SUCCESSION NOT IN DOUBT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22004, 30 January 1937, Page 13

SUCCESSION NOT IN DOUBT

PRINCESS ELIZABETH SOLE HEIR

LONDON, January 28,

In reply to Mr G. Mander (Liberal) in the House of Commons, the Home Secretary (Sir John Simon) said that there was no reason to amend the Act of Settlement to ensure that Princess Elizabeth should be the sole heir to the Throne. She did not share it jointly with Princess Margaret Rose on an analogy with peerage law. He had been advised that there was no doubt that Princess Elizabeth, in the present circumstances, would succeed os sole heir.

Mr Mander had recently given notice to ask the Prime Minister (Mr Stanley Baldwin) whether he would propose legislation to remove any doubts as to Princess Elizabeth’s right of succession to the Throne.

Explaining the position in the Royal succession of Princess Elizabeth and her sister, a writer in the “Manchester Guardian” stated that there was no doubt that the position in ordinary law (ihe “peerage law” referred to in the message) was precisely the opposite. When there is no heir male all the daughters are equally co-heiresses. There are several peerage cases which illustrate this. They all refer to baronies by writ, (he oldest form of peerage now existing. Baronies by tenure are. of course, older, but are not acknowledged under modern peerage law. as was shown in the claim of Pitz Harding to the barony of Berkeley. When a baron dies without male issue the barony, if it is by writ, descends to the heiress if there is only one. But if there are several female relatives of equal status or their issue (he barony falls into abeyance. The Crown may, but need not" call it out of abeyance in favour of any one of the heiresses at choice or their issue. The usual practice now is to call it out of abeyance in favour of the eldest heiress. But where there are several baronies in the hands of the same family one of them may be called out in favour of one heiress and another in favour of another heiress.

PRINCESS ROYAL TO VISIT DUKE OF WINDSOR

LONDON, January 28.

The Vienna correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” states that the Princess Royal is expected to arrive at Enzesfeld Castle about February 7 on a visit to the Duke of Windsor.

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