Royalty

Royal Status

The definitive word on when you should have Royal status and the benefits it confers comes from Tom (Discussion list, mail @ Tue, 24 Jan 2006 22:22:51 +0100):

• A ruler always becomes a royal, no matter how he became ruler
• The only way to lose royal status is to leave the realm (or island)
• Yes, that means stepping down doesn't mean you're not a member of the royal family anymore. It just means you don't want to actively rule.
• Local lords keep their title if they lose it involuntarily. It is a land claim. If it weren't too much work, I'd even have the game remember which region, so we can have nice little title fights.
• Stepping down voluntarily, on the other hand, means giving up your claim. It does not mean it was unfounded from the beginning or any such nonsense. But it does mean "I do not claim this land anymore".

Specifically:

      rulers: Stepping down => Remaining Royal
       lords: Stepping down => Losing Lord rank