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| The '''Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927''' was a significant landmark in the constitutional history of the ] and ]. The act had two concequences. The first was to change the full name of the United Kingdom to ''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'' from the former ''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland''. This reflected the fact that the ] had been created in ]. Historians generally retrospectively date the coming into being of the modern United Kingdom to December 1922, even though in this case the formal change did not occur for another five years. | |||
| {{Primary sources|date=September 2008}} | |||
| {{EngvarB|date=May 2013}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} | |||
| {{Infobox UK legislation | |||
| |short_title = Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927{{Efn|name="comma"}} | |||
| |type = Act | |||
| |parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | |||
| |long_title = An Act to provide for the alteration of the Royal Style and Titles and of the Style of Parliament and for purposes incidental thereto. | |||
| |year = 1927 | |||
| |citation = ]. c. 4 | |||
| |introduced_by = | |||
| |territorial_extent = | |||
| |royal_assent = 12 April 1927 | |||
| |commencement = 12 April 1927 | |||
| |repeal_date = | |||
| |amendments = | |||
| |related_legislation = | |||
| |repealing_legislation= | |||
| |status = Current | |||
| |original_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/17-18/4/enacted | |||
| |legislation_history = | |||
| |use_new_UK-LEG = | |||
| |revised_text = http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/17-18/4 | |||
| }} | |||
| {{UK formation}} | |||
| The second consequence was a modification of the King's title. In changing the title, it replaced the concept of a single crown ruling the the British Empire with multiple crowns with each dominion as a separate kingdom, all worn by the common monarch. | |||
| The '''Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927'''{{efn|name="comma"|] as conferred by section 3 of the act. When originally enacted, the title contained a comma, reading "Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927." The comma was removed by an amendment to the act at a later date. Modern convention for citation of short titles in the UK is to omit the comma preceding the date.}} (]. c. 4) was an ] of the ] that authorised the alteration of the British monarch's royal style and titles, and altered the formal name of the British Parliament and hence of the state, in recognition of most of ] separating from the ] as the ]. It received ] on 12 April 1927.<ref>{{Cite book | publisher = Hart Publishing | isbn = 1841134732 |editor1= John Tiley | last = Oliver | first = J. D. B. | title = Studies in the history of tax law | chapter = What's in a Name? | location = Oxford ; Portland, Or | series = Tax Law History Conference | year = 2004 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=f9FGwkXiIS0C&q=Royal+and+Parliamentary+Titles+Act+1927&pg=PA187 }}</ref> | |||
| Thus before 1927, King ] reigned as king ''in'' Australia, ], ], the ], ], etc., each of these states, in effect, as dominions, amounting to a subset of the United Kingdom. After 1927, he reigned as King ''of'' Australia, King of New Zealand, King of Ireland, King of South Africa, etc. The form of use in the royal title as issued by King ] did not mention the dominions by name, except 'Ireland', which changed from being referred to as ''Great Britain and Ireland'' to ''Great Britain, Ireland'', indicating that it was no longer part of the United Kingdom, but a separate state of which the monarch was now directly the head, rather than through linkage with Great Britain. Though unnamed, except through reference to the 'British Dominions beyond the Seas', the ground-breaking move shattered the previous concept of the shared monarch to one of multiple monarchies, all held by the one monarch. | |||
| ==Background to the act== | |||
| Though this principle was implicit in the Act and in the King's new titles, and came out of a Commonwealth Conference, neither the British government nor the dominion governments seemed initially to grasp its significance. | |||
| As a result of the ], in December 1922 most of ] was detached from the ] to become the ]. However, six north-eastern ], all within ], remained united with ] as ]. | |||
| The King's title, proclaimed under the ], was: | |||
| The independent minded Irish put the principle into effect immediately by assuming the right to select their own governor-general, to demand a direct right of audience with the King, and to accept credentials from international ambassadors to Ireland, something no other dominion up to then had done. Following the ] in ] (which granted dominons the power to enact any legislation to change any legislation, without any role for the British parliament which may have enacted the original legislation in the past), the Irish Free State exludied British ministers from Royal audiences, abbandoned of the use of the British ] and replaced it withthe ], which the King awarded to his Irish Kingdom as King of Ireland, and requesting that he sign internation treaties in his capacity as King of Ireland | |||
| <blockquote>"George V, ], of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, ], ]"<ref name="Cmd 2768">''Imperial Conference, 1926: Summary of Proceedings'' Cmd 2768, p. 15 (London: HMSO, 1926).</ref></blockquote><!--Note that the quote marks are in the original text.--> | |||
| At the ], it was agreed by the Imperial government at ] and those of the various ]s that the existing royal style and titles of their shared monarch "hardly accorded with the altered state of affairs arising from the establishment of the Irish Free State as a Dominion".<ref name="Cmd 2768"/> The Conference concluded that the wording should be changed to: | |||
