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Concept
Excellency
Summary
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right to that courtesy throughout their lifetime, although in some cases the title is attached to a particular office and is held only during tenure of that office.
Generally people addressed as Excellency are heads of state, heads of government, governors, ambassadors, Roman Catholic bishops, high-ranking ecclesiastics and others holding equivalent rank, such as heads of international organizations. Members of royal families generally have distinct addresses such as Majesty, Highness, etc.
While not a title of office itself, the honorific Excellency precedes various titles held by the holder, both in speech and in writing. In reference to such an official, it takes the form His or Her Excellency; in direct address, Your Excellency, or, less formally, simply Excellency.
The abbreviation HE is often used instead of His/Her Excellency; alternatively it may stand for His Eminence.
In most republican nation states, the head of state is formally referred to as His or Her Excellency.
If a republic has a separate head of government, that official is almost always addressed as Excellency as well. If the nation is a monarchy, however, the customs may vary. For example, in the case of Australia, all ambassadors, high commissioners, state governors and the governor-general and their spouses are entitled to the use of Excellency.
Governors of colonies in the British Empire were entitled to be addressed as Excellency and this remains the position for the governors of what are now known as British Overseas Territories.
In various international organizations, notably the UN and its agencies, Excellency is used as a generic form of address for all republican heads of state and heads of government.
Official source
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