LII Jon. I 2015 (Succession to the Throne)

The purpose of this Act is to provide for the succession to the imperial Throne of Austenasia should the Line of Succession ever come to an end, in accordance with the recently amended Article IV, Section C, Paragraph F of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011, and so ensure that the Empire is not left without a Monarch.

Should it ever be the case that there is no Heir to the Throne, the Secretary-General shall be tasked with searching for suitable persons (especially persons who are included under the specifications of Paragraph 10, Subsections A-D of this same Act) to be made Heir to the Throne by Parliament in accordance with Article IV, Section C, Paragraph F of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011.

Should all members of the Line of Succession refuse to ascend the Throne upon the death or abdication of the Monarch, then they shall each – starting with the Heir to the Throne and continuing, if necessary, in order until the last member of the Line of Succession – be given a second chance to ascend the Throne, with it being made known to them that all other members of the Line of Succession also refused the Throne.

In regards to Paragraph 3 of this same Act, should all members of the Line of Succession refuse the Throne a second time, or should the Monarch die or abdicate without there being an Heir to the Throne or a Line of Succession, then the House of Representatives shall choose either the Prime Minister or the noble highest in order of precedence over the age of sixteen years (or the next highest in order of precedence over the age of sixteen years, if said noble is also Prime Minister) to be appointed Lord Regent, and a Lord Regency shall be declared upon their appointment as such.

In accordance with Section C, Paragraph H and Section G, Paragraph D of Article IV of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011, the reign of a Monarch who has ascended the Throne after the death of the previous Monarch begins from the death of the previous Monarch, even if the Monarch did not accept the Throne immediately after said death, whereas the reign of a Monarch who has ascended the Throne after the abdication of the previous Monarch begins from their acceptance of the Throne. However, should a Lord Regency be declared, with the previous Monarch having abdicated then they shall cease to have been Monarch from the moment of the declaration of the Lord Regency. Upon the declaration of a Lord Regency, the next Monarch – although they have yet to de facto assume the Throne – shall be considered to already be Monarch, and shall be referred to as the Unknown Monarch.

A Lord Regent is not Monarch nor the head of state themselves, but rather exercises the powers and duties of the role on behalf of the next Monarch, who shall be considered de jure reigning even though their identity is unknown, and referred to whenever such is necessary as the Unknown Monarch until their coronation. Under a Lord Regency, all of the powers, privileges, rights, roles, duties and responsibilities of the Monarch shall be assumed by the Lord Regent, who will hold them for the duration of the Lord Regency and exercise them in the name of and on behalf of the Unknown Monarch without actually assuming the Throne.

Should the Prime Minister be appointed Lord Regent by the House of Representatives, they shall lose the office of Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Minister shall become Acting Prime Minister and assume all powers, privileges, rights, roles, duties and responsibilities of said office. The House of Representatives shall then appoint another Representative to the office of Acting Deputy Prime Minister, who shall assume all powers, privileges, rights, roles, duties and responsibilities of the office of Deputy Prime Minister.

A Lord Regent, while in said office, shall be known as “HIH Lord Regent Forename”, with the style of Imperial Highness. Should the Lord Regent be female, they may choose to instead be known as “HIH Lady Regent Forename”.

Should the Lord Regent die or resign, the House of Representatives shall appoint a new Lord Regent either from amongst the Representatives or from amongst the Augustae or Caesars of the Empire.

Upon a Lord Regency being declared, any persons who fall under the following groups may issue a claim to the Throne by communicating said claim to the Lord Regent:

1. Descendants of Edward Austen (1686 – 1755) and Elizabeth Vane (1691 – 1743), great-x8 grandparents of HIM Emperor Jonathan I.

2. Descendants of an ancestor (who died after 1600) of HIM Emperor Terry I who are not included under Subsection A of this same Paragraph.

3. Descendants of an ancestor (who died after 1600) of HIM Emperor Jonathan I who are not included under Subsections A or B of this same Paragraph.

4. Descendants of an ancestor (who died after 1600) of any previous Monarch (not including HIM Emperor Declan I) who are not included under Subsections A-C of this same Paragraph.

5. Caesars and Augustae who were granted said title before the declaration of the Lord Regency.

6. Relatives through marriage of a former member of the Line of Succession.

Should a person from a group listed in Paragraph 10 of this same Act issue a claim to the Throne during a Lord Regency in accordance with said Paragraph, and no other person claims the Throne for one year after said claim is made, the Lord Regent shall organise a coronation for the claimant in question after verifying beyond reasonable doubt that the claim of the claimant is legitimate (exempli gratia, that a claimed relation to a previous Monarch is supported by documentation). If the claim cannot be verified beyond reasonable doubt, then it shall be disregarded unless further evidence supporting it arises.

Upon the coronation of a claimant during a Lord Regency, they shall assume the powers of the Throne in their fullness as the new Monarch, and the Lord Regency shall come to an end. The Lord Regent shall no longer hold the powers or title of said position, and the newly crowned Monarch shall be recognised as having been the Unknown Monarch during the Lord Regency.

Should one or more other claim or claims be made to the Throne in the space of one year after a claim is made, then after one year from the first claim being made, the Lord Regent shall examine the claims of each claimant to verify their legitimacy beyond reasonable doubt. Should there still be more than one claimant after this process, the claimant who falls under the group listed highest (that is, closer to A than to F) in the subsections of Paragraph 10 of this same Act shall have a coronation organised as the new Monarch. Should there be no one claimant in a higher group than any other, those claimants in the group listed highest in Paragraph 10 of this same Act shall be voted on by the House of Representatives until at least 80% of Representatives vote in support of one claimant over the other (or others) – said claimant shall have a coronation organised as the new Monarch.

Declan of Wilcsland (formerly HIM Emperor Declan I) may not under any circumstances return to the Throne of Austenasia or have a claim to the Throne considered. Neither may any person who ruled as a co-monarch of Wilcsland or any of its predecessor states during the reign of HM King Declan I of Wilcsland – with the exception of HIM Emperor Jonathan I – under any circumstances hold the Throne of Austenasia or have a claim to the Throne considered.