Imperial and Royal Majesty (
abbreviated as HI&RM) was the
style used by
Emperor-Kings and their consorts as heads of imperial dynasties that were simultaneously
royal. The style was notably used by the
Emperor of Austria (who was also the
King of Hungary and
Bohemia) and by the
German Emperor (who was also the King of
Prussia). The Austrian, German, and Bohemian monarchies were abolished in 1918 while the vacant throne of Hungary continued to exist until the 1940s.
The
German Emperor, a specifically chosen title in the
federal monarchy of
Prussian-dominated Germany, also held the title of
King of Prussia from 1871 to the fall of the monarchy in 1918. The two were constitutionally linked, as Emperor
Wilhelm II discovered when he attempted to abdicate the Imperial crown while retaining the Prussian crown.
The monarchs of
Austria-Hungary titled "His Imperial and Royal
Apostolic Majesty" (Seine Kaiserliche und Königliche Apostolische Majestät) along with his consort Empress Elisabeth, who was styled "Her Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty" (Ihre Kaiserliche und Königliche Apostolische Majestät). The plural for the couple was also used as "Their Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesties" (Ihre Kaiserlichen und Königlichen Apostolischen Majestäten).
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom reigned as Queen-Empress of
India between 1876 and 1901. Her successors,
King Edward VII,
King George V,
King Edward VIII and
King George VI reigned as King-Emperors (1901–47). However, these monarchs did not use the style Imperial and Royal Majesty, preferring the style His/Her Majesty instead.
Although being known as the King-Emperor,
Peter I of Brazil was not styled His Imperial and Royal Majesty, neither His Imperial and Royal Highness, when his father, John VI, died, in 1826. His condition as Emperor of Brazil was not compatible with his title as King of Portugal, neither in Brazil nor in Portugal, and when he was confirmed King by the Portuguese Courts, in 1834, being entitled Peter IV of Portugal, he had already abdicated the Brazilian throne in favor of his son,
Pedro of Alcântara, Prince Imperial of Brazil.