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73-609: The Regency Acts are Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed at various times, to provide a regent in the event of the reigning monarch being incapacitated or a minor (under the age of 18). Prior to 1937, Regency Acts were passed only when necessary to deal with a specific situation. In 1937, the Regency Act 1937 made general provision for a regent, and established the office of Counsellor of State ,

146-533: A Counsellor of State again, a position she had lost on the death of her husband King George VI. Most of the provisions of the Regency Act 1953 ( 2 & 3 Eliz. 2 . c. 1) ceased to be applicable as the Queen's children came of age. The sole provision of the 1953 Act that is still relevant is section 2, which reduced to 18 the age at which the heir-apparent or heir-presumptive to the throne could become Regent. This

219-534: A Regency Council to operate alongside Prince Albert, which potentially gave him more power than earlier proposed regents. The Act was fairly controversial at the time, as the British people were suspicious of Prince Albert, and he was generally unpopular in Parliament. However Victoria lived until 1901 (thus her surviving children were adults by then), and in any case, Albert predeceased her and so he did not become

292-541: A bill to change the line of succession to the British throne or to repeal or alter the Scottish Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act 1707 . This Act ( 6 & 7 Geo. 6 . c. 42) modified the Regency Act 1937 so that counsellors of state who were absent during the Sovereign's absence would not be listed among the appointments. It also declared that the heir-apparent or presumptive to

365-520: A bill to repeal or alter the Act of Uniformity 1662 or the Scottish Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act 1707 . In 1910 King Edward VII's son, King George V , succeeded to the throne. However, his children were all under the age of 18. Therefore, Parliament passed a new Regency Act ( 10 Edw. 7. & 1 Geo. 5 . c. 26) in 1910, that named the King's consort, Queen Mary , as regent. No regency council

438-549: A child, that child would become king or queen instead of Victoria, and Adelaide would become regent. If such a birth occurred after the King's death, his child was to immediately succeed Victoria in Victoria's lifetime as king or queen. The Act prohibited either monarch from marrying during the regency without the Regent's consent and made it high treason to marry the monarch without such consent, or to assist in or be concerned in

511-456: A majority vote of the council. The provisions of the Act actually never came into force since Prince George had already come of age by the time that his grandfather died. In 1760, King George III ascended the throne, with his brother Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany , as heir presumptive. However, the new King soon married and had several children. By 1765, the King had three infant children in

584-401: A number of stages before it can become law. In theory, this allows the bill's provisions to be debated in detail, and for amendments to the original bill to also be introduced, debated, and agreed to. In bicameral parliaments, a bill that has been approved by the chamber into which it was introduced then sends the bill to the other chamber. Broadly speaking, each chamber must separately agree to

657-597: A number of whom would act on the monarch's behalf when the monarch was temporarily absent from the realm or experiencing an illness that did not amount to legal incapacity. This Act, as modified by the Regency Acts of 1943 and 1953, forms the main law relating to regency in the United Kingdom today. An example of a pre-1937 Regency Act was the Act of 1811 which allowed Prince George (later King George IV) to act as regent while his father, King George III ,

730-427: A position each had previously held but subsequently lost when Prince William and Prince Harry respectively reached the age of 21. According to the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953, presently in force, there is provision for the establishment of a regency either on account of the minority of the monarch or of the absolute incapacity of the monarch to discharge the royal functions. According to the Regency Acts in force, if

803-466: A private member's bill). In Australia, the bill passes through the following stages: In Canada, the bill passes through the following stages: The committee considers each clause of the bill, and may make amendments to it. Significant amendments may be made at the committee stage. In some cases, whole groups of clauses are inserted or removed. However, if the Government holds a majority, almost all

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876-413: A procedure for determining the incapacity of the sovereign due to infirmity of mind or body or due to the monarch's unavailability for another definite cause. When a declaration of incapacity is made in accordance with the procedure set out in the Regency Act 1937 a regency is established and the royal functions are transferred from the sovereign to a regent, who discharges them in the name and on behalf of

949-400: A regency was already provided for, Parliament made a new law creating a provision specific to the scenario of the succession to the throne of a son or daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , while still under the age of 18 years. That provision, which ceased to have any relevance in law once all children of Elizabeth and Philip reached adulthood, was to

