Prince

• The head of state in a monarchy which is too small to be called a kingdom. A present-day example is Prince Rainier III of the principality of Monaco. (I.e. a "Fürst" in German.)

• The child of a monarch (king or queen-regnant), and in the direct line of succession also other members of the Royal family, styled a "royal highness". The precise rules for the succession are fixed by law. (I.e. a "Prinz" in German.)

• The husband of a reigning queen is usually titled prince or prince consort.

• A member of the higher nobility in certain countries and periods. Foreign-language titles such as Italian principe, German Fürst, Russian kniaz, etc., are often rendered as prince in English. For example, one can talk about Prince Bismarck (Ger. Fürst B.).

• The term has also been used to describe the head of a feudal state; for example, it has been used as a synonym for duke at times.

• In a similar sense, those who held land and titles within the Catholic Church hierarchy were sometimes designated "princes of the Church".

• Grand duchy,
• Grand duke,
• Grand duchess,
• Fürst,
• Ranks of nobility and peerage,