Obviously he couldn't become the official 13th Earl of Southesk until the death of his father, the 12th. It seems that there is no secondary title associated with Southesk that one might use by courtesy. However, it seems that David's grandfather, Charles Carnegie (Maud's husband) was nevertheless styled as LORD Carnegie from 1905, when his own father became the 10th Earl of Southesk.
My understanding is that normally, a son of an earl is styled only as Honourable; and in this case, there was no courtesy title of Viscount or Baron available. But since Charles was the eldest son and heir to the earldom, perhaps an exception was made to the rule. So Maud certainly did not marry a *mere* Honourable ...
How exactly was JAMES styled at BIRTH? As of 1929, his cousin Alistair was still alive and kicking, expected to succeed to the Fife dukedom one day. His grandfather (the 10th Earl of Southesk, also named Charles) was also still living at the time. Since his father was only the heir to the earldom, styled as LORD, does this mean that James (grandson of an earl, not expected to inherit the dukedom of Fife) was only Honourable?
His stock certainly rose sharply afterward, with the death of his cousin ... As for David Carnegie, it seems that his own eldest son (named Charles) is styled as the Earl of Southesk by courtesy. Evidently the courtesy title Earl of Macduff is no longer used ... His younger sons, of course, are styled as Lord, since he is a duke ...
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