1022-526: A specific chamber. For example, bills imposing a tax , or involving public expenditure , are introduced into the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, Canada's House of Commons , Lok Sabha of India and Ireland's Dáil as a matter of law. Conversely, bills proposed by the Law Commission and consolidation bills traditionally start in the House of Lords . Once introduced, a bill must go through

1095-647: A substantial section of English society excluded from public affairs for a century and a half. The Act of Uniformity itself is one of four crucial pieces of legislation, known as the Clarendon Code , named after Edward Hyde , Earl of Clarendon, Charles II 's Lord Chancellor. They are: Combined with the Test Act , the Corporation Acts excluded all nonconformists from holding civil or military office, and prevented them from being awarded degrees by

1168-454: Is by reason of infirmity of mind or body incapable for the time being of performing the royal functions or that they are satisfied by evidence that the Sovereign is for some definite cause not available for the performance of those functions'. Such a determination must be made by at least three of: The Act required that the regent should be the next person in the line of succession who was: The counsellors of state were to consist of: Thus, at

1241-675: Is confined to the Duke, and accordingly, in the event of the Duke's death, which we all fervently hope will not occur for many years, the Amendment would cease to have effect, and in the circumstances in which provision is made by the Bill for the Duke being the Regent, the Princess Margaret would, if alive, be Regent. This is in no sense an exclusion Bill. The Act also allowed the Queen's mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , to become

1314-609: Is presented to the Governor General , who gives it royal assent . Although the Governor General can refuse to assent a bill, this power has never been exercised. Bills being reviewed by Parliament are assigned numbers: 2 to 200 for government bills, 201 to 1000 for private member's bills , and 1001 up for private bills . They are preceded by C- if they originate in the House of Commons, or S- if they originate in

1387-542: The British Parliament to pass legislation to determine who would act as regent during the absence, incapacity or minority of the ruling monarch. Since then, several Regency Acts have been passed. With the passage of the Act of Settlement 1701 establishing the Protestant Succession and making Sophia of Hanover the heir presumptive to the throne, it became likely that upon Queen Anne's death

1460-587: The Isle of Man . A few sections of this Act were still in force in the United Kingdom at the end of 2010. As an immediate result of this Act, over 2,000 clergymen refused to take the oath and were expelled from the Church of England in what became known as the Great Ejection of 1662. Although there had already been ministers outside the established church, this created the concept of non-conformity , with

1533-510: The universities of Cambridge and Oxford . Another Act, the Quaker Act 1662 , required subjects to swear an oath of allegiance to the king, which Quakers did not do out of religious conviction. It set out specific penalties for first (a fine of up to £5, or three months' imprisonment with hard labour), second (a fine of up to £10, or six months imprisonment with hard labour), and third (transportation) offence. It also allowed that should

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1606-662: The Act was so new that most people had never even seen a copy. The Act also required that the Book of Common Prayer "be truly and exactly Translated into the British or Welsh Tongue". It also explicitly required episcopal ordination for all ministers, i.e. deacons, priests and bishops, which had to be reintroduced since the Puritans had abolished many features of the Church during the Civil War . The act did not explicitly encompass

1679-653: The Act, if the monarch died while the heir to the throne was overseas, the government would be run until the new monarch returned by between seven and fourteen "Lords Justices". Seven of the Lords Justices were named in the Act, and the next monarch could appoint seven others, who would be named in writing, with three copies to be sent to the Privy Council in England. The Act made it treason for any unauthorized person to open them or to neglect to deliver them to

1752-588: The Act, the King was suspended from the personal discharge of the royal functions, and George, Prince of Wales discharged those functions in the name and on behalf of the King from 1811 to 1820, when the King died and the Prince of Wales succeeded to the throne. Parliament restricted some of the powers of the Prince Regent, as the Prince of Wales became known. These constraints were in regards to appointments to certain offices, though they expired one year after

1825-664: The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chancellor. The Lords Justices were to have the power to give royal assent to bills except that they would be guilty of treason if they amended the Act of Uniformity 1662 . Two years later, after the union of Scotland and England , the new Parliament of Great Britain passed the Succession to the Crown Act 1707 to reaffirm the above procedure and modify it slightly. Under

