The Honourable
Ehrwürdig or Ehrwürden, the literal translation of 'honourable', is used for Catholic clergy and religious—with the exceptions of priests and abbesses, who are Hochwürden 'reverend'.[3] In Italy, the style The Honourable (Italian: Onorevole) is customarily used to refer to a member of the Chamber of Deputies.Also typical is the use of De weledelgeboren heer/vrouwe 'the well-born lord/lady', for students at universities, traditionally children of the genteel bourgeoisie.Likewise, the married daughters of viscounts and barons, whose husbands hold no higher title or dignity, are styled, for example, The Hon.[7] The Honourable is also customarily used as a form of address for most foreign nobility that is not formally recognised by the sovereign (e.g. ambassadors) when in the UK.It is usual for speakers of the House of Commons to be made privy councillors, in which case they keep the style for life.By custom, the leader of the Official Opposition is appointed to the Privy Council, granting them the style (being the only non-government MP accorded such privilege).In the past, certain provincial premiers (e.g., Peter Lougheed, Bill Davis, Joey Smallwood and Tommy Douglas) were elevated to the Privy Council and gained the style, but such practice is rare.Members of the House of Commons of Canada and of provincial legislatures refer to each other during proceedings of the house with the courtesy style "honourable member" (or l'honorable député), but their name is not otherwise prefixed with the Honourable (unless they are privy councillors or executive councillors).[17] Current and former governors general, prime ministers, chief justices and certain other eminent persons use the style of Right Honourable for life (or le/la très honorable in French).Members of the Executive Council of Quebec have not used the style The Honourable since 1968 but retain the ability to do so, and are often accorded the honorific in media and by the federal government.[21] Persons appointed to office nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate are accorded the title; this rule includes members of the Cabinet and sub-Cabinet (such as deputies and undersecretaries),[21][22] administrators, members, and commissioners of the various independent agencies, councils, commissions, and boards,[22] federal judges, ambassadors of the United States,[23] U.S.Marshals,[25] the Architect of the Capitol, the Librarian of Congress and Public Printer of the United States,[22] and presidentially appointed inspectors general.[21] According to the protocols of the U.S. Department of State, all persons who have been in a position that entitled them to The Honorable continue to retain that honorific style for life.By December 2014, the practice of appointing the vice-regal office holder, as well as former living, the style The Honourable for life had also been adopted for the state governors of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria and Tasmania (where it did not apply to past governors), as well as the Administrator of the Northern Territory.In Western Australia, conditional on royal assent, the style may become permanent after three years' service in the ministry.In New South Wales, Greens NSW members of the Legislative Council, who are eligible for the Honourable style, have refrained from using it, deeming it to be "outdated" and a "colonial trapping".[44] These officeholders would be eligible for a recommendation (from the Prime Minister) to retain these titles for life following their relinquishment of/retirement from those offices.[44] The rules were amended again in 2010, granting the title of The Right Honourable for life to sitting and future Governors-General, Prime Ministers, Speakers of the House of Representatives, and Chief Justices.[46] However, it granted the Prime Minister the power to strip the title of Most Honourable from these titleholders, via issuing such advice to the monarch.[54] In Malaysia, an elected Member of Parliament or State Legislative Assemblyman is entitled to be referred to as Yang Berhormat, which translates to 'the honourable'.All former Prime Ministers and current Members of the Singapore Parliament is formally addressed in international settings using the honorific The Honourable.[61] The honorific is usually also used to address the Attorney-General and Solicitors-General, and the heads of states and leaders of foreign countries on short-term visits to Singapore.[62] Private, non-profit, and non-governmental (NGO) organisations, and religious movements sometimes style a leader or founder as The Honourable, e.g.