Q: C.G - USA
Is Her Majesty The Queen the Head of the House of Hanover. If not, why?
The name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha came to the British Royal Family in 1840 with the marriage of Queen Victoria to Prince Albert, son of Ernst, Duke of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha. Queen Victoria remained part of the House of Hanover. Her son, King Edward VII, began the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha when he came to the throne in 1901. This would have carried on to the present day, were it not for the Order in Council of 1917, signed by King George V, which changed the Royal Family name to Windsor. The Queen is the Head of the House of Windsor.
Q: Ruth - Sydney, Australia
My understanding is that the order of succession had recently been changed so that it was in order of age, not of gender. Is this true? This would mean that Princess Anne is fourth in line to the throne.
There have been no changes to the succession since the 1701 Act of Settlement. The eldest son of the monarch is heir to the throne followed by his heirs. After that come any other sons of the monarch and their heirs, followed by any daughters of the monarch and their heirs. The Princess Royal is thus ninth in line to the throne after The Prince of Wales, Prince William, Prince Harry, The Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, The Earl of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor, The Princess Royal.
The succession is governed by an Act of Parliament and therefore only another such act would change the current status of the succession.
Q: Brent Costley - Palmerston North, New Zealand
Why is the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex usually called Lady Louise Windsor? I understood that in the 1960s the family name was changed to Mountbatten-Windsor, and that was the name included on Princess Anne's wedding licence. Do the Earl and Countess of Wessex just use a shortened form of the name?
The full name of The Earl and Countess of Wessex's first child is Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary Mountbatten-Windsor, but it has been decided to call the baby Lady Louise Windsor for ease of use.
Q: Lee Svoboda - Delran, New Jersey, USA
Why, in your account of the line of succession in "The Monarchy Today" section of the website, do put the Earl of Harewood in front of Prince Michael of Kent? The Earl of Harewood is a descendant of Mary, Princess Royal, whose descendants should come after those of Prince George, Duke of Kent.
Prince Michael of Kent does not feature in the succession on account of the fact that he is married to a Roman Catholic. Under the terms of the 1701 Act of Settlement, Roman Catholics are specifically excluded from the succession and the throne. You will notice however that both of Prince and Princess Michael's children, Lord and Lady Frederick and Gabriella Windsor are included on the line of succession on account of the fact that they were raised as Protestants.
Q: Janine Goodson - Pretoria
We were privileged to have The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in South Africa a few years ago after the new government took over and Mr Mandela became president. They have not been back on an official basis since then. Can we expect another visit anytime in the near future?
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh paid a State Visit to South Africa and President Mandela between 19th and 25th March, 1995. There are ordinarily two outgoing and two incoming State Visits each year. State Visits are normally announced several months in advance of the actual visit. This spring, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are going to France.
All such visits are undertaken on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
> Next page
|