1898-750: The Crown being out of the Realm at the Time of the Demise of Her Majesty ). The Act did not provide for a specific regent to be appointed, as it was expected that the new monarch would arrive in the country within a reasonable time. Thus the Act provided only for Lords Justices, including such people as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chief Justice , to take up some of the monarch's duties. Unlike

1971-670: The Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas , bills pass through the following stages. Bills may be initiated in either the Dáil or the Seanad, and must pass both houses. In New Zealand, the bill passes through the following stages: A draft piece of legislation is called a bill ; when this is passed by Parliament it becomes an act and part of statute law. There are two types of bill and act, public and private . Public acts apply to

2044-569: The King was already incapacitated de facto , resolutions by both Houses of Parliament approved the action and directed the Lord Chancellor to prepare the letters patent and to affix the Great Seal to them even without the signature of the monarch. The Lords Commissioners who were appointed in the name of the King signified the granting of the royal assent to a bill that became the Care of King During his Illness, etc. Act 1811 ( 51 Geo. 3 . c. 1). Under

2117-467: The King was in no fit state to give royal assent to the Act. Parliament decided to have the Lord Chancellor, Lord Thurlow , approve the bill by fixing the Great Seal of the Realm to give royal assent. However, the King recovered in time before the bill could be passed. Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany , and others thought the Act to be illegal, but after his recovery, the King declared that

2190-577: The Magistrate's Court Act 1980 (c. 43). Until the 1980s, acts of the Australian state of Victoria were numbered in a continuous sequence from 1857; thus the Age of Majority Act 1977 was No. 9075 of 1977. Act of Uniformity 1662 The Act of Uniformity 1662 ( 14 Cha. 2 . c. 4) is an Act of the Parliament of England . (It was formerly cited as 13 & 14 Cha. 2 . c. 4, by reference to

2263-496: The Minority of Successor to Crown Act 1750 ( 24 Geo. 2 . c. 24). The Act provided that George's mother, Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales , would act as regent and specified that a Council of Regency be put in place to rule alongside Princess Augusta. The Council of Regency was to act as a brake on the regent's power; some acts of the royal prerogative , such as declarations of war or the signing of peace treaties , would require

Regency Acts - Misplaced Pages Continue

2336-565: The Privy Council. The Lords Justices were to have the power to give royal assent to bills, except that they would be guilty of treason if they amended the Act of Uniformity 1662 or the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act 1707 . Upon Anne's death in 1714, the new king, George I , was in his home realm of Hanover. In accordance with the Succession to the Crown Act, Thomas Parker , Lord Chief Justice, became head of

2409-503: The Regency Act 1937 ( 1 Edw. 8 & 1 Geo. 6 . c. 16), which provided for the incapacity or minority of all future monarchs. It also repealed the Lords Justices Act 1837, and established in statute the office of counsellor of state , to be appointed during the monarch's absence abroad, or temporary illness not amounting to complete incapacity. The Act ordered that a regent should perform the royal functions if 'the Sovereign

2482-434: The Regency Act 1943, and the Regency Act 1953, jointly referred to as the "Regency Acts 1937 to 1953". In 1936, George VI (George V's second son) became king, with his elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth , as heir presumptive. However, Elizabeth was under the age of 18, leading to the need for a new regency act. Rather than pass a specific regency act relating to the death or incapacity of George VI only, Parliament passed

2555-589: The Senate. For example, Bill C-250 was a private member's bill introduced in the House. Bills C-1 and S-1 are pro forma bills, and are introduced at the beginning of each session in order to assert the right of each Chamber to manage its own affairs. They are introduced and read a first time, and then are dropped from the Order Paper . In the Parliament of India , every bill passes through following stages before it becomes an Act of Parliament of India : In

2628-555: The Throne was under 18 years of age and where it would be necessary to have a Regent, but that such Regent would only be a few months older. It would then be rather absurd to appoint as Regent someone only six months older than the King. Consequently ... there should be a minimum difference of three years. The Counsellors of State Act 2022 (c. 47) appointed Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (now Duke of Edinburgh) as additional Counsellors of State for their lifetimes,

