Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip current events 15: February - May 15, 2007

[Avalon]

Welcome to Part 15 of the Current Events of The Queen
and the Duke of Edinburgh.

it starts on February 24, 2007

Part 14, covering period from November 2006 - February 2007
can be found here

[sirmax]

When a sovereign dies Balmoral and Sandringham are bought by the new Monarch. If Prince William becomes King and The Prince of Wales doesn't, would he be allowed to refuse to sell the two castles to his son?

[selrahc4]

Originally Posted by sirmax

When a sovereign dies Balmoral and Sandringham are bought by the new Monarch.

Not bought...inherited.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by sirmax

When a sovereign dies Balmoral and Sandringham are bought by the new Monarch. If Prince William becomes King and The Prince of Wales doesn't, would he be allowed to refuse to sell the two castles to his son?

selrahc4 has already answered you about Balmoral and Sandringham, I would just add that William can't be King if Charles, his father is alive!

[sara1981]

we have wait see if HM Queen dies and if Prince William will become official King of England than his dad the Prince of Wales because Prince William is really good King than his dad and in public wanted William to become King than dad im tell you about that but i would agree with that!

[BeatrixFan]

No, we don't have to wait at all. It will not and cannot happen. If Charles is alive when the Queen dies, he becomes King. End of. Simple as. Done. That's your lot.com.

[Avareenah]

Exactly. Prince Charles is heir to the throne, not Prince William. To change the succession would entail an Act of Parliament. It's not just a matter of deciding who is the most popular at the time.

This idea that William should succeed his grandmother rather than Charles is a story that was whipped up by the media only during the lowest point of Charles' popularity after the death of Diana and his ongoing relationship with Camilla but has no basis whatsoever within the royal family or within the court system.

[Skydragon]

Originally Posted by sara1981

we have wait see if HM Queen dies and if Prince William will become official King of England than his dad the Prince of Wales because Prince William is really good King than his dad and in public wanted William to become King than dad im tell you about that but i would agree with that!

Stop dreaming, William cannot and will not be King if Charles is still alive!

[ysbel]

There is already a whole thread devoted to the subject of whether Charles will reign as King.

Please be considerate of HM the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and don't take up space in their thread to debate Charles' and William's chances to inherit the throne.

If you do need to discuss whether Charles will reign, please do it in the thread that is specifically for that purpose, not here.

ysbel
British forums moderator

[HRH Kimetha]

Originally Posted by Skydragon
selrahc4 has already answered you about Balmoral and Sandringham, I would just add that William can't be King if Charles, his father is alive!

I thought that Sandringham was the Queen's own property and that she could will it away to anyone she chose?

Originally Posted by Skydragon

Stop dreaming, William cannot and will not be King if Charles is still alive!

I hope not. I want to see a King Charles. He has sacrificed so much for the role and has worked hard at the duties to become the King. This probably won't fit well with a few posters here, but Charles has done extraordinary work.

[iceflower]

Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Britain - 24 Feb 2007

Pic 1
Pic 2

[selrahc4]

Originally Posted by HRH Kimetha

I thought that Sandringham was the Queen's own property and that she could will it away to anyone she chose?

This is true, but the assertion that prompted the answer was that it was "bought" after the death of a sovereign, which isn't the case.

So far, the Sandringham estate has always been willed to the next monarch. This is unlikely to change...for one thing passing from monarch to monarch avoids paying death duties (inheritance tax).

[wbenson]

I believe George VI had to buy it from Edward VIII, as it was his personal property and not property of the Crown.

[selrahc4]

Originally Posted by wbenson

I believe George VI had to buy it from Edward VIII, as it was his personal property and not property of the Crown.

This is true, because Edward VIII had inherited it when he became King. This scenario, however, does not fit the assertion which started by saying "When a sovereign dies Balmoral and Sandringham are bought by the new Monarch". The new monarch's (George VI) predecessor had not died. George VI's purchase was unique in that a purchase WAS necessary because of that.

[HRH Kimetha]

Originally Posted by selrahc4

This is true, but the assertion that prompted the answer was that it was "bought" after the death of a sovereign, which isn't the case.

So far, the Sandringham estate has always been willed to the next monarch. This is unlikely to change...for one thing passing from monarch to monarch avoids paying death duties (inheritance tax).

Thanks for the explanation. The willing of property from one monarch to another is really a good idea as it keeps the government's hands off of things and keeps the money in the family.

[iceflower]

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh attend a reception to mark the centenary of the opening of the Central Criminal Court (The Old Bailey) on February 27, 2007 in London:

The Queen
The Queen and Prince Philip
See more at the picture gallery from gettyimages!

[Skydragon]

Queen visits Old Bailey for court's centenary

Queen Elizabeth II and her husband on Tuesday held court at the Old Bailey during an evening reception for the centenary of London's Central Criminal Court.

[Jo of Palatine]

Originally Posted by selrahc4

This is true, because Edward VIII had inherited it when he became King. This scenario, however, does not fit the assertion which started by saying "When a sovereign dies Balmoral and Sandringham are bought by the new Monarch". The new monarch's (George VI) predecessor had not died. George VI's purchase was unique in that a purchase WAS necessary because of that.

The Austrians had the same problem with an abdication once. When emperor Ferdinand I. abdicated in 1848 in favor of his 18 y.o. nephew Franz Joseph I. (whom he declared as being of age before that due to that purpose) he only passed on the political power and his position in state and society as the emperor. He kept the private possessions and estates of the head of the House of Habsburg, so that Franz Joseph was reduced to live off the "Austrian Civil list" for the first years of his regency.

It was even so tough with money for him that he could not afford to install a new bathroom in the rooms of his new wife, empress Elisabeth (Sissi) at Schoenbrunn for lack of money - something the young bride complained about in her letters to her family.

But Ferdinand had the time and the talent to deal with the Habsburg-possessions (which were plentiful, as they dated back to a time when there was no difference between the Crown estate and the private estate of the monarch in most countries the Habsburg inherited like Hungary, Bohemia, Italy...), so when he died in 1875 he left one of the greatest legal estates of that time to his nephew, the emperor.

It is good that in britain most of the possessions go with the office of king/queen and do not stay with the individual, otherwise george VI. would have had problems, too, in financing the aquisition of Balmoral and Sandringham.

[iceflower]

Queen Elizabeth ll meets soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Royal Welsh Regiment and presents leeks to the men in celebration of St. David's Day on March 1, 2007 in Tidworth, England