Buy a Noble Title

Royal titles are not used as much as they used to be, but that shouldn't stop anyone from pursuing a title. Titles can be used on documents and in correspondences to identify and refer to a person. While the use of various titles has diminished now that many governments that maintained a royal monarch have adopted elected forms of government, the titles are still available.

Many titles come from owners of land who claim that their ownership of a piece of land confers on them the authority to grant certain titles. These land owners (or those claiming to own a piece of land) offer noble titles in exchange for a fee. Many on the Internet call this practice of selling royal titles a fraud, but people continue to buy these titles.

While these titles often carry little to no political edge, benefit, or even recognition, they continue to be found for sale on the web. These titles should be considered novelty items similar to hanging a fake college degree on a wall and calling oneself a doctor.

This is not to say that all title holders are fakes. The British royal family continues to confer legitimate titles to this day, but they are often reserved for individuals who have made great accomplishments in the world through charitable work, academic research, professional accomplishments, etc. One thing is for certain; knighthood cannot be bought from the Queen of England. The titles conferred by the British royal family of today are similar to congressional or presidential awards to U.S. citizens.

One organization, the International Commission on Nobility and Royalty, is a private organization that has taken a stand against organizations that sell noble or royal titles for a price. They seek to educate the public against purchasing worthless titles and preaches the "too good to be true" theory.

Vendors of royal and noble titles claim that reasons for wanting to purchase a title vary. Some people just like the attention while others claim to have been given room upgrades in hotels, flight upgrades on planes, and reservation upgrades in restaurants just by using one of the titles purchased.

Titles available on the web include:

Duke or Duchess
Baron or Baroness
Marquis or Marchioness
Lord or Lady
Count or Countess
Prince or Princess
Grand Prince or Grand Princess
Archduke or Archduchess
Viscount or Viscountess
Baronet
Sir or Dame

The price for these titles can range from low to mid double digits to the high triple digits. Many packages will include beautifully decorated certificates suitable for hanging.

As with any purchase on the Internet, buyers beware!