In the old days (the old OLD days) all you had to do to be king was get together an army, kill the current king, and just move into the castle. I suppose you can still do that, but if you want to go by the actual rules, here are a few of those rules---------
1. First, you have to be a descendant of the lady pictured above, Electress Sophia of Hanover. If you aren't, then you can just scratch your ass off the list right away.
2. You must be a protestant at the time of your accession. You must enter into communion with the Church of England after your accession.
3. Just in case you didn't get number 2, anyone who is a Roman Catholic, becomes a Roman Catholic, or marries a Roman Catholic (or maybe even just touches a Roman Catholic) is permanently excluded from the succession.
4. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. Wait. That doesn't apply to British Monarchs. You must be a protestant. I can't repeat that too often, but I won't again.
5. A person who is born to parents who are not married to each other at the time of birth (a bastard) may not be included in the line of succession. ::Coff coff:: Subsequent marriage of the parents does not alter this. A child born to a married woman is assumed to be the child of her husband. ::Coff coff::
6. A monarch is always succeeded immediately by his or her legitimate descendants. Birth order matters. Gender matters: boys first, girls second.
7. Once you start, you can't go back: until you run out of children and grandchildren, your siblings are just out of luck.
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"British throne" today means the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Your 3. has already been under discussion (including whether Camilla is Catholic or not), as too has 6. In fact so has 5. coff, coff. Bliar blocked, they say, discussions about the succession because it will be incredibly difficult to manage. The monarchy is shared with commonwealth countries who are independent and would have to change their constitutions too. And yet the subject will surely have to be addressed at some point. What if William has a daughter or wanted to marry a Catholic? That would really upset the apple-cart.
ReplyDeleteScratching own ass off list as required.
ReplyDeleteI am sadly descended from Edward the First (aka Longshanks), long before Sophia.
Perhpas I should be grateful. If Catholics are out, Mormons must definitely be out. Although we are very low on illegitimate children. As far as you know.
@A. - I think the reality is the rules are whatever the reining monarch says they are. If a member of the succession wants to do something, all they have to do is go the the king or queen and ask permission. Anti Catholic came from Henry VIII's desire fo a divorce. The current Prince of Wales went to his mother and asked permission to marry outside his species and she said yes. So, if anything, they are flexible.
ReplyDelete@Stephanie Barr - I don't think Mormons are out. I started to say Americans are out, then thought of the amazingly idiotic Edward VIII.
I'm sure I will get some negative feed back on that comment, to the effect that I am not even entitled to an opinion, but, geez Louise, talk about a man who didn't understand the concept of duty and county, Edward was a poster child. When one is born into that rarified life of incredible privilege, then one must serve when called upon and not even THINK of putting his personal life above his duty to country.
ReplyDelete