In the future if Prince Edward becomes Duke of Edinburgh then his current title, Earl of Wessex, would become his secondary title and, therefore, the courtesy title for his eldest son who would then cease to be Viscount Severn and become the Earl of Wessex - that is unless the current government concedes to demands for changes in the succession to hereditary peerages and his daughter, Louise, becomes his heir.
When it comes to courtesy titles, the peers often use the eldest title of the lower rank than the main peerage.
So the courtesy title of the eldest son of the Earl of Southesk wasn't Baron Balinhard but Lord Carnegie (as it is a Scottish title and Lords in Scotland are the equivalent of English barons).
And when the Duke of Fife also inherited the earldom of his father, that earldom was much older than Macduff earldom which was created in 1900 while the earldom of the Earl of Southesk was created in 1633. So using that title as courtesy title made sense in light of the traditions of the peerage.
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