| <blockquote>"George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India"<ref>Cmd 2768 (1926), p. 16</ref></blockquote><!--Note that the quote marks are in the original text.--> | |||
| Under the existing constitutional arrangements of the ], it was necessary for legislation to be enacted by the ] in order for the royal style and titles to be altered; the resulting Act would then extend automatically into the law of the various Dominions. The British Government introduced the necessary ] into the ] in March 1927 and easily secured its passage through both Houses of Parliament. | |||
| Other dominions were much slower to go down this path, and when they did so, they were faced with determined, though ultimately futile, attempts to block such evolution in London. Often the change is status was not codified by the Dominions until the acession of ]. | |||
| ==Provisions of the act== | |||
| An interesting consequence of the act was that ]'s abdication required legal acknowledgment in each Commonwealth state. In the Irish Free State, however, that acknowledgment, in the External Relations Act, occurred a day later than elsewhere, leaving Edward technically as "King of Ireland" for a day, while ] was king of all other Commonwealth Realms. | |||
| The act contained three substantive provisions. | |||
| Firstly, the ] was authorised to issue a ] within six months of the act's passing, authorising him to alter the royal style and titles.<ref>''Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927'', s. 1</ref> Following the precedent set by similar legislation in the past, the act did not itself set out the form of the new style and titles that were to be adopted. | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| Secondly, the act formally renamed the parliament sitting at ] from "Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" to "Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".<ref>s. 2(1)</ref> | |||
| Finally, the act established that the term "United Kingdom", when used in "every Act passed and public document issued after the passing of this Act", would mean ] and ] (unless the context required otherwise).<ref>s. 2(2)</ref> | |||
| A royal proclamation was subsequently issued under the terms of the act on 13 May 1927. The proclamation followed the recommendation of the Imperial Conference by altering the ] and English forms of the existing royal style and titles, the former by replacing "{{lang|la|Britanniarum}}" with "{{lang|la|Magnae Britanniae, Hiberniae}}", and the latter by replacing "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of" with "Great Britain, Ireland and".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33274 |date=13 May 1927|pages=3111–3111 }}</ref> | |||
| The ] and ] were replaced to update the change of royal style. The new designs by ] were delivered at a ] meeting on 27 October 1930.<ref>{{cite news |title=Creation of Irish Free Satte; Changes in the King's Titles Necessitated |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1930/1028/Pg006.html#Ar00612 |url-access=subscription |access-date=18 March 2020 |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=28 October 1930 |page=6}}</ref> | |||
| ==Subsequent developments== | |||
| Over the next quarter of the century the relationship between the various members of the Commonwealth continued to evolve. In particular, the outcome of the ] (and the resultant ]), the ] by the Irish state of its republican status and its consequent secession, as the ], from the Commonwealth, and the request by ] that it remain a member of the Commonwealth despite adopting a ], all altered both the nature and composition of the Commonwealth. | |||
| The royal style and titles were altered in 1948, to reflect the independence of ] the previous year by omitting the title "]". However, the accession of a new monarch (]) in 1952 was taken as an opportunity to completely alter both the form of the style and titles, and the manner in which they would be legislated for; henceforth, each ] would pass its own legislation establishing its own version of the style and titles. The resulting legislation for the United Kingdom and its dependencies was the ]. The reference to "Ireland" in the royal style and title was not changed to "Northern Ireland" until May 1953.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/britstyles.htm#1927|title=Royal Arms, Styles, and Titles of Great Britain}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Notelist}} | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{wikisource|Royal and Parliamentary Titles Proclamation 1927}} | |||
| *<br />(Full text of the 1927 Act and royal proclamation) | |||
| {{Commonwealth of Nations key documents}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 14:05, 24 June 2024
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United Kingdom legislation
| Act of Parliament | |
 Parliament of the United Kingdom | |
| Long title | An Act to provide for the alteration of the Royal Style and Titles and of the Style of Parliament and for purposes incidental thereto. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 17 & 18 Geo. 5. c. 4 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 12 April 1927 |
| Commencement | 12 April 1927 |
| Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
.svg)
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 (17 & 18 Geo. 5. c. 4) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that authorised the alteration of the British monarch's royal style and titles, and altered the formal name of the British Parliament and hence of the state, in recognition of most of Ireland separating from the United Kingdom as the Irish Free State. It received royal assent on 12 April 1927.
