A
style of office or
honorific is an official or legally recognized
title. A style, by
tradition or
law, precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or
political office, and is sometimes used to refer to the office itself. An
honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity. Such styles are particularly associated with
monarchies, where they may be used by a wife of an office holder or of a prince of the blood, for the duration of their
marriage. They are also almost universally used for
presidents in
republics and in many countries for
members of
legislative bodies, higher-ranking
judges and senior constitutional office holders. Leading
religious figures also have styles.