On The Conversation website, I’ve written a piece about the importance of the Queen expressing her ‘sincere wish’ that the Duchess of Cornwall takes the title Queen Consort instead of Princess Consort as announced when she married Prince Charles in 2005. You can read the piece at this link.
Category: Uncategorized
Why Prince Andrew is Still a Prince
Over on The Conversation, I’ve written a piece explaining why Prince Andrew still remains a prince even though he has withdrawn from public life, as the legal action against him has progressed to the substantive stage. You can read the piece at this link.
Should the Future Duke of Edinburgh Live in Edinburgh?
Today’s Daily Mail reports that last year, Downing Street considered asking Prince Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, to take up residence at Holyrood Palace, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, and increase the number of engagements in Scotland. It’s expected that Prince Edward will inherit the title Duke of Edinburgh from…
Harry & Meghan: A Deeper Look at Finding Freedom
It might be difficult to find new things to say about Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. The press coverage they received, rows over tiaras, and just plain score settling have all been extensively discussed already. Mostly, the book traces events that are already pretty well documented but from the perspective of Duke…
Harry and Meghan, Regency, Counsellors of State and a “Slimmed Down” Royal Family
On the UK Constitutional Law Association Blog, you can now find my piece discussing (perhaps) the one constitutional issue raised by the decision of Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step from life as a “senior royal” – Prince Harry’s status as a Counsellor of State under the Regency Acts 1937-1953 – an issue that…
Accountability: Why Meghan and Harry’s Decision Has Caused Such Concern
At the risk of stating the obvious, the monarchy is one of the key national institutions that define British public life. Others include Parliament, the courts, the BBC, Civil Service and a free press. One of the remarkable features of public life is how many of these institutions appear to be in an almost perpetual…
The Queen and Prorogation
**This blog was first posted on LinkedIn on 29th August 2019** There is much discussion about the decision of Boris Johnson to prorogue Parliament and what it means for the role of the monarchy. To prorogue Parliament means that one session of Parliament ends, and another begins when it meets again. While prorogued, Parliament does…
How to avoid the elephant trap: what anti-no deal MPs could do this week
This blog was first published on 2nd September over at Medium.com. It has since been taken over by events including the enactment of the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 2) Act 2019. The prorogation of Parliament has been described by many as a constitutional outrage, people have protested (including down the Mall), and it has heightened…
Even if May has the Confidence of the House; A Lack of “Plan B” Makes Extending Article 50 Inevitable
Once upon a time, it would all have been much more straightforward. Theresa May would have made the “meaningful vote” a matter of confidence, so that if the government lost the vote, May would immediately see the Queen, and request a dissolution of Parliament to trigger a general election. But not anymore. This is because…
How Would a Hung Parliament Play Out? Back to the 1970’s…
It appears to be more than a wobble. Discussion of a traditional mid-election blip in polls for the Conservatives has developed into predictions (notably by YouGov) of a hung parliament with the Conservatives as the largest party. However, other polls still indicate that a Conservative majority remains the most likely result next week. Nevertheless, it…