HSH is an acronym for His Serene Highness or Her Serene Highness. The style of HSH appeared at the front of the princely titles of members of German ruling families. The style is also used today by the ruling family of Monaco and Liechtenstein. Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial letter or letters of words, such as NATO and XHTML, and are pronounced in a way that is distinct from the full pronunciation of what the letters stand for. ...

Monaco

The reigning Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco, is styled His Serene Highness and his sisters Caroline and Stéphanie are also styled as Her Serene Highness. In French, both male and female versions are Son Altesse Sérénissime (S.A.S.), which translates literally to "His/Her Most Serene Highness". List of the ruling princes of the Grimaldi family. ... Albert II, Prince of Monaco, here pictured in an official portrait before his succession. ... The Princess of Hanover is the eldest child of the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and is currently heir presumptive to the principalitys throne. ... Her Serene Highness Princess Stéphanie (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi, born February 1, 1965 in the Palais Princier, Monaco) is the youngest child of Grace Kelly and Rainier III of Monaco. ...

German usage

The style Serene Highness was mainly used by the children and grandchildren of the reigning dukes and princes of the small German states that survived after the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. It was also given to several morganatic branches of German ruling family. Queen Mary, the consort of King George V used the style Her Serene Highness as a Princess of Teck. (The dukes and princes of Teck were a branch of the Royal House of Wurtemberg). In the Republic of Venice, also called the Serene Republic, the Doge was known as "Serenissimus". The crown of the Holy Roman Empire (2nd half of the 10th century), now held in the Vienna Schatzkammer. ... HSH Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, image by Lafayette of Bond Street, London. ... King George V King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Emperor of India His Majesty King George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert) (3 June 1865–20 January 1936) was the last British monarch of the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changing the name to the House... Württemberg (often spelled Wurttemberg in English) refers to an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in south-western Germany. ... The Republic of Venice was a city-state in Venetia in Northeastern Italy, based around the city of Venice. ... For some thousand years, the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice was the Doge (Duke). ...

In most of Europe, the style of Serene Highness was considered to be lower in rank than Highness, Grand Ducal Highness, Royal Highness, and Imperial Highness. If a woman with the rank of Royal Highness married a man with the rank Serene Highness, the woman would usually retain her pre-marital style. Queen Victoria did however create those German princes and dukes who married her daughters Royal Highnesses. Their children remained Serene Highnesses. HH may stand for: Hamburg Happy Hardcore Helly Hansen Herbie Hancock His Highness or Her Highness Hooper Holmes Inc. ... HGDH is an acronym for His Grand Ducal Highness or Her Grand Ducal Highness. ... HRH is an acronym for His Royal Highness or Her Royal Highness. ... HIH can refer to: Australian insurance company HIH Insurance His/Her Royal Highness, a title. ... Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ...

In Germany, the styled used is Durchlaucht. Although this is usually translated into English as Serene Highness it would be more correct to translate it as Transparency. The incorrect translation results in the inconsistency (to English speaking minds) of a mere Highness outranking a Serene Highness.

During World War I, King George V revoked the style Serene Highness for use by those members of the British Royal Family who were British subjects. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Members of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony The British Royal Family is a group of people closely related to the British monarch. ...

France

There is some evidence that in pre-Revolutionary France, a Serene Highness would outrank someone who was merely a Highness without any modifier. Those members of the Royal House of France who were not children or grandchildren of the king used the style Most Serene Highness. In fact, that style was introduced into France by Gaston d'Orleans the son of Henry IV and younger brother of Louis XIII. Gaston Jean-Baptiste, duc dOrléans (April 25, 1608 - February 2, 1660), third son of the French king Henry IV, and his wife Marie de Medici, was born at Fontainebleau. ... Henry IV (French: Henri IV) (December 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610), called the Great (French: le Grand), was the first of the Bourbon kings of France, reigning from 1589 until 1610. ... Louis XIII (September 27, 1601 - May 14, 1643), called the Just (French: le Juste), was King of France from 1610 to 1643. ...

External Links

• Article on the use of Highness (http://www.heraldica.org/topics/royalty/highness.htm)