Interesting Things About the Monarchy

Following the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, as the personnel within the monarchy change and rules and traditions are invoked that have not been needed or used for nearly 70 years, I find myself learning a lot of interesting facts about how the English monarchy is structured, as well as some charming bits of trivia and tradition. Let me share with you some of the fascinating things I've learned during this transition period. 

There is a centuries-old tradition that when the monarch dies, the royal beekeeper pays a visit to the beehives at Buckingham Palace and Clarence House, and informs the bees of the king or queen's death. He or she places black mourning ribbons on each hive and instructs them to be faithful to their new master, assuring them that they will continue to be treated well. This tradition is rooted in a superstition that the bees will not produce honey, or may even die, if not informed of a new owner. 

 

By law, the reigning monarch has five Counsellors of State, who are granted the ability to carry out certain official duties of the Sovereign, including attending Privy Council meetings, signing documents, receiving foreign ambassadors, etc. although they are rarely called upon to do so. The Counsellors include the Sovereign's spouse plus the first four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21. Currently, the line of succession after King Charles III is: Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince Harry, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice. Since George, Charlotte, Louise, Archie, and Lilibet are all minors, Princess Beatrice will become the fifth Counsellor of State (along with Camilla, the Queen Consort), despite being ninth in the line of succession. 

The British Crown owns all the "unmarked mute swans in open water" in the United Kingdom. The monarch therefore also holds the title, "the Seigneur of the Swans." An interesting side note is that in 1954, the native swam population in Lakeland, Florida, had died off, and a former resident who had moved to England wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth informing her of their plight. The queen offered the city of pair of swans if they would pay for the transportation and licensing. The city raised the required $300 and the pair were duly shipped to Florida, where they settled in nicely, and the swan population there is thriving to this day, to the point where Lakeland is nicknamed "Swan City." 

As far as I could discover, the swans on the Thames have not been informed of their change of ownership. Swans are apparently less picky about their owners than honeybees are. 

The saying, "The King (or Queen) is dead. Long live the King (or Queen)!" began with the French monarchy in 1422, when King Charles VI was succeeded by his son, King Charles VII ("Le roi est mort, vive le roi!"). The implication was that the power of the monarch transferred to the heir immediately upon the death of the reigning monarch. In the case of Queen Elizabeth, the phrase is, "The Queen is dead. Long live the King!", referring to the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the beginning of the reign of King Charles III. This is the reverse of the phrase used when Elizabeth became queen following the death of her father, King George VI. 

The rules of succession to the British throne are laid out in Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701). The latter states that Parliament has the right to regulate succession to the throne, and they can remove the title for reasons of misgovernment. The Act also states that only Protestant descendants of Princess Sophia, granddaughter of James I, are eligible to succeed. The Sovereign must be "in communion with the Church of England" and agree to uphold the Protestant succession. The 2013 Succession to the Crown Act ended the system of male primogeniture (by which a younger son would displace an older daughter in the line of succession), and it ended the provision that anyone marrying a Roman Catholic would be disqualified from succession. Due to this Act, Princess Charlotte remains third in line to the throne, behind her father, Prince William, and her older brother, Prince George, rather than being displaced by her younger brother, Prince Louis.

The spouse of a reigning king or queen is referred to as a royal consort. This title ends upon the death of the royal spouse. Queen Elizabeth's mother, also named Elizabeth, was queen consort to King George VI, and was called Queen Elizabeth until George's death, at which time she took on the title "Queen Mother," as the mother of the reigning queen. Prince Philip was a prince of Greece and Denmark in his own right prior to marrying then-Princess Elizabeth, but given the title of Duke of Edinburgh at their marriage and Prince of the United Kingdom when Elizabeth took the throne. Similarly, Prince George of Denmark (husband of Queen Anne) was given the title of Duke of Cumberland prior to his wife's ascension to the throne, and continued to use the title of Prince when Anne was Queen. The only other male royal consort in British history was Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Victoria wished him to have the title King Consort, but Parliament would not agree, so he was styled Prince Consort. 

When a King takes the throne, his wife is usually given the title "queen consort," and is referred to as Queen (in this case, "Queen Camilla,"), although she is not in the line of succession to the throne. (In centuries past, she could possibly have been in the line of succession in her own right due to all the intermarriages in the various royal families, but let's assume for simplicity's sake that no modern queen consort is a direct part of her husband's royal bloodline.) Although a statement had been issued by the palace in 2005 stating that Camilla would be styled as "Princess Consort,", Queen Elizabeth stated at her Platinum Jubilee in February 2022 that she wished for Charles to succeed her as king and for Camilla to be given the title of Queen Consort. Since Camilla is not the biological mother of the heir apparent, Prince William, if Charles predeceases her, she will likely revert to her previous title of Duchess of Cornwall.

