK: Those are indeed titles and forms of address now in use; but which, if any, would apply to the situation given?

Dunrobin: Your answer is close to what I sought, but misses the point a bit. Despite the tradition that a man does not take his status from his wife, there is an equally venerable tradition that can be phrased in either of these two ways:
(a) a person whose husband is of superior rank takes status from him; and
(b) a wife of inferior rank takes status from her spouse.

Answer 1

If you are wondering about gay partners of peers of the realm, there are presently no such couples (though the UK has had same-sex civil partnerships since 2005). David Furnish does not have any title on the basis of his marriage to a knight. Thus gay partners are treated the same as men who marry women with titles; husbands of peeresses in their own right have never received a title. It may be unfair, but is based on the old precept that a man does not take his status from his wife.

If a lesbian princess or gay prince were to take a same sex partner, that partner might be granted a new title of his or her own (as a duke or earl rather than a prince/ss) but this is hard to envisage.

EDIT: Joe, your additional comments refers to 'wives' taking their status from their titled spouses, and titled 'husbands' conferring their status on their spouse. But under current UK law Elton John and David Furnish are civil partners, not husbands. Maybe one day there will be a petition to the Crown from a same-sex couple seeking the same status for the non-titled partner as would be the case in a traditional marriage, but there are practical objections to this. The spouse of a gay 'Duke of Omnium' could not be called Duchess as he is a man, and there cannot be two Dukes of Omnium at the same time. It is easier to treat the gay spouse as unfairly as the husbands of titled women have always been treated.

Answer 2

so as (proper to bottom) Duke Marquess Earl Viscount Baron those are friends. "Lord" isn't a identify, only a way of addressing someone with a identify. "Sir" is the address for a Baronet, or a Knight, neither of that are friends. In England, Bishops and Archbishops are considered friends, yet, i will't bear in ideas the precise priority.

Answer 3

You already have the male and female forms there. Since gay marriages were not recognized in the early days of royalty, the issue never arose.

Answer 4

These are all "male" titles and therefore, in tradition, there would be no "husband" of these individuals.
Tradition does not allow for partners even in this day and age.

Answer 5

Male Title

Prince (His Royal Highness & Sir)
Duke (His Royal Highness and Your Grace then Sir)
Marquess (on the Continent) (Sir and Lord)
Earl (or Count on the Continent) (Sir and Lord)
Vicount (Sir and Lord)
Baron (Sir and Lord)
Lord (Sir and Lord)
Sir (Sir)

Female Title

Princess (Her Royal Highness and Ma'am)
Duchess (Her Royal Highness and Your Grace, then Ma'am)
Marchioness (on the Continent) (Your Ladyship)
Countess (Lady and Ma'am)
Vicountess (Lady and Ma'am)
Baroness (Lady and Ma'am)
Lady (or Dame) (Lady)

Answer 6

The "Husband" of a any of those male titles would be your rumprangership

Answer 7

M'lord, M'lady

Answer 8

howdy dude.

Answer 9

hey, you!