British Royalty/Nobility

[An Enemy Spy]

How does it work? If a duke tells you to do something, do you have to do it?

[eidreff]

Not any more, unless you are employed by them, when it's generally a good idea to do as the boss says :P

[Fredthefighter]

Yep, the royal family of Britain are pretty much figureheads for raising morale.
In reality, the government is the true power.

[Coidzor]

I think the bigger question is... How much of their old nobility still holds title/peerage(?) and is around in any real way in terms of wealth/influence?

Or more, does the Royal family actually own anything anymore or did it all become government property as they withered?

[An Enemy Spy]

Waht is the difference between an Earl and a Duke? (And all those other titles)

[Castaras]

The Royal family at the moment sit on their arses smiling at the crowds, and looking decorative. They have pretty much no power.

[eidreff]

The royal family is immensely rich (in relative terms) in it's own right. They have given huge tracts of their property away, but still own vast estates of their own, as well as being paid a stipend by the government for official appearances.

Every new law that is passed must be signed by the prevailing monarch, who can actually send something back to parliament if they are unhappy with it... although that happens so rarely that it is unheard of, and there are ways around it.

Theoretically the queen is head of state, and hereditary peers have a seet in the upper house of parliament (House of Lords), so they have a big say in how the country gets run. In day to day terms much of the old structure of nobility has ceased to function due to a mixture of bad management, poor judgement, families dying out and obsolescence.

The royal family is quite a divisive subject!

[Coidzor]

And here I'd always heard that the people really loved the queen.

Except as a mother due to wanting to strangle all of her descendants.

So they still own the estates, eh? I had been wondering about that...

[eidreff]

Interestingly the title is not actually tied to land ownership, you can actually buy and sell peerages (like lord of so-and-so, duke of wigwamblanket etc) but these are in reality meaningless.

The different ranks used to mean who was more important as in higher up the feudal chain - who had to supply the most knights/archers/peasant levies - and who got to be in charge during a battle. There must be a list somewhere

[Fredthefighter]

Coidzor, the people who love the queen are often the people shouting "Bring back the monarchy" mainly because they think an old woman and her children can run the country better than a bunch of politicians. With British politicians being the way they are the country would be in better hands if it were in the hands of said Old lady and her children.

[potatocubed]

Hey hey, I love the Queen. I think that as a stateswoman and representative for our country abroad she does an excellent job. Unfortunately she's outnumbered about sixteen million to one by football hooligans and chavs who can afford to travel.

Not to mention Prince Phillip.

[Mx.Silver]

And here I'd always heard that the people really loved the queen.
I don't think many people dislike the Queen herself, it's more the institution of the monarchy that they object to. There is a sizeable minority who would prefer the monarchy be abolished and replaced by an elected head of state. This movement is called republicanism (for what should be obvious reasons) and should in no way be confused with the American political party (most British republicans tend to be on the political left).




So they still own the estates, eh? I had been wondering about that...
Yes, in fact if you look at the wealthiest figures in The UK, quite a lot of them are members of the nobility and most of the ones who aren't have been knighted.



Waht is the difference between an Earl and a Duke? (And all those other titles)
In a word: rank.
Dukes (and Duchessess, the female equivilant) are the highest rank of the nobility (not counting monarchy and Officers of State). Members of the extended royal family are typically of this station (known as royal dukes), although not all dukes are themselves royalty. The general manner of addressing a Duke is 'Your Grace' although depending on the situation be prepared to use a more formal title.

Next down the rung is the Marquess/Marquis (Marchioness/Marquise being the female). For more informal meetings address as the standard My 'Lord/Lady'.

Next comes the Earl (female equivilent: Countess). Yep, there is no such thing as a Count in British nobility. So if you see a work of fiction where an English character is identified as a count then there's been a mistake.

Alternatively, they could be a Viscount (Viscountess), which is the next rank down. Note that the 's' is silent.

Barons (and Baronesses) are the lowest rank of peerage-holding nobility (i.e. a title that grants a seat in the House of Lords). Basically all the above, by being in the House of Lords, have some influence in government (albeit significantly less than the House of Commons) although only 92 Hereditary peers can sit in the House of Lords (as of 1992). Note that a member of the House of Lords cannot also be a member of the House of Commons without renouncing their titles (and yes, this has happened).

Baronets (and Baronetesses) do not hold a peerage and are therefore generally classed as Lesser Nobility. They outrank knights (aside from those of the Order of the Garter or the Order of the Thistle) and are adressed as 'Sir'.

Knights (and Dames) are part of the Gentry. Unlike all the above titles, kinghthoods are non-hereditary.


That's about it, excluding the local titles. Hope that cleared things up for you.


Not to mention Prince Phillip.
Yes, let's not mention him. Especially not in relation to travelling abroard.

[unstattedCommoner]

I think the bigger question is... How much of their old nobility still holds title/peerage(?) and is around in any real way in terms of wealth/influence?

Not since the hereditary peers were removed from the House of Lords.

[Haruki-kun]

The Royal family at the moment sit on their arses smiling at the crowds, and looking decorative. They have pretty much no power.

Which is actually not very different from many other monarchies in the world at the present time.

[VistaniMistress]

Which is actually not very different from many other monarchies in the world at the present time.

Indeed, I'm pretty sure the Queen of the British Commonwealth actually is more powerful than the monarch of Iran. (Did anyone watch his new year's speech, actually?)

[Roland St. Jude]

Sheriff of Moddingham: Real world politics is an off-limits topic here.