In The King's Place

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 25, 30 January 1937, Page 5

In The King's Place

Duke of Gloucester to Act REGENCY BILL PROVISION. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, Jan. 28. The Regency Bill before the House of Commons means that were Princess Elizabeth to succeed to tho Throne before she was eighteen, the Duke of Gloucester would be Regent. It has been previously suggested that the Regent would be Queen Elizabeth. The Duke of Gloucester will also be the Regent should King George become incapacitated, but Princess Elizabeth would became eligible as Regent on reaching the age of twenty-one. The Bill does not provide for the appointment of a Regent during the minor illness of the Sovereign or his absence abroad. In either of these circumstances, the King will appoint a Council of State, which, under present circumstances, would consist of Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, the Princess Royal, and Prince Arthur of Connaught. The Bill differs from the Act passed on the accession of King George V., which provided for tho King’s wife. Queen Mary, to be Regent in substituting the Duke of Gloucester for Queen Elizabeth. A clause provides that the Sovereign, when out of the country, may convey his instructions by telegraph, thus excluding the Empire telephone service. It is understood the reason is that there must be a record of instructions given. Tho London Times points out that the Regency Bill, in accordance with the Statute of Westminster, provides for a Regency of the United Kingdom and tho Crown colonies alone, not, like tho Act of 1910, of the British Empire. It does not alter “the law touching the succession to the Throne or the Royal stylo and titles.” Therefore, the established constitutional position does not require the simultaneous assent of all the self-governing Dominions. The natural procedure is for each of them to legislate for a Regent of their own territory, and it may be supposed they will concur in so legislating that the powers of the Regency everywhere in the British Empire will, when required, vest in the same person. His functions oversea would, in any case, be practically limited to appointing new G >v-ernors-General.