Duchess of York is Fourth Lady of the Land

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 196, 21 August 1935, Page 15

Duchess of York is Fourth Lady of the Land

It is not a universally known fact that Princess Marina, by virtue of her marriage to tho King’s youngest son, Prince George, has displaced Princess Elizabeth, elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York as tho fourth lady in tho land, according to au article in tho Weekly .Scotsman. Appparcutly there exists in England also some confusion as to the Royal rights of the two Princesses. That issue of the paper records the opening of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland by the Duke of Kent as Lord High Commissioner, and his reception of the Freedom of the City of Fdinburgh.

The difference between the succession to the throne order and the Court precedence list seemed the cause of the trouble, stated tho writer, Thomas G. Middleton. Though the marriage of the Duke of Kent had altered the latter it had not affected the former. Females rn tho direct line of descent could succeed to the English Throne because England had never adopted the Salic law barring females, which was so common among other monarchies of Europe. By the Act of Settlement, the Crown was given to Queen Anne, and, if she had no children was settled upon Princess Sophia, Electress of Hanover,, and the “heirs of her body.’’ The order of succession to the British Throne was the Prince of Wales, fhs - Duke of; . York, Princess Elizabeth. Only two happenings could alter‘that position. They'would be the marriage of, and the birth of children to, the Prince of Wales,, and the birth .of a son to the Duke and Duchess of -York,.' Before any children that, might be boru to the Duke and, Duchess of Kent could . succeed the Prince of .Wales,, the Duke of Y’ork, Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Rose and the Duke of Gloucester would all' have to reign and die childless, and the Duke of Kent would have to reign and die. Only- if all- tho . aforementioned successors failed to produce direct heirs .would Princess Mary, the King’s daughter, and her children succeed to the Throne.

In the matter of Court precedence ■'the position is different, says the article. It is a rule of Court precedence that daughters-in-l'aw of the King take precedence of grandchildren, no matter how close to the succession those grandchildren may be. In the ! absence of a Princess of Wales a daughter of the King takes precedence- to daughter-in-law. The Court precedence table on the female side is led by the Queen, followed by the King’s daughter, Princess Mary as Princess Royal, the first daughter-in-law of the King, .the Duchess of York, and then, the next, daughter'-iuTaw, the new Duchess' of : Kent, who therefore t akes her place at-Court as- the fourth lady in tho la’nd.- 'ln'fifth place there comes this- iirst female grandchild. [Princess Elizabeth,-and after her her sister, Princess Margaret Rose,.

The; male list of pfc&edence is led by tho King, followed by Ms sons iu order of age, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the’Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, young ViscOunt Lasceli'es and tho Hon. Gerald Lasccllcs. Thus while bis Duchess is fourth ■ in the female list, the Duke of Kent is only fifth in the male list.