One's position in an order of precedence is not nessisarily an indication of functional importance, but rather an indication of ceremonial or historical relevance. For example, in the Canadian Order of Precedence, the Prime Minister of Canada is third in overall rank, despite the fact that he is unquestionably the most functionally important person in the nation. He is outranked by the Governor General and Chief Justice, both of whom are symbolically more important to Canada.
Lists:
see also: protocol, Style - Manner of Address
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump