Princess Sophia's Precedence Act 1711

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Princess Sophia's Precedence Act 1711 [1]
Coat of Arms of Great Britain (1707-1714).svg
Long title An Act for settling the Precedence of the most Excellent Princess Sophia Electress and Dutchess Dowager of Hanover of the Elector Her Son and of the Electoral Prince the Duke of Cambridge.
Citation 10 Ann. c. 8
(Ruffhead c. 4)
Dates
Royal assent 9 February 1712
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Princess Sophia's Precedence Act 1711 (10 Ann. c. 8) is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain.

It reiterated the Act of Settlement 1701, that the line of succession to the British throne, in the absence of any children of Queen Anne, passed directly to Electress Sophia of Hanover and "the heirs of her body being Protestants". As such, Sophia was heir presumptive, followed by her children.

This being so, it provided that the formal order of precedence be modified to reflect this; Sophia was given precedence after Queen Anne, followed by her son George; any other Protestant heirs of Sophia were to take precedence before the Archbishop of Canterbury, the great officers of state and the nobility, effectively ranking them with the royal family.

This Act was wholly in force in Great Britain at the end of 2010. [2]

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References

  1. The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
  2. The Chronological Table of the Statutes, 1235 - 2010. The Stationery Office. 2011. ISBN   978-0-11-840509-6. Part I. Page 82, read with pages viii and x.