The Queen, the Crown and who owns what
Graham Smith
03 Jun 2011
In another recent post one commenter was suggesting that the cost of becoming a republic would be astronomical because the state would lose the Crown Estate, the palaces and the royal art collection (among other things). This is an example of a common misconception about the relationship between the Windsors, the monarchy, the Crown, the state and the government. It’s a misconception fueled by the confusing way in which the government and the royal household describe the various property and ownership arrangements.
The Queen owns property in an official capacity and in a private capacity. Some things she owns as Queen Elizabeth, other things she owns as Elizabeth Windsor.
Property owned by Elizabeth Windsor is rightly hers and will remain so in a republic. Property owned by Queen Elizabeth would cease to be hers if she ceases to be Queen.
The Crown Estate is owned by the Queen ‘in right of the Crown’. In other words, in an official capacity. She no more owns the Crown Estate personally than David Cameron owns the flat above 10 Downing Street. If she ceases to be Queen she ceases to ‘own’ the Crown Estate.
The same is true of the royal palaces and the art collection. The same is also true, although in a slightly different way, of the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall. They are only the property of the Queen and the heir respectively so long as those individuals are Queen and heir.
The Crown is something else altogether. Contrary to the view of our recent commenter on this site, the Crown does not ‘belong’ to the Queen. It is an institution of state and it belongs to the nation. Since 1689 parliament has had complete authority over who the Crown passes to and how its powers will be exercised.
It is also worth pointing out that the government doesn’t own or have claim to the palaces, land or art collections anymore than the Windsors do. But the nation does, as I’ll explain in a moment. But we need to be clear that the government is a separate entity from the state and from parliament. It is parliament that has control over the Crown, not the government (putting aside for one moment government access to royal powers). This difference between parliament and government is often lost in this country because parliament is so often controlled by government, but it is still an important distinction to make.
So, parliament decides who the Crowned head of state is and whoever that person is ‘owns’ the property mentioned above only so long as they are in that official position. They have no personal claim to it were they to leave office.
So what happens if we abolish the monarchy? It’s quite simple: parliament declares the throne to be vacant and passes the Crown to the people. The people’s parliament then has complete authority to determine what to do with all its assets and property. The monarch who is removed from office has no claim to any of the property as it was never theirs in the first place. The nation keeps the palaces, the art, the jewels and the land. It’s legally, constitutionally and morally right.
Some people like to point out that the former King of Greece has pursued the Greek government in the courts over confiscated assets since his removal from power in the 1970s. I’d say two things about this: firstly Greek law and the Greek constitution are different to ours. In the UK the situation is reasonably clear, the property in question is the property of the Crown and parliament has complete authority over the Crown; secondly, do we really want to look up to people who feel such an overwhelming sense of entitlement as the King of Greece?
Putting the technical points to one side for a minute, the underlying message of the “it’s going to cost us millions/billions” argument is that we should allow ourselves to be held to ransom by one family. The question of republicanism is one of principle and democratic reform, if the people want that reform then there is a duty on the part of the Windsors to allow that reform to go ahead. To demand money and property that morally and practically belongs to the nation on the basis of a technicality would be in very bad taste. Particurly given their own personal fortunes that they can fall back on in their post-monarchy lives.
So let’s be absolutely clear: there would be no financial loss if we became a republic because the property belongs to the nation and would continue to do so.
Labels: LAND RIGHTS, QEII
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Commonwealth vital to Zambia - Scott
By Bright Mukwasa
Wed 06 June 2012, 13:23 CAT
VICE-President Guy Scott says Zambia has every interest in playing an active role in Commonwealth dialogue meant to explore issues of common concern.
Meanwhile, British Airways says it is almost impossible to ignore the existing links between Queen Elizabeth II and the airline throughout her 60 years of reign as head of the British monarchy.
Vice-President Scott, during the Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations held in Lusaka on Monday night that the Commonwealth was important to Zambia.
