The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-11-20
ROYAL Etiquette.
In England It Assumes a Number
of Curious Phases.
THIHcc TIE t.,'G CANNOT DO

hs Is Barred From Accepting Gifts
From ln~div,ausls, He iuu-s Not Be-
long to a CLUB and May NC. ...~rry |
Without P~ari;.nen1's Ccnsen..
It may sound IL little curious. but
there are quite Il number OF things
which, despite his * ted Position us
sovereign Of the realm, King George
". cannot do. These disabilities range
over ail sorts OF matters and concern
etiquette, politics. religion and law.
TO begin with etiquette. it is an estab-
lished practice that his majesty must
never call upon or grant an audience
to a foreign monarch except In the
presence OF q responsible minister.
Etiquette also precludes him from &C.
cepting q gift which a loyal subject
may wish to make him. Should. how.
ever, the gift be a joint Offering the
prohibition does not apply. This en-
ables King George to accept gifts
which are subscribed for by q Number
Of people together.
A king never writes a letter to any
body outside his family circle. All
other correspondence has to be con-
Quoted through n Of his secretaries.
Nor does King George accept invita-
tions to dine or stop with a subject.
What he does when he wishes to pay
such a visit is to invite himself. IN
other strictly observed point of eti-
Quette is that OF ascending the throne
q king shall withdraw from any clubs
to which he has hitherto belonged.
Similarly he cannot become a Free
Mason, and If he happens to be one at
the date of his ascension he must re-
sign from the craft. King George.
however, has not been initiated.
Even in affairs of the heart a sover-
eign must bow to the will Of others.
Although King Cophetua might have
loved and shared his throne with a
beggar maid, the royal marriage act
would render the occurrence of any
such romantic union impossible in Eng
land. Members Of the blood royal
must have the sanction Of parliament
before they can marry, and this would
certainly not be accorded unless the
birth and position of the lady were
beyond reproach.
An English kings position toward
the law is somewhat peculiar. Theo-
retically he Is above the law. In prac-
tice, however. he has to obey it, just
as have his subjects. He must OBJ
serve the established legal system of
the country. Any royal proclamation
which he issues is only binding in SO
fer as it is founded upon an existing
law. 1t cannot alter the common law
or create a new ~offense, nor can a
king set up private tribunals, such as
the star chamber. or add to the juris-
diction of a court. By a special act Of
that If his majesty were to lose an &C.
ton brought against him by the reve-
nue. authorities he would be liable for
the payment Of costs.
By the law Of the land the king can
not possibly commit an ~offense. Any
injury or wrong suffered by a subject
at his hands has to be attributed to
the 'mistake Of his advisers" hence
1t happens that King George is the
only person in Great Britain who can
not arrest a suspected felon, ven If
such a m were to be seen by him en-
tering Buckingham palace or Windsor
castle. The reason for this is because
no action for wrongful arrest could
lie against him, and therefore if the
person arrested by him were proved
innocent there would then be a wrong
without a remedy. Another legal dis
ability Of the king is that he is barred
Of all rights In matters relating to land
after a lapse Of sixty years. He is also
prohibited from serving on a jury or
from giving evidence.
Until so comparatively recent a Pc
Rod as 1870 If a subject were convict
ed Of treason or felony the king could
claim his property. Another lapsed
prerogative Of the crown is known
as ~"corody." During its existence a
king who wanted to advance the in
terests Of a royal chaplain could COM
pei a bishop to support such a clergy
man until a beneice had been found
for him. Nowadays he has not even
the right of founding a bishopric or
creating ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Similarly he must always be a men,
Der of the Church of England and
cannot change his religion.
The theory that the king ''reigns,
but does not govern" is amply borne
out by the political system Of the
country. While the members Of par
lament are his majesty's faithful
commons" they have certain privi-
leges which he himself does not pos
sess. Thus King George can summon
or prorogue parliament at will, but he
cannot prolong 1t beyond a definite
period. Similarly he is absolutely de-
barred from imposing any sort Of tax
alton whatever without first securing
the consent of parliament. So jeal-
ously guarded Is this privilege that q
king cannot create new officers with
new fees or new fees to exist.