Notable Changes To The Royal Family’s Rules

The royal family has astounded the public for how many decades with their self-discipline and role management as public figures and as a family members. They have been carrying the crown of responsibility in Britain and plenty of rules. The contemporary monarchy has had a great trace of the past monarchy wherein they have gotten powerful reminders of their virtue. Here are some traces of amendments 0f rules of the royal family:

• The Last Name of King and Queen

Historically speaking, the royal family does not have any surname, as the king and queen just had their first names. Prior to having a surname, the practice was just to use the names of dynasties such as House of Tutor/House of York. However, in the midst of World War I, Britain was at war with Germany. 

During that moment, King George V made a thorough decision to take on a surname instead of a dynasty due to his unwieldy kinship with Germany – his grandfather, Prince Albert was born in Germany. From that day in 1917, Windsor became the surname of the royal family. But, when Queen Elizabeth II’s accession, she amended this and made this ‘The House of Windsor’ in 1952.

• The Descendants of the Crown

The royal family had embarked on various amendments in terms of their successor. It was known that the firstborn son would have to carry on the title of king of England during the reign of William the Conqueror. Eventually, this rule was amended in 1702 when the Act of Settlement was established by the British Parliament. This act was passed after King William III’s death wherein he does not have any sons to inherit his title, which would lead to passing the title to his eldest daughter, Anne.

Act of Settlement allowed a woman to assume the throne as long as there was no male successor. For congruency of the Church of England, it was well-noted in this act that male heir must inherit the throne before their sister. Recently in 2013, the Act of Settlement was turned down by the Succession of the Crown Act – which stated a fixed primogeniture system – the kingdom would pass to the crown to the first-born heir, regardless of gender.

• The Right to Reject Royal Marriages

The British Parliament passed The Royal Marriages Act 1772, which would let the royal family decide who will be the right person to be partnered with by any of their members. This act was established to protect marriages that could deteriorate the state of the royal house. This was initially passed because of George III’s anger at his younger brother, Prince Henry’s tying a know with the commoner Anne Horton. This act also hindered the marriage of Princess Margareth to Peter Townsend. However, this act was quite reduced due to the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013 – only the first six persons in line to the throne require the Sovereign’s approval to marry.