"At government level, and through this network of sectoral links, we can meet to explore issues of common concern, and try to come to common views, or at least understand why we differ. Zambia has every interest in playing an active part in such dialogue," Vice-President Scott said.
"The Queen attaches great importance to the Commonwealth. Because of her age, she no longer does long trips overseas. But she has sent members of her family to visit many Commonwealth countries to commemorate her jubilee. I am delighted that we will be hosting Princess Anne here in Zambia later in the year."
He said government was pleased that President Michael Sata had been invited to take part in the celebrations in Britain.
Vice-President Scott said Commonwealth was important to Zambia especially that it was united by belief in democracy and human rights.
"Some are big developed economies, such as the UK and Canada. Others are the powerhouses of the future such as India. Many of the rest are in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world," said Vice-President Scott.
"But Commonwealth is also a network of peoples and groups. The National Assembly of Zambia is an active participant in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. And Livingstone will host the biennial conference of the Royal Agriculture Society of the Commonwealth, of which the Agriculture and Commercial Society of Zambia is an important member."
British High Commissioner James Thornton said the celebration was a befitting tribute to the Queen who had been a symbol of a number of other countries, including Canada, and was head of the Commonwealth, a role she took seriously.
"The Queen has been a symbol of unity for us in the United Kingdom and for the Commonwealth. She has worked hard at her representational functions all her life. Sometimes the monarch has been criticised, but she has refrained from responding. She has a real gift for engaging with people," High Commissioner Thornton said.
He said Queen Elizabeth's virtues had been underpinned by a real religious faith.
"The monarchy has been in existence in England for over a thousand years. It has survived, unlike some many others, by evolving. Once, the monarch was all-powerful, now the UK has a robust Parliamentary democracy. Elizabeth II has in her turn enabled the monarch to go on adapting," said High Commissioner Thornton.
"It is now more informal than it used to be. It combines tradition with modernity, just like the nation of which it is part."
Over a thousand beacons were lit on Monday night, many in the UK, across the globe and another in Kenya in the place where the young Elizabeth was staying when she heard her father had died and that she had ascended to the throne.
The event was attended by senior government officials and diplomats.
And British Airways Zambia commercial manager Beatrice Kamanga stated in a press release in commemoration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee that the airline has had a long-standing connection with Queen Elizabeth even before she ascended to the throne.
"The Queen's association with British European Airways, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British Caledonian Airways - all predecessor airlines of today's British Airways - started while she was still Princess Elizabeth," stated Kamanga.
Labels: COMMON WEALTH, GUY SCOTT, QEII
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Commonwealth shares one humanity, says Queen Elizabeth
By Maluba Jere
Thu 15 Mar. 2012, 12:59 CAT
QUEEN Elizabeth says the Commonwealth treasures and respects wealth of diversity. In her message to commemorate this year's Commonwealth Day which fell on March 12, Queen Elizabeth said connecting cultures is more than observing others and the ways in which they express themselves.
In a statement released by the British High Commission in Lusaka yesterday, she said that this year the Commonwealth seeks to focus on how to explore, share and strengthen the bond of Commonwealth citizenship by using cultural connections.
The Queen said this will help bring the members even closer together as family and friends across the globe.
"‘Connecting cultures', our Commonwealth theme this year, encourages us to consider the special opportunities we have, as members of this unique gathering of nations to celebrate an extraordinary cultural tapestry that reflects our many individual and collective identities," she said.
Queen Elizabeth said circumstances and surroundings may vary enormously such as food and clothes, but "the members share one humanity" which draws them together.
She said the joys of celebration and sympathy of sadness may be expressed differently but that they felt the same way the world over.
"How we express our identities reveals both a rich diversity and many common threads. Through the creative genius of artists, whether they be writers, actors, film makers, dancers or musicians, we can see both the range of our cultures and the elements of our shared humanity," Queen Elizabeth said.
She added that the Commonwealth offers a pathway for a greater understanding and the opportunity to expand upon shared experiences in a wider world.
"A world in which paths to mutual respect and common cause may also be explored and which can draw us together, stronger and better than before," said Queen Elizabeth.
