The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word EARLDOMS
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
E
A
R
L
D
O
M
S
More clues leading to the result EARLDOMS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "titles" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case titles = earldoms.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EARLDOMS mean?
EARLDOMS noun- The rank of being an earl.
- The territory controlled by an earl.