King William III, who had no children, to ensure that after his sister-in-law Anne, who was next in line to the throne, the crown would not pass to the Catholic descendants of his father-in-law, King James II, whom he had overthrown in 1689. Through the principle of “received law,” the act is part of the constitutional law of Canada and can only be altered by an amendment unanimously approved by the Senate, House of Commons, and provincial legislative assemblies.
What does the Royal Marriages Act require?
The Royal Marriages Act, passed in 1772, requires members of the British royal family to obtain the consent of the sovereign to their marriage prior to the age of 25. They may then marry without consent if Parliament does not object within 12 months. The act was passed at the request of King George III to allow him to control the marital choices of his sons after some unsuitable alliances had been made by members of the royal family.
Where does sovereignty lie in Canada?
Canadian sovereignty is vested in the reigning monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II). The Constitution Act, 1867, states clearly: “The executive government and authority of and over Canada is hereby declared to continue and be vested in the Queen.”
Has monarchy affected Canada?
It’s no exaggeration to say that without monarchy there would have been no Canada. As well as the role monarchs generally played in its exploration and settlement, specific actions of monarchs were crucial to its creation. Had Louis XIV not made Quebec a royal province, French Canada would not have survived. If the Loyalists had not loved their king and constitution, Canada today would be the northern extension of the United States. When the American Revolution ended, George III told those negotiating the peace that he would never agree to abandon Canada, the West Indies, and Newfoundland. Sure enough, the victorious Americans arrived at the peace talks demanding all of North America. They did not get it. In 1867, only the deep loyalty felt to Queen Victoria allowed the provinces of Canada to overcome their rivalries, narrow sectionalism, and unite.
How did the Fathers of Confederation view The Crown?
The Fathers of Confederation were unanimous in supporting the monarchical form of government for the new country. Sir George Étienne Cartier called the monarchy the “essential element” of the constitution.
People on Kingship
“The King’s name is a tower of strength.” — Richard III, V.iii, Shakespeare
‘Tis a duteous thing
To show all honour to an earthly king.” — Anonymous
“Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle.” — Reflections on the French Revolution, Burke
“The King never dies.” — Blackstone, book 1.17
“Is it not passing brave to be a king
And ride in triumph through Persepolis?” — Conquests of Tamburlaine , Marlowe, book 1
“Where the word of a king is, there is power.” — Ecclesiastes, 8.4, the Bible
“A substitute shines brightly as a king
Until a King be by.” — Merchant of Venice, act 5, scene 1, Shakespeare
“The King must not be under man but under God and under the law, because the law makes the King.” — Bracton
“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.” — Epistle of St. James, 1.17, the Bible
“The King is the centre of the majesty of the whole community.” — Blackstone
“I found that monarchy was the best government for the poor to live in, and commonwealths for the rich.” — The Vicar of Wakefield, Goldsmith
“Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm from an anointed king;
The breath of worldly men cannot depose
The deputy elected by the Lord.” — Richard II, act 3, scene 2, Shakespeare
“’Twixt kings and tyrants there’s this difference known; Kings seek their subjects’ good; tyrants their own.” — Kings and Tyrants, Herrick
“Ultimately, mercy is the surest sign by which the world may distinguish a true king.” — Corneille
“The Queen’s government must be carried on.” — Duke of Wellington
“What is a King — a man condemn’d to bear
The public burden of the nation’s care.” — Solomon, book 3, Prior
“Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?”
— Exodus, 2.14, the Bible
“Live pure, speak true, right wrong, follow the King —
Else, wherefore born?” — Gareth and Lynette, 1.117, Tennyson
“The mind is free, whate’er afflict the man,
A King's a King, do fortune what she can.” — The Barrons’ Wars, Michael Drayton
“There is only one species of interest felt for dethroned monarchs — how they bear their misfortunes.” — Charles Lever
“There’s such divinity doth hedge a King,
That treason can but peep to what it would.” — Hamlet, act 4, scene 5, Shakespeare
“I believe that constitutional monarchy is the best defence of democracy.” — Yehudi Menuhin
In the Confederation Debates it was resolved that the government of the new country would be carried on “by the Sovereign in person or by her representative duly authorized.”
What does the inscription on the Peace Tower in Ottawa mean?
The motto of the Royal Arms of Canada, A mari usque ad mare (“From sea to sea”) is taken from the 72nd Psalm — “And he [the King] shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” It is this psalm from which the name “Dominion of Canada” is also drawn. The beginning of the psalm is “Give the King thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King’s son.” The cornerstone of the Peace Tower was laid in 1919 by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, the son of King George V, and it is the first part of the 72nd Psalm that is carved on the Peace Tower.
Philosophers of Kingship
| Plato | “The Philosopher as King,” Books V to VII of The Republic (Athens, fourth century B.C.) |
| Aristotle | Politics (Greece, fourth century B.C.) |