And British High Commissioner to Zambia James Thornton says his government contributes 30 million pounds about K250 billion a year to Commonwealth institutions and programmes.
High Commissioner Thornton said the Commonwealth is about much more than a group of nations.
He said it is a series of links between people embodied in over a hundred organisations as diverse as the Commonwealth Lawyers Association and the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth.
High Commissioner Thornton stated that the Commonwealth is active in many specific areas such as strengthening democratic processes and institutions.
"For example it sent an observer mission to ensure that the elections here last year were free and fair," he stated. "Another is assisting members in the adoption and implementation of international human rights."
He said the Commonwealth also works towards the Millennium Development Goals, being particularly active in education, gender and health.
High Commissioner Thornton further said the Commonwealth further works to support and empower young people.
The Commonwealth Day is commemorated on the second Monday of March each year to mark the start of a week of Commonwealth activities.
Labels: COMMON WEALTH, QEII
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Chiefs to engage Queen Elizabeth over sanctions
Sunday, 13 February 2011 10:46 Top Stories
By Tinashe Farawo
THE Chiefs Council has resolved to send a high-level delegation to the United Kingdom to persuade Queen Elizabeth to help immediately end illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country.
The resolution was made at the end of the chiefs’ two-day meeting in Harare last week. President of the Chiefs; Council Chief Fortune Charumbira said last week that the delegation would meet Queen Elizabeth and craft ways to end the economic sanctions.
He said the resolution was made after the chiefs realised that sanctions were hurting the ordinary people in rural areas and high- density suburbs.
“The delegation will be dispatched to the UK and other European countries where there are royal institutions as soon as possible,” said Chief Charumbira.
The chiefs also called upon the three principals not to extend the lifespan of the Global Political Agreement and start preparing for elections. Chief Charumbira said the inclusive Government was dysfunctional and it was in the best interests of the majority to go for elections.
“There is no doubt that the inclusive Government has been problematic and we demand elections so that people can choose a government of their choice,” he said. Chief Charumbira said although there had been some stability because of the inclusive Government, the benefits did not trickle down to the ordinary people in the countryside.
He said perpetrators of violence should be punished.
The Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Cde Ignatius Chombo, told the chiefs that they should embrace the Community Share Ownership Trusts to enable communities to benefit from the proceeds of mining activities in their respective areas.
“The proceeds will enable communities to build and maintain social infrastructure such as schools, clinics and hospitals,” Cde Chombo said while addressing the chiefs’ meeting.
Minister Chombo said traditional leaders should always be vigilant and guard against imperialist machinations seeking to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle.
He said they should work closely with the Government and its sub-national structures on matters of service delivery and good governance.
Cde Chombo said non-governmental organisations should get the blessings of traditional leaders to carry out any activities in their communities.
Labels: CHIEFS, QEII, SANCTIONS
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COMMENT - Nice. Now she may reinstate his knighthood (Knight Commander in the Order of Bath).
Queen congratulates President Mugabe
By: TC-TZG
Posted: Thursday, April 22, 2010 2:06 pm
BETTER TIMES: Queen Elizabeth II receives President Mugabe of Zimbabwe and First Lady Grace Mugabe at Buckingham Palace, London in March 1997.
QUEEN Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has sent a congratulatory message to President Mugabe on the occasion of Zimbabwe’s 30th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
Zimbabwe marked the milestone on Sunday with the nation celebrating three decades of independence from British colonialism. In her message, which came via the British Embassy in Harare, the monarch — who is the British head of state — wished Zimbabwe well in years to come.
“As you celebrate your national day, I have much pleasure in sending my warmest greetings to the people of Zimbabwe, together with my best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous future,” she wrote.
President Mugabe maintains that he has great admiration of the Royal Family. It was the Labour government of Tony Blair and now Gordon Brown that reneged on promises made at Lancaster House negotiations in 1979 to fund the land redistribution exercise in Zimbabwe.
It was also Mr Blair who mobilised the international community to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.