2701-529: The United Kingdom in the event of Victoria dying without having been survived by a legitimate child, that would take some weeks by using 19th-century transport. To provide for the continuation of government in such an instance, Parliament passed the Lords Justices Act 1837 ( 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 72, long title : An Act to provide for the Appointment of Lords Justices in the Case of the next Successor to

2774-412: The amendments which are agreed to in committee will have been tabled by the Government to correct deficiencies in the bill or to enact changes to policy made since the bill was introduced (or, in some cases, to import material which was not ready when the bill was presented). The debate on each stage is actually debate on a specific motion. For the first reading, there is no debate. For the second reading,

2847-423: The calendar year, with the first act passed being chapter 1, and so on. In the United Kingdom, legislation has referenced by year and chapter number since 1963 ( Acts of Parliament Numbering and Citation Act 1962 ). Each act is numbered consecutively based on the date it received royal assent, for example the 43rd act passed in 1980 would be 1980 chapter 43. The full reference includes the (short) title and would be

2920-473: The country would be without a monarch in residence. The Regency Act 1705 was passed "to put it [the succession] in such a method as was not to be resisted but by open force of arms and a public declaration for the Pretender ". The Act required privy counsellors and other officers in the event of Anne's death, to proclaim as her successor the next Protestant in the line of succession to the throne, and it

2993-649: The defendant subsequently agree to swear oaths and not attend unlawful assemblies (as defined by the Act) then all penalties would be cancelled. The Book of Common Prayer introduced by Charles II was substantially the same as Elizabeth's version of 1559, itself based on Thomas Cranmer's earlier version of 1552 . Apart from minor changes this remains the official and permanent legal version of prayer authorised by Parliament and Church. The Toleration Act 1688 allowed certain dissenters places and freedom to worship, provided they accept to subscribe to an oath. The provisions of

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3066-507: The effect that Prince Philip, if living, would act as regent in case of an underage succession to the Crown by one of the children born of his marriage to Queen Elizabeth II. Furthermore, if a regency was necessary during Elizabeth II's reign, the Duke of Edinburgh would act as regent if the Queen had no eligible children or grandchildren. At the bill's second reading, David Maxwell-Fyfe , the Home Secretary, explained: The Amendment

3139-475: The following stages: There are special procedures for emergency bills, member's bills (similar to private member's bills in the UK Parliament), committee bills, and private bills. In Singapore, the bill passes through these certain stages before becoming into an Act of Parliament. Acts passed by the Parliament of England did not originally have titles, and could only be formally cited by reference to

3212-420: The government had acted correctly. The King's continuing mental problems throughout the rest of his life confirmed the need for a suitable Regency Act to be in place. However, the King was hostile to the passing of such an Act while he was of sound mind. In late 1810, King George III was once again overcome by mental illness after the death of his youngest daughter, Princess Amelia . Parliament agreed to follow

3285-534: The government. This will usually happen following the publication of a " white paper ", setting out the issues and the way in which the proposed new law is intended to deal with them. A bill may also be introduced into parliament without formal government backing; this is known as a private member's bill . In territories with a multicameral parliament, most bills may be first introduced in any chamber. However, certain types of legislation are required, either by constitutional convention or by law, to be introduced into

3358-492: The husband and co-ruler of Queen Mary I , regent if Mary died and her heir was male and under 18 or an unmarried female under 15. By the Act of Settlement 1701 , Parliament passed the line of succession to Electress Sophia of Hanover . That decision was confirmed and extended to all of Great Britain by the Acts of Union 1707 . With the doctrine of parliamentary supremacy firmly established in British law, it became possible for

3431-462: The marriage. The Act also prohibited the regent from giving royal assent to a bill to change the line of succession to the throne or to repeal or alter the Act of Uniformity 1662 or the Scottish Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Act 1707 . However, since Victoria became queen at 18, and Queen Adelaide had no more children, a regency was unnecessary and so the Act never came into force. In 1837, Victoria succeeded her uncle at 18 while she

3504-409: The monarch is under the age of 18 years when he or she succeeds to the throne, a regency is automatically established, and, until the monarch attains the age of 18 years, the royal functions are discharged by the regent in the name and on behalf of the monarch. In that case, any oaths or declarations required by statute to be taken by the sovereign on or after succeeding to the Crown are postponed until

