Somebody's got to be first, Top Gun, King of the Castle, World Champion, Most Valuable Player, Olympic Gold Medallist, Man of the Match, Head Honcho, Numero Uno, Capo de Capos, Fuhrer.
How does it come about?
Well, deep down inside, and unfortunately too often on the surface, the human race are animals. Animals are either gregarious or solitary. Much as some wish to be alone, humans tend to live in groups.
All groups have a leader and rules of conduct. Humans feel comfortable with this although the groups will have different style leaders and rules of conduct.
It is the differences in these rules that have caused more conflict between humans than more striking differences like skin colour and language. The schisms in religion seem to produce the longest-lasting and deepest divides. We all know from our own personal relationships that a tiny itch can become a big sore if it is scratched enough.
Throughout history strong groups with a strong leader and a well defined set of rules to live by have taken the high road and annexed territory, people and wealth.
These empires where one leader controls the lives of many of quite diverse origins are the fulcrum of world history.
They are the cause of movement both geographical and political and the driving force for change and progress. The extraordinary element is that empires, however strong, wax and wane. As humans have progressed in scientific terms the life span of an empire has decreased.
No doubt there were empires far far away and a long time ago which are yet unknown to us but certainly those in the BC period in the Middle East lasted for thousands of years whereas in the last 2000 years only the Roman Empire exceeded 500 and that divided in two after 400 years.
Somehow those countries that owned empires have managed to survive as truncated, emasculated images of their former glorious selves. Remember a Pope once divided the world on a North-South axis between Spain and Portugal, cleverly leaving the bulge of Brazil to Portugal while Spain took the rest of South America. Even though Portugal still has influence in Angola, Mozambique and Goa it is hard to believe that she had an Empire as recently as 1975.
The British Empire, on which in Kipling's time the sun never set, has shrunk gracefully with the exception of Aden and the USA. The Commonwealth has maintained links of a kind, although these links, centring on Queen Elizabeth being the Head of the Commonwealth, are under pressure from the Dominions.
Within countries the leaders, or 'establishment' as the overall grouping has become known, have their own order. Sometimes in Politics or Business this order can be cruelly reversed but amongst the inner establishment, those whose mother in law came over with the Conqueror reign supreme.
Mentioning mothers in law, Mrs Fox's mother, who was very brave during World War II, recently starred in an order of precedence contest. She was invited to attend the VJ 50th anniversary in Canberra, Australia to assist the Prime Minister open the new museum. As you may know he is in favour of Australia becoming a republic and doing away with Queen Elizabeth as Head of State.
Mrs Fox's mother is an ardent Royalist, possibly because she was kissed by Lord Louis Mountbatten, later Earl Mountbatten of Burma, who was Supreme Allied Commander in South East Asia at the time, for winning a bathing beauty contest in Borneo. The film clip of this epic event was saved for posterity and is now in the above-mentioned museum. It is all the more important as the noble Lord was reputedly sparing in his kisses for the opposite sex.
Back to the future. As Mrs Fox's mother and Mr Keating approached the ribbon he gallantly handed her the scissors and she cut the ribbon unaided. The impact of this and the surrounding media blitz somewhat altered her state of mind re: republican Prime Ministers.
However for those of us confused by the seating plan at a simple dinner party, the order of precedence in the UK was laid down by two statutes: one passed by Henry VIII in 1539 and the other by George I in 1714.
Amongst the joys are that Bannerets outrank Baronets. A Banneret being a Knight with vassals under his banner; one knighted on the field of valour whereas a Baronet is a member of the lowest hereditary titled order, ranking as a commoner. So there you are, even when dear Dennis is dead, Sir Mark will still rank as a commoner. Commoner than many, you may say.
Meanwhile the eldest sons of the younger sons of peers outrank Knights of the Garter's eldest sons, Flag and Field Officers, Sargeants-at-Law, Doctors, Deans and Chancellors, Masters in Chancery, Companions of the Bath, Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, Gentlemen entitled to bear arms and, if you are still awake, Uncle Tom Cobblie and all.
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