The Queen's message will be viewed by many people as confirmation of this long-standing mutual respect for the two countries.
Also on Independence Eve, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also issued a statement — addressed to no one in particular — in which she claimed Washington was a close development partner of Zimbabwe.
“The United States provides more than US$300 million per year to support Zimbabwe’s economic reforms and a democratic transition, as well as for humanitarian, food and health assistance,” she said.
However, Government officials yesterday challenged the US to show what economic support they had given Zimbabwe, and instead pointed out Washington has an illegal economic sanctions regime in place that had resulted in a deterioration of ordinary people’s standards of living.
Government says aid that comes into the country is via US agencies and not directly to government, and does not help government policy, but sectoral US interests.
“They impose sanctions that bar their companies from trading with Zimbabwean entities.
“So in essence what they are saying is; pauperise the people of Zimbabwe and then claim to be doing good by offering what they say is humanitarian assistance,” one official charged.
Labels: MUGABE, QEII
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Queen calls for unity
By Joseph Mwenda
Wednesday March 14, 2007 [02:00]
QUEEN Elizabeth II has said that it is more important than ever to keep respecting and understanding each other better in today's difficult and sometimes divided world. And Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa has urged youths to accept one another's intellectual, physical, economic and cultural backgrounds. In her message to mark the Commonwealth Day which fell on March 12, Queen Elizabeth, who is head of the Commonwealth, said everyone had hopes, needs and priorities.
"Each one of us is an individual with ties of emotion and bonds of obligation to culture, religion, community and beyond. In short, each of us is special," she said. "The more we see others in this way, the more we can understand them and their points of view. In what we think and say and do, let us as individuals actively seek out the views of others: let us make the best use of what our beliefs and history teach us: let us have open minds and hearts; and let us, like commonwealth find our diversity as cause for celebration and source of strength and unity." Queen Elizabeth said the Commonwealth, which was home to nearly a third of the world's population, was a thriving community, which valued its past and made most of its future.
She said the Commonwealth's almost two billion citizens came from many faiths, races, cultures and traditions. "I think that one of the reasons for the success of this organisation is that it draws not only on certain shared values, but also from the principles and practices of everyday life, which can be observed day after day in the cities, towns and villages of our 53 member countries," she said. "By respecting difference and promoting understanding, the future will be a better one for us all." Queen Elizabeth noted that over a thousand years, the very basis of community life had been the pooling together by individuals of their resources and skills.
She said the lesson of community life was that to flourish, people must help each other. "To do this there must be a sense of fairness, a real understanding of others' needs and aspirations and a willingness to contribute," Queen Elizabeth said. She said despite its size and scale, the Commonwealth to her was still a collection of villages, in close-knit communities and that helping each other would lead to greater security and prosperity for all. Commerce deputy minister Dora Siliya read Queen Elizabeth's speech during commemorations of the Commonwealth Day at Parliament buildings on Monday. The Commonwealth Day is commemorated annually on the second Monday of March and this year's theme was "Respecting differences promoting understanding".
And addressing 18 youth representatives from the nine provinces of Zambia, Speaker Mwanamwambwa said respecting each other's differences was a major factor that united Zambians. Speaker Mwanamwambwa, who is also Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Zambia president, urged youths to accept one another's diverse intellectual, physical, economic and cultural background bearing in mind that such were factors that unite the country. "The acceptance of this principle will enable the youths of Zambia to find solutions to perceived problems of discrimination, marginalisation, exclusion, poverty, political differences and inequality and injustice," Speaker Mwanamwambwa said.
He emphasised the need for youths to take up a leading role in engaging individuals, civic organisations and government in resolving conflicts, and building harmonious communities. "Although the Commonwealth grew out of the British imperial past, today's Commonwealth helps to advance justice, democracy, human rights, and sustainable economic and social development in an integrated way," he said. Speaker Mwanamwambwa further applauded the organisation for having become a lively and growing association of states, sensitive to the modern world, yet mindful of its historical ties.
Labels: QEII
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