Knight of Honor

Knight of Honor is a title within the Britannian Union of Solar Energy. It is the absolute lowest rung of hereditary nobility within Britannia, and comes in two distinct variations:

The more recognizable and prestigious Knights of Honor are adjutants selected by members of the Imperial family, usually to be their bodyguard. The exact function of Knights of Honor within a Prince or Princess's household is up to the individual, but almost no member of the Imperial family goes through the trouble of selecting a Knight they wouldn't want acting as both bodyguard and proxy. For this reason, Knights of Honor are usually the de facto executive officer of their Prince or Princess's personal holdings.

The title Knight of Honor can be bestowed without specific attachment to a member of the Imperial family, but a significant portion of houseless Knights are simply descendants of historical Knights of Honor who inherited the title.

Because it is relatively lowly, the ambitious often regard the title of Knight of Honor derisively. This is rarely reflected too publicly however, because one of the functions of the title is to make the recipient formally weddable to the peerage and members of the Imperial family. Marianne vi Britannia was one such individual, and her elevation was considered scandalous at the time. Viletta Nu is a noteworthy current example of a houseless Knight of Honor.

Historically, the number of Princes and Princesses with Knights of Honor has been relatively equal. A mild Princess-favoring disparity has developed in the generation of royals following Charles zi Britannia's ascent to the throne, attributed to Princes attempting to appear more independent and invincible than they are. Schneizel el Britannia taking Earl Kanon Maldini as his Knight of Honor has caused a noteworthy decline in this trend, and there was a statistically significant surge in Princes choosing Knights of Honor following the assassination of Prince Clovis.

Britannian fiction romanticizes the former type of Knight heavily. The latter type is employed in a more versatile set of contexts; underdogs are popular, as are joke characters and scheming would-be advisor types.