3577-452: The monarch until a declaration is made in accordance with the said Act to the effect that the monarch's incapacity has ceased. Act of Parliament A draft act of parliament is known as a bill . In other words, a bill is a proposed law that needs to be discussed in the parliament before it can become a law. In territories with a Westminster system , most bills that have any possibility of becoming law are introduced into parliament by

3650-559: The motion is "That this bill be now read a second time and be referred to [name of committee]" and for third reading "That this bill be now read a third time and pass." In the Committee stage, each clause is called and motions for amendments to these clauses, or that the clause stand part of the bill are made. In the Report stage, the debate is on the motions for specific amendments. Once a bill has passed both Houses in an identical form, it

3723-405: The new act actually never came into force since when George III died, his eldest son was already aged 57. The Regency Bill 1789 was a proposed Act of Parliament to provide that George III's eldest son, George, Prince of Wales , would act as regent because of the King's incapacity caused by mental illness . With no legislation already in place, there was no legal basis for providing a regent, and

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3796-480: The next 18 years, and Parliament again would have to provide for a regent in the event of Victoria's death. The previous Lords Justices Act 1837 would not apply to the Queen's children, as they resided in the UK. Parliament therefore passed the Regency Act 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. 52), which provided for Prince Albert to rule as regent until the eldest son (or daughter, if no sons) reached the age of 18. The Act did not require

3869-401: The order of succession. Parliament again passed a Regency Act to provide for a regent in the event of the King's death. The Minority of Heir to the Crown Act 1765 ( 5 Geo. 3 . c. 27) provided that either the King's wife, Queen Charlotte , or his mother, Princess Augusta, would act as regent. The Act also required the formation of a Council of Regency. As with the previous act, the provision of

3942-426: The parliamentary session in which they were passed, with each individual act being identified by year and chapter number. Descriptive titles began to be added to the enrolled acts by the official clerks, as a reference aid; over time, titles came to be included within the text of each bill. Since the mid-nineteenth century, it has also become common practice for acts to have a short title , as a convenient alternative to

4015-587: The passage of the Act. The period from 1811 to 1820 is known as the Regency era . The importance of this Regency Act was that it did not require a Council of Regency, as required by previous legislation. One reason was that the Prince Regent was heir apparent to the throne in any case and so would assume full powers upon his father's death. In 1830, the throne passed to George IV's younger brother (George III's third son), King William IV . However, William IV had no surviving legitimate children. The heir presumptive to

4088-490: The powers granted to prospective regents in previous legislation, the powers of the Lords Justice were more limited; for example, they could not dissolve Parliament or create peerages. By 1840, Queen Victoria had married her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and soon gave birth to Princess Victoria . It was expected that the Queen would have many other children; however, they would be in minority for at least

4161-469: The precedent of 1789. Without the King's consent, the Lord Chancellor affixed the Great Seal of the Realm to letters patent naming Lords Commissioners. Such letters patent were irregular because they did not bear the Royal Sign Manual , and only letters patent signed by the King himself could provide for the appointment of Lords Commissioners or for the granting of royal assent. However, because

4234-469: The regency. He served for a little over a month. The second Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain to deal exclusively with a regency was in 1728, the Regency During the King's Absence Act 1728 ( 2 Geo. 2 . c. 27). It specified that Queen Caroline would act as regent in the absence of her husband, King George II rather than their son Frederick, Prince of Wales , whom he despised. The Act

4307-399: The regent. The Act would have prohibited the monarch from marrying during the regency without written consent from the Regent and both houses of Parliament and made it high treason to marry the monarch without such consent, or to assist in or be concerned in the marriage. The Act also prohibited the regent from giving royal assent to a bill to change the line of succession to the throne or

4380-500: The regnal year when it was passed on 19 May 1662.) It prescribed the form of public prayers , administration of sacraments , and other rites of the Established Church of England , according to the rites and ceremonies prescribed in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer . Adherence to this was required in order to hold any office in government or the church, although the new version of the Book of Common Prayer prescribed by

