Who's on First? - A Guide to Royal Titles
At your first event, it is very common to call people by the wrong descriptive terms. For that matter, it is easy to do this on your second, third, fourth, fifth... events. It is one thing to know who the Baroness or Queen are but do you know how you are supposed to address them? Here's a primer. When all else fails and you do not know a person's station, M'Lord and M'Lady is always correct.
When a person earns their Award of Arms their title becomes Lord or Lady.
Only Knights are called sir. This is even true of female knights, usually. Although some female knights prefer the term "Dame".
These few reminders will get you through most situations. Now for the rest.
The Baron and Baroness are always "Your Excellency". Remember, you have to be pretty excellent to become Baron or Baroness.
The King and Queen are always "Your Majesty". Have you ever seen a king or queen who were not majestic?
A Duke or Duchess is always "Your Grace." A Duke or Duchess have held the title of King or Queen at least twice. It takes more than a little grace to deal with the responsibilities of such a high office numerous times.
A Count or Countess are always "Your Excellency". They have been the King or Queen once and did an excellent job.
A Prince and Princess are always "Your Highness".
Members of the orders... Order of the Laurel, Order of the Pelican, Order of the Arms etc are called Master and Mistress. A member of a peerage order (which these are) are equal in station to a Knight except that they are not required to swear fealty to the King, though they may do so if they wish.
In the beginning most members will forgive you the honest mistake, even if you make it a few times and nearly all will do what they can to help you remember these titles. So take a deep breathe and say "Hello"...oh...and do not forget to bow when approaching and leaving the company of royalty.