[ad_1]
WHAT IS THE ROYAL FAMILY’S CLAIM TO THE THRNE?
The Queen derives her right to reign from the House of Hanover, whose leader became King George I in 1714.
In 1688, James II, the last Catholic king in British history, was deposed in favor of his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William. They did not have children, so the throne passed to his sister Anne (from The Favorite Fame) who also died childless.
There were concerns that the throne would pass to James’ son, also known as James, whose birth to a Catholic mother prompted deposition in the first place. As a result, Parliament passed the Succession Act in 1701 which prohibited any Roman Catholic – or anyone married to a Catholic – from taking the throne.
This means that on Anne’s death in 1714, Parliament offered the throne to her first cousin – the Prince of Hanover in Germany – over many of her relatives.
His descendants will retain the name Hanover – and the throne – until 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert and all their children became known by their father’s surname – Saxe-Coburg Gotha.
During World War I, when anti-German sentiment was at its height, King George V (the Queen’s grandfather) thought it wise to replace it with the much more British-sounding Windsor – after their favorite castle.
This shows that although royalties may claim to be chosen by God, sometimes they are chosen by Parliament.
[ad_2]
Source link