The monarch has a number of official residences throughout the United Kingdom. Some, such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are owned by the Crown itself, while others, such as Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House are owned personally by the royal family. Since 1837, Buckingham Palace has been the official London residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarchy. The monarch meets with the Prime Minister, foreign ambassadors, and heads of state there, as well as hosting numerous state events and ceremonies. 

Other residences belonging to the Crown include Windsor Castle, the official country residence; the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland; Hillsborough Castle in Ireland; Clarence House, Kensington Palace, and St. James's Palace in London; and numerous smaller "cottages" throughout England. 

Other residences belonging personally to the king include Sandringham House, where the monarch lives from Christmas through February; and Balmoral Castle, Craigowan Lodge, and Birkhall in Scotland, where he lives in August and September.

In addition to the King and Queen, these properties serve as the residences for many other members of the royal family, including the families of Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, and various other more distantly related royals.  

Royal titles can be very confusing, so here is a quick run-down:

Queen/King: The monarch, who is addressed as Your Majesty. They outrank everyone, and have the right to grant other titles. Upon their death (or abdication), the title passes to their heir, usually their eldest child.  Examples: Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III. 

Royal Consort: The spouse of the reigning monarch, also addressed as Your Majesty; he or she is not necessarily royal by blood. See above for details on how they are "styled" (i.e., called). Examples: Queen Camilla, Prince Philip. 

Prince/Princess: The monarch's children receive the title of prince or princess at birth. They are addressed as Your Royal Highness. The children of a prince also receive those titles but the children of a princess do not. Examples: Prince Andrew (son of a Queen Elizabeth), Princess Charlotte (daughter of Prince William). Note that Prince Andrew's daughters are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, but his sister Princess Anne's daughter is Zara Tindall, not Princess Zara. A woman who is not a princess by birth but marries a prince receives the title of princess paired with her husband's name, but not her own. Diana's proper title was not, in fact, Princess Diana, but rather Diana, Princess of Wales, or alternately, Princess Charles of Wales. Princess Michael of Kent (birth name Marie-Christine) uses this convention. 

Princess Royal (no male equivalent): This title is reserved for the monarch's eldest daughter, and although the monarch determines when the title is granted, it has historically been given when the princess marries. She is also addressed as Your Royal Highness. Example: Anne, Princess Royal.

Duke/Duchess: The highest of five degrees of British peerage; addressed as Your Grace. Sons of the monarch are usually granted this title when they marry, although in the past it was given when they came of age. In feudal times, the location meant the title-holder owned that land, but in modern times, the title is merely honorary. Example: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle). 

Marquess/Marchioness: The next highest-degree, this title was originally created for title holders on the borders of the Welsh and Scottish territories, or "marches." Addressed as Lord or Lady. (Fictional) Example: Lady Edith Crawley of Downton Abbey marries a Marquess, therefore outranking her sister Lady Mary, who will inherit the title of Countess of Grantham from her father. 

Earl/Countess: The title of earl is passed from father to son, while the title of countess is obtained only through marriage to an earl. Addressed as Lord or Lady. Prince Edward holds the title of Earl of Wessex; his wife Sophie became the Countess of Essex upon their marriage. 

Viscount/Viscountess (pronounced "VYE-count" and "VYE-count-ess"): The fourth degree of peerage, the title is given to the son (or, of late, daughter) of an earl, but it can also be granted. Addressed as Lord or Lady. Prince Edward's son James is a Viscount by virtue of his father's earldom.

Baron/Baroness: The lowest rank in the peerage system, this title is often hereditary but can also be granted. They are addressed as Lord or Lady. There are more barons than any other titles in the peerage. Example: King Charles also holds the title of Baron of Renfrew, but that title is rarely heard because of his laundry list of other, more illustrious titles.

Lord/Lady: In addition to being used by the ranks noted above, their children may be addressed as Lord or Lady despite not holding the rank themselves. Example: Prior to her marriage, as the daughter of the Earl of Spencer, Diana was called Lady Diana Spencer.

In 1748, King George II, whose birthday was in October, decided to combine his birthday celebration with the annual summer military march. Every monarch since has followed suit, celebrating on their actual birthday as well as a summer date which is usually the second Monday in June. King Charles, having a November birthday, may be as delighted as King George to have a reason to celebrate during more pleasant weather. 

All members of the royal family are required to bring black clothes with them whenever they travel, in case wearing mourning is needed without notice. Elizabeth was on tour in Kenya when she received news that her father had passed away, so this rule may have struck close to home for her. 

Any bits of trivia that I missed? Let me know!