Why Queen Elizabeth Is No Longer Being Referred to as 'Her Majesty the Queen'
New styling for Queen Elizabeth is in use following her death.
After she "peacefully" died at age 96 on September 8 and her funeral was held on September 19, Buckingham Palace has shifted their royal reference to the monarch in communications from "Her Majesty the Queen" to "Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth."
Gert's Royals explained the change on Thursday: "Pre-funeral she was 'Her Majesty The Queen,' now she is officially referred to as 'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.' 'The' in a title indicates current title holder. No 'The' means former title holder, former spouse of title holder, etc."
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The palace shifted the descriptor on social media Thursday, as seen in a tweet about Princess Anne's visit to thank servicemen who helped stage the Queen's funeral earlier this week.
In Portsmouth and Aldershot, The Princess Royal today met service personnel and thanked them for the role they played in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
🔗 https://t.co/zjvFXdZz7a pic.twitter.com/XB4M26iu45— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 22, 2022
"In Portsmouth and Aldershot, The Princess Royal today met service personnel and thanked them for the role they played in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's funeral," the message read.
Again Friday, courtiers embraced the new use when sharing background on Prince Edward's time with British Army troops stationed abroad.
The Earl of Wessex visited troops on deployment in Estonia and Germany this week to recognise their service and their commitment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth throughout her life.
HRH is Royal Colonel @CO_2RIFLES and Royal Honorary Colonel @WessexYeomanry. pic.twitter.com/mGbQ8KFHSP— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 23, 2022
"The Earl of Wessex visited troops on deployment in Estonia and Germany this week to recognize their service and their commitment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth throughout her life," the tweet said.
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Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Queen Elizabeth II
In another styling switch, Queen Elizabeth's eldest son King Charles III has followed his mother's lead in keeping his first name as he steps up as sovereign and now signs his name in the same way that she did.
On top of the Queen's casket at her state funeral in London on Monday was a loving message on royal letterhead from the new King, which read, "In loving and devoted memory, Charles R."
Phil Noble/Getty
King Charles' new signature comes with his new role as monarch. The "R" after his name stands for "Rex," which means "King" in Latin, the traditional signature for the monarch dating back to the 12th century.
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When used by Queens, the "R" stands for "Regina," or "Queen" in Latin. During her historic reign, Queen Elizabeth would sign official communications as "Elizabeth R."
