Lawyer reveals truth of 'royal assent' Cabinet tried to block
Research by a Westcountry lawyer has exposed the extent of the Queen and Duchy of Cornwall's power of veto over new legislation.
John Kirkhope has been battling with the Cabinet Office for more than two years for access to guidance from civil servants as part of his thesis at Plymouth University.
The papers, which show some 39 Bills approved by Parliament have required Royal consent or been vetoed, were only released after Mr Kirkhope's Freedom of Information Act request was backed by the courts after the Cabinet Office tried to block their release.
Mr Kirkhope, a notary public based in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, stressed he was "not on a mission against the Queen or Prince Charles" but was involved in a "piece of academic research".
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Mr Kirkhope added: "There has been an implication that these prerogative powers are quaint and sweet but actually there is real influence and real power, albeit unaccountable."
The internal documents, prepared by Cabinet Office lawyers, show ministers and civil servants are required to consult the Queen and Prince Charles in greater detail and over more areas of legislation than had been thought.
New laws which were sent to Buckingham Palace or the Duchy of Cornwall for consent include the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Charities Act 2006 and the legislation which brought in fixed-term parliaments.
Andrew George, the Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, has raised numerous questions about the power of the Queen and Prince Charles to veto Parliamentary bills.
"Most people believe that, over the centuries, the Royal family's role is primarily ceremonial," Mr George said.
"I am not engaged in a disrespectful republican plot but merely to ensure that democratically elected Members of Parliament are informed about the powers and influence of senior royals and also when and how this power is exercised."
The 30-page guidance outlines how the Queen's consent is likely to be needed for legislation affecting hereditary revenues, personal property or personal interests of the Crown or the Duchy of Lancaster, an estate covering some 47,000 acres.
Consent is also needed if it affects the Duchy of Cornwall which paid Prince Charles more than £18 million in 2012.
Mr Kirkhope was refused a copy of the 30-page internal guidance by the Cabinet Office. It was then ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner. The Cabinet Office later appealed to the Information Tribunal but lost.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "It is a long established convention that the Queen is asked by Parliament to provide consent to those Bills which Parliament has decided would affect Crown interests.
"The sovereign has not refused to consent to any Bill affecting Crown interests unless advised to do so by ministers."
A spokesman for Prince Charles said: "In modern times, the Prince of Wales has never refused to consent to any Bill affecting Duchy of Cornwall interests, unless advised to do so by ministers."
11 Comments
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by poldice
Tuesday, January 29 2013, 10:16PM
“Perhaps we should step back from our fixation on what the nasty Neo Liberal English establishment are doing to the Cornish and ponder on the damage they are more than capable of doing to themselves without any outside input whatsoever as they lose their iron grip on the last vestigaes of empire and Blairs poisonous social experiment with multiculturalism destroys them from within.”
by Slimslad
Tuesday, January 29 2013, 9:54PM
“"Illuminati"
Oh-Oh!!!
Ding-dong!!!!”
by Truro_England
Tuesday, January 29 2013, 8:22AM
“Our Royal German family are the head of an illegal corp that have been running for years, from the early years going to countries and taking what they feel like in the name of colonialism!
They are Illuminati bigots who in normal life would be living on benefits and watching Jeremy Kyle, Charlie boy is the worst by flying around the world to posh partys then to tell us to cut our carbon and go back to lving in caves..
Princess Diana was murdered because 'the Royals' got jealous of her loving relationship with us the subects grew wider, also her love for a muslim.
Prince Harry and James Hewitt?? The trouble is that will never come out because the media have been sworn to a complete black out and would put there business and lives at risk if ever disclosed.”
by Slimslad
Monday, January 28 2013, 8:15PM
“"in Norway where at each election you have a choice of up to 30 parties all diffferent, (sic), and all thinking they have a fair crack, and they still managed to vote in the same party for the last 30 years."?
Absolute nonsense!
http://tinyurl.com/nt9emm
7 Parliamentary parties.
Of the rest. a handful hold Council seats.
Not forgetting, of course, that Norway is a monarchy.”
by Slimslad
Monday, January 28 2013, 8:04PM
“"local special branch officer",(sic)?
We don't need them.
We have Cheltenham.”
by Jonny2010
Monday, January 28 2013, 7:48PM
“The so-called "Windsors" doing what they feel like.”
by TheGeofflane
Monday, January 28 2013, 3:47PM
“£18million! Is that the profit on the ludicrously priced 'Duchy Originals'?”
by youngcornwall
Monday, January 28 2013, 1:22PM
“@howellh
We are living in the society that we have made for ourselves and are still making, good isn't it, compared to some countries.”
by howellh
Monday, January 28 2013, 12:13PM
“Please be careful to your reply to subjects of this kind as your helpful local special branch officer will monitor all comments,if you think you are living in a free society,please think again regards.”
by youngcornwall
Monday, January 28 2013, 10:03AM
“"The sovereign has not refused to consent to any Bill affecting Crown interests unless advised to do so by ministers."
A spokesman for Prince Charles said: "In modern times, the Prince of Wales has never refused to consent to any Bill affecting Duchy of Cornwall interests, unless advised to do so by ministers."
Just a matter of procedure by the looks of it, if anything the buck should stop with the ministers, we all know the monarchy are just for show and not in the real world.”