The Home Office has formally announced the restoration of the title Prince of Hartmanburg to Mr. James Hartman, following a ruling from the Court of Chivalry. The decision was reached on 17 May, and the announcement issued on 1 June, 2025.
In an official confirmation issued by the Home Secretary, His Grace the Duke of Southmoor, KH, SC, it was declared that Mr. Hartman is fully reinstated as a Life Peer of Ladonia. His title, Prince of Hartmanburg, is now considered fully rehabilitated within the Peerage and is henceforth to be recognized among the Peers of the Realm.
The Warrant of Precedence, prepared by the Home Secretary and issued under the hand of Her Majesty the Queen, affirms that while the title carries the dignity of a princely peerage, it does not confer any royal style. The use of honorifics such as His Highness or His Serene Highness is expressly prohibited, consistent with the Court’s ruling that the title is non-royal in degree.
To avoid confusion regarding the nature of the title while maintaining its elevated status, the Court has further determined that the appropriate formal style shall be His Illustrious Grace, in recognition of the unique historical and aesthetic character of the Hartmanburg peerage. This formulation reflects precedence comparable to a duke without implying royal lineage or prerogatives. Accordingly, the correct formal usage shall be His Illustrious Grace, Prince James of Hartmanburg.
For context, in 2020, all three territorial principalities of Ladonia were transformed into Royal Duchies and returned to the Crown. Accordingly, the title Prince of Hartmanburg has been restored as a Life Peerage, with the understanding that it shall revert to the Crown upon the death of Prince James. At that time, the Duchy of Hartmanburg will return to Crown jurisdiction.
This ruling concludes the matter definitively and affirms the Crown’s authority to recognize and regulate titles of honour within Ladonia’s peerage system.
