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| The '''Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, |
The '''Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927''' (17 Geo 5, c. 4) was a significant landmark in the constitutional history of the ] and ]. The act had two consequences. The first was to change the full name of the United Kingdom (UK) to the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'' from the former ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'', in recognition of the fact that the ] had seceeded from the UK in ]. | ||
| Its second, and more important function, was to modify the ]'s title, and in so doing to replaced the concept of a single crown ruling the British Empire with multiple crowns. In this way, by means of the act, each of the empire's ]s became a separate ]. The Act was thus an important step in the evolution of the dominions towards full independence. | |||
| The full title of the act was ''An Act to provide for the alteration of the Royal Style and Titles and of the Style of Parliament and for purposes incidental thereto''. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==Parliamentary title== | |||
| 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. | |||
| The ] Act did not change the title of the United Kingdom explicitly. Rather it did this by changing the title of the British Parliament. Section 2 of the act changed the parliament's title was from the ''Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland'' to the ''Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. Historians generally retrospectively date the coming into being of the modern United Kingdom to December 1922, even though the formal change of title did not occur for another five years. Despite the change of name, the Act provided that there would be no change in the numbering of parliaments. Thus the legislature then in session continued to be the Thirty-fourth Parliament, and its successors have been numbered accordingly. | |||
| The independent-minded Irish put the principle into effect immediately by assuming the right to select their own ], 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 excluded British ministers from Royal audiences, abandoned the use of the British ] and replaced it with the ], which the King awarded to his Irish Kingdom as King of Ireland, and requesting that he sign international treaties in his capacity as King of Ireland. | |||
| ==Royal title== | |||
| 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 ]. | |||
| The Act did a modify the King's title directly. Rather it permitted the King to do so by ], provided the proclamation was issued within six months. | |||
| ⚫ | An interesting consequence of the |
||
| ⚫ | Before 1927, ] reigned as king ''in'' Australia, ], ], the Irish Free State, ], etc. Each of these states, in effect, as dominions, amounted to a subdivision of the United Kingdom. After 1927, however, 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 George V did not mention the dominions by name, but refered to them as the "British Dominions beyond the Seas". Nonetheless the Act shattered the previous concept of the shared monarch, replacing it with one of multiple crowns, all worn by one monarch. | ||
| One direct consequence of the change in the royal title was that the British government lost the right to formally advise the monarch on the exercise of his or her powers in the dominions. Rather, the government of each dominion acquired the exclusive right to do so. This difference was significant because, by ], the monarch must, in almost all circumstance, act in accordance with the 'advice' of his or her ministers. | |||
| *'''Title before:''' ''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'' | |||
| *'''Title afterwards:''' ''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.'' | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act arose from the meeting of a Commonwealth Conference. Although an important changes in the status of the monarch, and of the dominions, was implicit in the Act, neither the British government nor most of the dominion governments seem to have initially grasped its full significance. | |||
| However the government of the ] put the changes introduced by the Act into immediate effect: by assuming the right to select its own ], demanding a direct right of audience with the King, and beginning to accept the credentials of international ambassadors to the Irish state--something no other dominion up until that time had done. | |||
| The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act was followed by the ] in ] which increased the independence of the dominions even further. This granted dominon parliaments the power to enact or amend almost any legislation they chose, and removed the right, in most circumstance, for the British Parliament to legislate for the dominions. | |||
| Most dominions were slower than the Irish Free State to respond to the laws of 1927 and 1931 with moves to severe constitutional ties with the United Kingdom, and many, when they did, were faced with determined, though ultimately futile, opposition from ]. Many dominions waited until the acession of ] in ] to codified their new autonomy into domestic law. | |||
| ⚫ | An interesting consequence of the 1927 Act was that ]'s abdication required separate legal acknowledgement in each ] nation. In the Irish Free State, that acknowledgment, in the External Relations Act, occurred a day later than elsewhere, leaving Edward technically as "]" for a day, while ] was king of all other Commonwealth realms. | ||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| *. Full text of the Act and of the royal proclamation. | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Revision as of 02:35, 18 January 2005
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act, 1927 (17 Geo 5, c. 4) was a significant landmark in the constitutional history of the United Kingdom and British Empire. The act had two consequences. The first was to change the full name of the United Kingdom (UK) to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the former United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in recognition of the fact that the Irish Free State had seceeded from the UK in 1922.
Its second, and more important function, was to modify the King's title, and in so doing to replaced the concept of a single crown ruling the British Empire with multiple crowns. In this way, by means of the act, each of the empire's dominions became a separate kingdom. The Act was thus an important step in the evolution of the dominions towards full independence.
The full title of the act was An Act to provide for the alteration of the Royal Style and Titles and of the Style of Parliament and for purposes incidental thereto.
Parliamentary title
The 1927 Act did not change the title of the United Kingdom explicitly. Rather it did this by changing the title of the British Parliament. Section 2 of the act changed the parliament's title was from the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Historians generally retrospectively date the coming into being of the modern United Kingdom to December 1922, even though the formal change of title did not occur for another five years. Despite the change of name, the Act provided that there would be no change in the numbering of parliaments. Thus the legislature then in session continued to be the Thirty-fourth Parliament, and its successors have been numbered accordingly.
Royal title
The Act did a modify the King's title directly. Rather it permitted the King to do so by royal proclamation, provided the proclamation was issued within six months.
Before 1927, King George V reigned as king in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Irish Free State, South Africa, etc. Each of these states, in effect, as dominions, amounted to a subdivision of the United Kingdom. After 1927, however, 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 George V did not mention the dominions by name, but refered to them as the "British Dominions beyond the Seas". Nonetheless the Act shattered the previous concept of the shared monarch, replacing it with one of multiple crowns, all worn by one monarch.
One direct consequence of the change in the royal title was that the British government lost the right to formally advise the monarch on the exercise of his or her powers in the dominions. Rather, the government of each dominion acquired the exclusive right to do so. This difference was significant because, by constitutional convention, the monarch must, in almost all circumstance, act in accordance with the 'advice' of his or her ministers.
- Title before: 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
- Title afterwards: 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.
History
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act arose from the meeting of a Commonwealth Conference. Although an important changes in the status of the monarch, and of the dominions, was implicit in the Act, neither the British government nor most of the dominion governments seem to have initially grasped its full significance.
However the government of the Irish Free State put the changes introduced by the Act into immediate effect: by assuming the right to select its own Governor-General, demanding a direct right of audience with the King, and beginning to accept the credentials of international ambassadors to the Irish state--something no other dominion up until that time had done.
The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act was followed by the Statute of Westminster in 1931 which increased the independence of the dominions even further. This granted dominon parliaments the power to enact or amend almost any legislation they chose, and removed the right, in most circumstance, for the British Parliament to legislate for the dominions.
Most dominions were slower than the Irish Free State to respond to the laws of 1927 and 1931 with moves to severe constitutional ties with the United Kingdom, and many, when they did, were faced with determined, though ultimately futile, opposition from London. Many dominions waited until the acession of Elizabeth II in 1952 to codified their new autonomy into domestic law.
An interesting consequence of the 1927 Act was that Edward VIII's abdication required separate legal acknowledgement in each Commonwealth nation. In the Irish Free State, that acknowledgment, in the External Relations Act, occurred a day later than elsewhere, leaving Edward technically as "King of Ireland" for a day, while George VI was king of all other Commonwealth realms.
See also
External links
- Royal Styles and Titles of Great Britain: Documents. Full text of the Act and of the royal proclamation.