Snow White didn't fall in love with one of the dwarves. She fell in love with the prince. But princes are scarce, and the next title of any consequence is that of the duke – which explains a lot about the rows and rows of romance novels with the word "duke" somewhere on the cover.
In the real world, dukes are thin on the ground: Generally, there are fewer than thirty — but it's more than rarity that makes dukes so wildly popular: They're just downright sexy. In modern terms, the duke is the equivalent of the movie star, seen on the big screen, bolder than life. They cause palpitations and sighs aplenty. Robert Downey Jr., Denzel Washington, Tom Hiddleston and Daniel Craig are all dukes in our modern celebrity peerage.
The marquess, one rung down, more closely resembles the television star: Certainly worthy of attention but not the one sitting on the front row at the Oscars. Nathan Fillion, Andrew Lincoln, Alexander Skarsgard: Far more numerous, but shining just a bit less brightly.
The earl, lower still, is the equivalent of a reality television show cast member. He may find himself running naked through the jungles of an uninhabited island, getting sunburned and eaten by bugs. He may appeal to many but he's not pulling in the millions that the movie star does. Nor does he usually walk down the red carpet.
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