Question: Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester as king?

Why didn't Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester become king when George VI died? By everything that I know, as the next male in succession, George V's third son should have become king after the first abdicated and the second died.

The type of succession that you are referring to is called agnatic primogeniture. Inheritance according to the seniority of birth amongst the of sons of a monarch.

King George V had five sons. Prince Edward (future King Edward VIII), Prince Albert (future King George VI), Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Prince George, Duke of Kent and Prince John, who died as a child. After King George V's death, in 1936 and King Edward VIII's abdication in 1937, the next son came to the throne as King George VI. In 1937, at the start of King George VI's reign, the first four places in the line of succession were occupied by Princess Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince George, Duke of Kent.

The succession to the British throne is by male preference primogeniture. Males have precedence over females, however if there is a female she is not excluded. Because of this, King George VI's elder daughter, Princess Elizabeth became the sovereign and not Prince Henry. If the King died without children, then Prince Henry would have become king in 1952 because he was next in line. If this had occurred then after King Henry IX's death in 1974, his son, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester would be king, possibly reigning as King Richard IV.

It is interesting to note that had King Edward VIII not abdicated and not had children, the succession would likely look as it does today. The only difference is that the present Queen would have come to the throne upon the death of her uncle in 1972 instead of 1952 when her father died.

© Marilyn Braun 2011

Question: King Edward VIII Commemorative items

I have a souvenir tumbler for the coronation of Edward VIII, 12th May 1937. The design seems to be a transfer, with a portrait of the King and a wreath of thistles and roses with the crown at the top. Not interested in selling it, just wondered how common souvenir items of the coronation which did not take place are, are they sought after?

Doing a quick search of Edward VIII coronation souvenirs comes up with a large amount of items. From busts, glassware, medallions, china, stamps, biscuit boxes, handkerchiefs, and even to commemorative coins. Items commemorating the Coronation that never was are by no means rare.

Producing these items would not be unusual and given the amount of time between his accession and his abdication there was plenty of time to prepare them, meaning it wasn't a last minute or limited production. Companies offering these items could not have anticipated the abdication crisis so there was no reason to hold back on making them in large quantities.

I'm not an expert on royal souvenirs - I just like to collect them! Only a dealer can give you an answer regarding it's value to a collector. On eBay, the prices for these items vary greatly and sellers can ask whatever price they choose. Because of this I'm inclined to say that any item related to the brief reign of Edward VIII  is only as valuable as what someone is willing to pay for it.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Question: Royalty Marrying Commoners

From Kate's biography it looks like she is a commoner. Does this not negate William's chances of being King. Can Charles even become king being married to Camilla. I was under the impression that the princesses had to be of royal blood.

There is no stipulation that members of the royal family need marry other royals. When Prince William marries Kate Middleton it will have no effect whatsoever on  his chances of becoming king. Prince Charles' position as second-in-line is also unaffected by his 2005 second marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles.

In Queen Victoria's day, at one point it was out of the question for members of the royal family to marry beneath their rank and station. If a royal did so they risked banishment. If they held military rank they could be stripped of that as well. Such marriages were called morganatic, whereby the lesser-ranking spouse and any children they may have, did not share the royal titles or any inheritances that go with it. However, the Queen was an ardent matchmaker and could turn a blind-eye to royal status when it suited her to do so.

One example of this is the marriage of Queen Mary and King George V. Queen Mary's (then Princess May of Teck) father was the product of a morganatic marriage. While both her parents held royal titles, Princess May was a mere Serene Highness as opposed to a Royal Highness, thus making her not royal enough to marry royalty, but too royal to marry a commoner. Queen Victoria bypassed this issue and allowed her to marry her grandson, the future King George V. Given that no one would think of Queen Mary as anything less than royal now, it's rather ironic that she wasn't considered royal enough at the time.

As royal houses fell during the First World War there was a shortage of eligible princes/princesses. For practical purposes royalty started looking towards the aristocracy for spouses. This is still an option however it seems as though members of the royal family are choosing to marry for love and compatibility as opposed to trying to make alliances between royal or aristocratic houses.

Like the Crown Princes of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and even the Crown Princess of Sweden, Prince William has chosen a commoner for a spouse. And like them, his (and Prince Charles') position in line to the throne is completely unaffected by it.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Question: The Queen's Personal Flag

Last week on television I caught a brief glimpse of old footage of the Royal Family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace, under the balcony was a large banner with Royal Insignia. The banner was blue and it had various insignia, mostly round, and it looked like the banner was in embroidery and goldwork. Do you know anything about this banner?

It sounds like you're referring to the Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II. This particular flag was created in 1960, It was flown for the first time on the BOAC Britannia in which she landed at Delhi airport on January 21, 1961. The personal flag consists of the initial 'E' ensigned with the Royal crown, surrounded by a chaplet of roses. The design is in gold (or yellow) on a blue field and the flag is fringed with gold (or yellow).

The Queen has standards for her various realms. The Royal Standard, which is flown whenever she is in residence at one of her Royal palaces, her car on official journeys and her aircraft - when on the ground. The Royal standard represents not only the Sovereign but also the United Kingdom. Her personal flag is meant to symbolize her as an individual instead of associating her with her role as sovereign of any commonwealth realm.  This is personal to her alone and cannot be flown by any other individual. Her personal flag is flown from any building, ship, car or aircraft in which she is staying or travelling.

Although it is not a 'Head of Commonwealth' flag, it has become The Queen's personal Commonwealth flag. A number of Commonwealth countries have adopted their own version of the flag, incorporated to include the country's arms, to be flown as a personal flag when the Queen is visiting their country. Canada's version is at right. It is also flown in non-monarchial Commonwealth countries that have not adopted a personal flag specifically for the Queen.

The design has been adapted - for instance, during her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, a version appeared as a banner on Buckingham Palace (see below). In this case it incorporated the Commonwealth symbol and circles with symbols from her various realms. A fine tribute from the Head of the Commonwealth.




© Marilyn Braun 2010

Question: Prince William's Cloak

During his recent tour of New Zealand, Prince William was photographed wearing a cloak with feathers. Can you tell me the significance of it?

The cloak that Prince William is wearing is made from kiwi feathers called a korowai. It is also referred to as a kahu kiwi - the most prestigious form of kahu huruhuru (feather cloak). Kiwi's are the national symbol of New Zealand and the feathers are particularly important to the Maori, who traditionally believe that they are under the protection of the Tane Mahuta, god of the forest. The feathers are used for ceremonial cloaks, which denote status, identifying the owner as a chief or someone of great prestige and position. It is a gift granted only to people of high rank and is highly prized as a family and personal heirloom. Some believe that the cloak becomes empowered by the mana (status) of its owner and the mana increases when it is worn.

© Marilyn Braun 2010