DUP leader the Rev Ian Paisley is being tipped for elevation to Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council. Thus, in Westminster parlance, Dr Paisley would have the right to be called "the right honourable member" for Antrim North, 35 years after his parliamentary career began there in relative isolation.
And it is expected that Mrs Paisley will be getting a seat in the House of Lords.
The Privy Council goes back to the earliest days of monarchy, when it comprised those appointed to advise the king or queen on matters of state. Its business today is conducted by ministers, while the notion of the Privy Council as a secretive body is maintained by the oath requiring members to "keep secret all matters. . . treated of in council".
Dr Paisley has visibly enjoyed his new role at Westminster since becoming leader of the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland, and of the fourth largest party in the Commons.
And he has recalled with some relish the "pariah" status which attended his initial arrival there in 1970. Now senior colleagues suggest it is only a matter of time before the Westminster establishment clasps its newest member to its bosom.
Dr Paisley's relationship with Tony Blair entered a new era of turbulence following confirmation this week of British government plans to disband the Northern Ireland battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment.
However, the expectation remains that Dr Paisley's new status as majority unionist leader will be recognised.
"I'm sure the prime minister will want to do it for him in due course," confirms one MP. "He's entitled to it," asserts another colleague, citing the "precedent" which saw former Ulster Unionist leaders James Molyneaux and David Trimble similarly rewarded.
Westminster sources say there is no rule of precedent obliging Mr Blair to give Dr Paisley his "Rt Hon" or to appoint any particular number of DUP peers to the House of Lords.
Again, however, the confident expectation is that a double celebration in the House of Paisley will soon be capped by a peerage for Dr Paisley's wife, Eileen.
Party chairman Maurice Morrow has also been nominated for a peerage, although Downing Street and the Northern Ireland Office are reportedly resisting the elevation of former Tory MP Andrew Hunter, who took the DUP whip in the last parliament. The party is hoping for an initial three appointments to the Lords.
Having successfully triumphed over what was once called the "Big House" unionism of the UUP, the DUP is now ready to claim its inheritance.