Written question asked by Andrew Mackinlay (Labour) on Tuesday, 19 February 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 March 2008. It was answered by Jack Straw (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 March 2008 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Monarchy: Marriage

Question: (2) what guidance he holds on who comes within the scope of section (a) 1 and (b) 2 of the Royal Marriage Act 1772; and on how many occasions the process in section 2 has been implemented in the last 30 years.

Answer: Any amendment to the Royal Marriages Act 1772 that touched on Succession to the Crown would engage the Statute of Westminster 1931. The opinion that the Attorney-General provided in 1955 to the then Lord Chancellor, is publicly available on the Ministry of Justice website:"http://www.dca.gov.uk/rights/dca/inforeleased/royalmarriages.htm"The Department holds no guidance on the scope of section 1 beyond the requirement on the face of the Act that it applies to the descendants of George II except those who are the issue of princesses married into foreign families. There is no record of the process in section 2 having been implemented in the last 30 years.

Secondary information