Background to the act
As a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, in December 1922 most of Ireland was detached from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to become the Irish Free State. However, six north-eastern counties, all within Ulster, remained united with Great Britain as Northern Ireland.
The King's title, proclaimed under the Royal Titles Act 1901, was:
"George V, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India"
At the 1926 Imperial Conference, it was agreed by the Imperial government at Whitehall and those of the various Dominions that the existing royal style and titles of their shared monarch "hardly accorded with the altered state of affairs arising from the establishment of the Irish Free State as a Dominion". The Conference concluded that the wording should be changed to:
"George V, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India"
Under the existing constitutional arrangements of the British Commonwealth, it was necessary for legislation to be enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in order for the royal style and titles to be altered; the resulting Act would then extend automatically into the law of the various Dominions. The British Government introduced the necessary bill into the House of Commons in March 1927 and easily secured its passage through both Houses of Parliament.
Provisions of the act
The act contained three substantive provisions.
Firstly, the King was authorised to issue a royal proclamation within six months of the act's passing, authorising him to alter the royal style and titles. Following the precedent set by similar legislation in the past, the act did not itself set out the form of the new style and titles that were to be adopted.
Secondly, the act formally renamed the parliament sitting at Westminster from "Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" to "Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
Finally, the act established that the term "United Kingdom", when used in "every Act passed and public document issued after the passing of this Act", would mean Great Britain and Northern Ireland (unless the context required otherwise).
A royal proclamation was subsequently issued under the terms of the act on 13 May 1927. The proclamation followed the recommendation of the Imperial Conference by altering the Latin and English forms of the existing royal style and titles, the former by replacing "Britanniarum" with "Magnae Britanniae, Hiberniae", and the latter by replacing "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of" with "Great Britain, Ireland and".
The Great Seal of the Realm and Great Seal of Scotland were replaced to update the change of royal style. The new designs by Percy Metcalfe were delivered at a Privy Council meeting on 27 October 1930.
Subsequent developments
Over the next quarter of the century the relationship between the various members of the Commonwealth continued to evolve. In particular, the outcome of the 1930 Imperial Conference (and the resultant Statute of Westminster 1931), the formal declaration by the Irish state of its republican status and its consequent secession, as the Republic of Ireland, from the Commonwealth, and the request by India that it remain a member of the Commonwealth despite adopting a republican constitution, all altered both the nature and composition of the Commonwealth.
The royal style and titles were altered in 1948, to reflect the independence of India the previous year by omitting the title "Emperor of India". However, the accession of a new monarch (Elizabeth II) in 1952 was taken as an opportunity to completely alter both the form of the style and titles, and the manner in which they would be legislated for; henceforth, each Commonwealth realm would pass its own legislation establishing its own version of the style and titles. The resulting legislation for the United Kingdom and its dependencies was the Royal Titles Act 1953. The reference to "Ireland" in the royal style and title was not changed to "Northern Ireland" until May 1953.
See also
References
- ^ Short title as conferred by section 3 of the act. When originally enacted, the title contained a comma, reading "Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927." The comma was removed by an amendment to the act at a later date. Modern convention for citation of short titles in the UK is to omit the comma preceding the date.
- Oliver, J. D. B. (2004). "What's in a Name?". In John Tiley (ed.). Studies in the history of tax law. Tax Law History Conference. Oxford ; Portland, Or: Hart Publishing. ISBN 1841134732.
- ^ Imperial Conference, 1926: Summary of Proceedings Cmd 2768, p. 15 (London: HMSO, 1926).
- Cmd 2768 (1926), p. 16
- Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927, s. 1
- s. 2(1)
- s. 2(2)
- "No. 33274". The London Gazette. 13 May 1927. pp. 3111–3111.
- "Creation of Irish Free Satte; Changes in the King's Titles Necessitated". The Irish Times. 28 October 1930. p. 6. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- "Royal Arms, Styles, and Titles of Great Britain".
External links
- Royal Arms, Styles, and Titles of Great Britain: Documents
(Full text of the 1927 Act and royal proclamation)
| Key documents of the Commonwealth of Nations | |
|---|---|
|