4453-477: The same version of the bill. Finally, the approved bill receives assent; in most territories this is merely a formality and is often a function exercised by the head of state . In some countries, such as in France, Belgium, Luxembourg , Spain and Portugal, the term for a bill differs depending on whether it is initiated by the government (when it is known as a "draft"), or by the parliament (a "proposition", i.e.,

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4526-477: The sometimes lengthy main titles. The Short Titles Act 1892 , and its replacement the Short Titles Act 1896 , gave short titles to many acts which previously lacked them. The numerical citation of acts has also changed over time. The original method was based on the regnal year (or years) in which the relevant parliamentary session met. This has been replaced in most territories by simple reference to

4599-408: The sovereign's personal assumption of the royal functions, and for the purpose of all such enactments regarding oaths and declarations that the new monarch must make upon accession "the date on which the Sovereign attains the age of eighteen years shall be deemed to be the date of His Accession". Unlike any of the preceding Regency Acts, the Regency Act 1937 (which is still in force) established in law

4672-430: The throne (first in the line of succession) only had to be 18 to be a counsellor. In 1952 King George VI died and was succeeded by his elder daughter, Queen Elizabeth II . With her eldest son and heir apparent, Prince Charles , under the age of 21, the Regency Act 1937 would provide for the next person over the age of 21 in the line of succession, the Queen's sister Princess Margaret , to act as regent. However, although

4745-429: The throne was his niece, Princess Victoria of Kent , the 11-year-old daughter of William's dead brother Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn . As Parliament mistrusted the surviving younger sons of George III, the Act ( 1 Will. 4 . c. 2) placed any potential regency caused by the King's death before Victoria had reached 18, in her mother, Victoria, Dowager Duchess of Kent . However, if Queen Adelaide gave birth to

4818-432: The time of the passing of the Act, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester would have become regent in the event that King George VI died while Princess Elizabeth was still a minor. The current prospective regent under the Act, who would assume the functions of regent should Charles III become incapacitated, would be his elder son William, Prince of Wales . Section 4 of the Act prohibits the regent from giving royal assent to

4891-573: The whole of the UK or a number of its constituent countries – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Private acts are local and personal in their effect, giving special powers to bodies such as local authorities or making exceptions to the law in particular geographic areas. In the United Kingdom Parliament, each bill passes through the following stages: In the Scottish Parliament, bills pass through

4964-408: Was done to remove the perceived anomaly that a person aged 18 could become a counsellor of state and could, upon accession to the throne, personally discharge the royal functions, but could not act as a regent until 21. In fact, this had been intended in 1937. In 1937, when the bill was still in committee, the attorney-general Donald Somervell had said: There might well arise a case where the heir to

5037-565: Was incapacitated. Prior to 1937, there was no permanent, general provision in British law for a regent to be appointed if the British monarch were incapacitated, a minor or absent from the country. Before the Glorious Revolution , it was up to the sovereign to decide who would be regent in any event although the decision was often implemented by legislation. For example, section XI of the Treason Act 1554 made King Philip ,

5110-477: Was made high treason to fail to do so. If the next Protestant successor was abroad at the death of Anne, seven great Officers of State named in the Act and others whom the heir apparent thought fit to appoint, called "Lords Justices", would form a regency. The heir would name these others through a secret instrument that would be sent to England in three copies and delivered to the Hanoverian Resident,

5183-404: Was necessary because George II was also the elector of Hanover and was returning to his homeland for a visit. In 1751, Prince Frederick died. That left Frederick's eldest son, Prince George , as the new heir apparent. However, George was then only 12. If the King were to die before Prince George turned 18, the throne would pass to a minor. That made Parliament provide for a regent by passing

5256-408: Was provided for, following the Regency Act 1840. Once again, the provisions of this Act never came into operation, as the Prince of Wales was well over 18 by the time George V died. The Acts currently in force governing the cases in which a Regency shall come into existence and when a regency shall cease, the determination of who shall be regent and the powers of such regent are the Regency Act 1937,

5329-580: Was still unmarried and without children. The next in the line of succession was her uncle, the 66-year-old Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland , who succeeded King William IV in the Kingdom of Hanover . Ernest Augustus left the United Kingdom to take up his role in Hanover . That meant that until the Queen married and had legitimate children, the heir presumptive to the throne and his children would reside abroad. Although they would almost certainly return to

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