Is it illegal to call yourself by a royal title?

Question

My friend Emma met a real life Countess at a big party for charity. Em thought the real Countess was so cool she wants to start calling herself Countess Emma or Lady Emma. She wants Lady Emma (last name) put on her Visa card too.

To call yourself a Countess or another royal title: Is that legal? Or illegal?

P.S. She doesn't want to defraud anybody she just thinks being called your Excellency or Lady Emma sounds too cool. I don't know what I think about it.

Answer 1

There is no copy rights, hence I see no reason why not.  It is just a name.  I see nothing wrong with it, but do not misuse it.

Answer 2

In the U.K. you can call yourself by any name you wish, including one that contains a `title`. It is completely legal. However, you cannot use an alias for the purpose of committing fraud.

Answer 3

Queen Latifa, B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Prince, Don King.

Answer 4

I think Emma needs to get a grip, not a poncy title.

Answer 5

It is VERY iLLEGAL!!!

It is given thru birth right..marriage...or royalty.

Tell 'Em'........not to even try it!

She can not just go and change her  'status' in life,like that.

                                    sorry!

Answer 6

yes it is

Answer 7

You can be named at birth, with a title name.  The most common birth names are Duke and Princess.  However these names are obviously not seen as a title as the surname follows.  A clever parent would "Double-Barrel" a Christian name thus producing Duke John ****** or Princess Mary ******.  That can be misleading.  As long as the person doesn't use their name for illegal purposes they are OK to live with the name.  However, if a person waits in a queue for a table, at a restaurant and a friend says that he is Duke Michael Kent and he doesn't declare that he is not a Royal, he could technically end up in trouble.  If the Manager comes and gives them preferential treatment (allows them to jump the queue and gives them the best table) and gives them a complimentary bottle of champagne and waves their bill at the end, it could be deemed as "Receiving Goods and / or Services by Deception".  It would be up to Duke to declare that he is not Royal nor related to Royalty.  Apart from the risk of breaking deception laws, the person will have a Birth Certificate, a bank account, passport and Inland Revenue account etc. in that name.  Your friend can call herself anything she likes, most people would change their name by "Deed Poll" thus making the name legitimate.  However, if she goes around with her friends calling her Lady Emma or Countess, even though it may be fun, she can land in trouble.  It is highly likely that she will as if she attends a party and word gets around that there's a Countess in attendance, she could easily mislead people.  Any person that either introduces themselves or is introduced to her should be informed that she is "NOT" a real Lady, Duchess, Princess, Countess etc. otherwise, if any person discovers, after the event, that he / she has been misled, he / she could make a formal complaint to the police.  Remember, "fraud" is not the only statutary crime that is linked to names.  To be honest, "Lady Emma" will not find her name so "cool" when she appears before a "Crown Court".

PS - Daniel, you are wrong!  In the UK, anybody can legally change their name by "Deed Poll".  Basically, all they do is fill in a few forms, pay some money to the High Court / County Court and a Judge will make the order.  The original Birth Certificate still applies but the legal document gets used with it.  With the "Deed Poll", you can obtain a Passport, bank account etc. in the new name.

Answer 8

Yes it's possible, why not buy your friend this gift:

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/laird-or-...

Answer 9

No don't think it's illegal I know a few toffs who have bought the titles theyve got (although theyr frowned upon by the toff comunity!) so dont see a reason why your friend shouldnt. I agree itd be well cool!!

Answer 10

Peter and Jordan called their Daughter Princess taaaititrieoe or something like that.

Michael Jackson has a son who begines with prince

Answer 11

Sarah Ferguson still calls herself the Duchess of York, and she hasn't been a royal in ages -  so yeah, go ahead

Answer 12

As long as it is not for a fraudulent purpose, you may call yourself what you like.

Answer 13

you can call yoursell Queen Emma ,duchees emma.... if you have or buy a tittle. in some countries is legal buy a tittle but in others not. for example you can build an english tittle (Duke of York, Lord of Glasgow...), but you cant buy a spanish tittle (Conde de Huesca, Marqués de GriÑon...) because in england is legal but in spain is ilegal. you can have a tittle if the queen gives you one.

if you dont have a tittle you can't put in your Visa card Lady Emma. and you can't force at anybody call you excellency. if you have it you can put it in your visa and you can force at the people call you Excellency, Lady....

Answer 14

For a citizen of the United Kingdom it is still illegal to claim any noble or royal title to which they are not entitled. Such citizens technically cannot name their offspring 'Prince', 'Baron' etc.

Answer 15

Prince seems to get away with it.

So does the King  (Elvis)

Answer 16

NO, MY NAME IM QUEEN BEE.LOL

BUT FOR REAL WHAT HE SAID ABOVE ME IS TRUE.

Answer 17

no ..i use prince all the tim!...you can call your daughter queen too!

Answer 18

Whether is it is or isn't a lot of people do it.

                          Yours

                             Truly

                            Lady Suzie.

Answer 19

So long as you do not imply that you are the real thing you can call yourself what you like. It may get you a better table in a restaurant but you will pay. Oh yes you will pay

Answer 20

lol... i dunno but for me.. i think whats the

point if am not going to have any of the royal rights =)

Answer 21

You can call yourself whatever you want, however, in the UK you can't change your passport or birth certificate. As most banks insist on passport ID for opening accounts you probably couldn't get it on your Bank cards.

Banks are resitant to change people's titles.Banks , I know one bank  in the UK that refused to change someone's title from Ms to Dr when she gained her medical degree.

Answer 22

yes you can buy Titles and they are legal

For a joke present I was bought a title in Scotland and a small plot of land for my 18th

I'm Lady Lisa

lol :D

Edit

If you have legally bought a title then it its completely legal to have it transferred to your bank books etc

The only place it cannot be transferred to is your birth certificate as you were not born with the title

Answer 23

NO

Answer 24

In certain countries that still have royalty and noble titles, it's illegal to call yourself by a title you don't actually possess.  If you live in the U.S.A., go ahead.

Answer 25

I'm not sure if it is illegal, but it is definitely stupid if you are not one.

Answer 26

If it were illegal, the poor Red Hat ladies would all be in jail.  :D

Answer 27

As long as your friend doesn't intend to defaud anyone, the Law probably can't forbid her from calling herself Countess Emma or Lady Emma.  Indeed, if this brings out ladylike qualities, such as graciousness to all she meets, she might more than earn her nickname. Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson went by the nickname of Lady Bird.  She certainly acted like a lady long before she was the First Lady of the United States.

According to Wikipedia, in the United States

------"One may be employed, do business, and enter into contracts, and sue and be sued under any name they choose at will" (Linden v. First National Bank 10 F. 894, Coppage v. Kansas 236 US1, McUlta 189 F. 250).

------"Such a change carries the exact weight as a court decree name change as long as it is not done with fraudulent intent" (In re McUlta 189 F. 250, Christianson v. King County, 196 F. 791, United States v. McKay 2 F.2d 257).

------"This at will right is guaranteed under the United States Constitution, specifically, the 14th Admendment" (Jech v. Burch, 466 F. Supp. 714).

State laws can regulate name changes, but they cannot altogether forbid common law name changes.

To legally change one name by court order in the US (which is similar to deed poll in the UK), however, it is necessary to plead that the name change is not for fradulent or illegal purposes, such as evading a lien or debt.

In the United Kingdom, in theory, anyone age 16 or older can call him or herself whatever he or she wishes.  "Lady Emma" may run across a geniune countess or lady in the UK, but in most social circles in the United States, it is highly unlikely.  Then again, Jim and Huck bump into a faux duke and earl halfway through Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.