On Non-Recognition of Foreign Titular Honours
Memorandum
Subject: Non-Recognition of Foreign Titular Honours
Issued by: Chancellery of the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan
Date: 31 May 2025
I. INTRODUCTION
This memo is issued to clarify the longstanding policy of the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan (hereinafter “the Royal House”) regarding its non-involvement in the recognition or endorsement of foreign titular honours. The Royal House, operating under its historic rights, sovereign prerogatives, and recognized international status, maintains an intentional and principled stance regarding foreign noble claims.
II. STATEMENT OF POLICY
It is the sovereign and deliberate decision of the Royal House not to involve itself in the recognition, validation, or adjudication of foreign titular honours, titles of nobility, dynastic orders, or similar distinctions conferred by other royal, princely, or noble houses, whether reigning or non-reigning.
This policy is not rooted in any judgment—explicit or implied—regarding the legitimacy, historical continuity, or merit of such honours or the entities that bestow them. Rather, it is a jurisdictional and diplomatic restraint that limits the Royal House’s concern solely to:
- The affairs, traditions, and noble titles arising from the Ghassanid legacy and history;
- The internal orders of knighthood, merit, and chivalry were established under its own dynastic authority, and
- It's recognized prerogatives as a historical and juridically validated royal house under international custom and agreements, including arbitration decisions recognized by courts of competent jurisdiction.
III. LEGAL AND DIPLOMATIC BASIS
This position is grounded in the following principles:
A. Sovereignty and Dynastic Autonomy
The Royal House functions as a non-territorial sovereign house, operating within the historical and legal traditions of dynastic international law. Like other sovereign entities, it exercises full discretion in determining the scope of its internal affairs and its diplomatic posture.
B. Avoidance of Diplomatic Entanglement
Recognizing or commenting upon the legitimacy of foreign titles may risk being misinterpreted as a political or legal intervention into the internal matters of other dynasties or their spheres of influence. To avoid such entanglement, the Royal House maintains a strict neutrality on external honours.
C. Preservation of Institutional Integrity
By confining itself to matters under its own dynastic jurisdiction, the Royal House preserves the integrity, coherence, and credibility of its own legal, historical, and diplomatic mission. This includes the stewardship of the Ghassanid nobiliary tradition and its associated orders.
IV. RECOGNITION LIMITED TO NOBILITY AND ROYALTY RECOGNIZED BY UN MEMBER STATES
Under its Official Statement issued on 10 May 2025, titled “On the Recognition of Dethroned Sovereign Families, Titles of Nobility, and Honors,” the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan affirms that it will only recognize titles of nobility and claims of royalty that United Nations Member States acknowledge officially.
The following principles guide this policy:
A. Deference to International Legal Recognition
The House recognizes that the legitimacy of royal and noble titles is fundamentally a matter of public law and international recognition. Titles and dynastic claims that are acknowledged, protected, or validated by UN member states through judicial, legislative, or diplomatic means carry a level of legal standing that conforms with the standards of international governance.
B. Exclusion of Self-Styled and Unrecognized Entities
Entities or individuals who claim titles or dynastic status without recognition by any UN Member State—whether by current monarchies or republics—shall not be recognized by the House of Ghassan. This exclusion extends to:
- Self-styled or fabricated order and titular honors;
- Unsubstantiated claims to former thrones or noble houses;
- Organizations lacking a lawful government or judicial affirmation of their noble status.
C. Alignment with International Best Practices
This approach is aligned with international best practices among sovereign houses and intergovernmental bodies. It prevents misuse of titles, reduces confusion in diplomatic and philanthropic circles, and reinforces the importance of legal credibility in matters of nobility.
This policy does not diminish the cultural or historical value that individuals or families may attach to their heritage; however, such recognition must be externally verifiable and institutionally affirmed by a competent state authority to be acknowledged by the House of Ghassan.
V. APPLICATION AND CLARIFICATION
This policy applies to:
- All foreign dynastic titular honours, whether associated with reigning monarchies, former reigning houses, self-styled houses, or ecclesiastical nobility;
- Requests for endorsement or recognition of foreign titles or noble statuses by individuals or institutions;
- Statements or inquiries seeking comparisons between Ghassanid honours and those conferred by other entities.
Nothing in this policy should be construed as casting aspersions upon other dynasties, nor does it deny the potential historical or social merit of their distinctions. The Royal House respects the rights of all entities to uphold their traditions and recognizes that many maintain legitimate cultural and historical value.
VI. CONCLUSION
The Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan reaffirms its position that it does not and will not recognize foreign titular honors, to maintain a clear and focused commitment to its own noble traditions, legal responsibilities, and international role. This is an exercise of dynastic sovereignty, guided by prudence, diplomatic neutrality, and institutional integrity.
Respectfully issued by:
HIRH Prince Gharios El Chemor of Ghassan Al-Numan VIII
International Head of the Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan
Rev. Dr. Christian D. Boyd
Grand Chancellor and Grand Marshal
Sovereign Imperial and Royal House of Ghassan