Titles

The British have an obsession with names and titles. I have in front of me a concert program of the Orchestra Philharmonia (that’s right, two h), to which I attended yesterday (26-3-10). They have a Patron, a President, six Conductors (Principal, Honorary for Life, Guest, Conductor (plain), Laureate, and Emeritus) an Artistic Director and two Concert Masters. On top of that, there is also a Chairman, a Managing Director, and a Deputy Managing Director… But who wears the britches? Difficult to say. Not certainly the Patron, The Prince of Wales, who occasionally wears kilts, and is widely recognized for his lazy lifestyle.

But the Prince of Wales has his own set of titles, HRH, KG, GBC and OM, the meaning of which would crowd anyone's visiting card.
With the help of the Acronym Finder, I have investigated:
HRH, His Royal Highness
KG, Knight of the Garter
GCB, Grand Cross of the Bath
OM, Order of Merit
Excuse me, Charles, you need all that? 

And, of all the six conductors, who wields the baton? Well, in yesterday’s concert, none of the above, but Mr. Riccardo Muti …a commoner.