Precedence
the order in which men and women follow each other according to rank or dignity in a State procession or on other public occasions. In England the order of precedence depends partly on statutes, and partly on ancient usage and established custom. The sovereign is always first in order of precedence, after whom follow the Prince of Wales, sons of the sovereign, grandsons of the sovereign, brothers of the sovereign, uncles of the sovereign, the sovereign's brothers' or sisters' sons, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord High Chancellor, and so on through the high state dignitaries, the various ranks of the peerage, etc. The order of precedence among women follows the same rules as that among men. By the acts of Union of Scotland and Ireland the precedence in any given degree of the peerage has been established as follows: (1) Peers of England; (2) Peers of Scotland; (3) Peers of Great Britain; (4) Peers of Ireland; (5) Peers of the United Kingdom and Peers of Ireland created subsequent to the Union.