# Queen of England - Roman Catholic **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486 "2007-02-24T07:01:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![William\_Strunk\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/839c29/32.png) [@William\_Strunk\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/William_Strunk_Jr)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/1 "2007-02-24T07:01:31Z")
Could the Queen of England convert and become a Roman Catholic and remain the Queen? Does the Bill of Rights of 1689 still prevent a Roman Catholic from being King or Queen? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/2 "2007-02-24T07:15:01Z")
[QUOTE=William Strunk Jr.] Could the Queen of England convert and become a Roman Catholic and remain the Queen? Does the Bill of Rights of 1689 still prevent a Roman Catholic from being King or Queen? [/QUOTE] It is the Act of Settlement 1701 that covers this: > **[Act of Settlement 1701](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Settlement_1701)** > > The Act of Settlement\[a\] (12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England passed in 1701\[c\] that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to Sophia of Hanover in the event that Queen Anne died without issue; it further reaffirmed the exclusion of Catholics and anyone married to a Catholic from the succession, along with the requirement for the monarch to be in communion with the Church of England contained in the Bill of Rights 1689. This had the effect of deposing t... “Only the descendants of Sophia who were Anglican or Protestant, and had not married a Roman Catholic could succeed the throne. Roman Catholics and those married to Roman Catholics are barred from ascending the throne “for ever”.” and “That the monarch “shall join in communion with the Church of England”” So, No, unless the Act of Settlement is removed from the Statute Book. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/3 "2007-02-24T08:47:15Z")
But I think his question is what happens if the current monarch converts to Catholocism after ascending the throne. Would he or she be required to abdicate? The linked Wikipedia article says that Prince Edward\*, the Duke of Kent is still considered to be in the line of succession even though his wife Katherine converted to Catholicism in 1994. But she was an Anglican when they married in 1961. The ruling appears to be that he did not marry a Catholic and therefore did not violate the Act. This would seem to imply that the Act only has an effect at the time of an event (such as a marriage or coronation) and any conversions subsequent to the event do not apply. \*This is the Prince Edward who is Queen Elizabeth’s uncle, not the Prince Edward who is her son. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/4 "2007-02-24T14:05:10Z")
IMO, the Windsor Precedent would suggest that she would be “advised” to abdicate – if the sense of offense against Catholicism is still as strong in England as it has been in the past; I don’t know. However, AFAIK there is very little on the books that says what a reigning monarch must and must not do. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/5 "2007-02-24T14:15:23Z")
BTW, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is the Queen’s cousin, not her uncle. Prince George, Duke of Kent and brother of King George VI (Bertie to the family) died in a plane crash in 1942, when his son the present Duke was aged seven. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/6 "2007-02-24T15:05:52Z")
Here’s how a [parliamentary research paper](http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/notes/snpc-00683.pdf) research paper summarises the issue: > [@](#): > > \*\*B. The current position > > 1. Monarch/heir’s position\*\* > > To sum up, the monarch/heir must join in communion with the Church of England, must declare himself to be a Protestant, and must swear to maintain the established churches in England and Scotland and take the coronation oath. If he wishes to retain the title to the throne he cannot marry a Catholic. And, by the same token, marriage to a Catholic automatically excludes anyone from the line of succession. > > There are two current examples where the marriage of someone in line to the throne to a Roman Catholic has resulted in their removal from the line of succession. The Earl of St Andrews and HRH Prince Michael of Kent both lost the right of succession to the throne through marriage to Roman Catholics. Any children of these marriages remain in the succession provided that they are in communion with the Church of England. Note that this paper doesn’t address the OP, of a monarch who inherits and then converts, but I would think that **Polycarp** has got it right - that if the monarch converted, there would be a real issue whether she still could hold the throne, and would be advised to abdicate. The simplest way to put it is that she would have breached the fundamental compact set out in her coronation act, and therfore her conversion would itself be a de facto abdication. The other point that isn’t addressed is the marriage of an heir to a Roman Catholic. Does such a marriage act as a lifetime exclusion, or is it only during the time of the marriage? If the Duke of Kent’s wife died, or they divorced, would he still be excluded from the throne? By the way, minor nitpick to the OP: there is no such person as the Queen of England. The last Queen of England was Queen Anne. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, and her other Realms and Territories. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/7 "2007-02-25T08:48:54Z")
What happens if the Consort is of some religion that’s neither Anglican or Catholic, or even Christian? Say they’re a Buddhist, Muslim, Wiccan, or even atheist. They’re not violating the letter of the law, but surely there’s a strong implication that the Consort should be Protestant or possibly Eastern Orthodox. The Law of Succession was written in the days when all prospective Consorts (mainly European royalty) were some species of Christian. But things have changed and now there are all manner of other religions with strong followings in the realm. I’d say there’s a significant chance that whoever Prince William marries could be a non-Christian. Will Parliament (the ultimate authority in these matters, I assume) have a problem with an atheist or Wiccan Queen Consort? ---
**Author:** ![FRDE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e68b1a/32.png) [@FRDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FRDE)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/8 "2007-02-25T10:29:29Z")
Prince Philip was received into the Church of England before he and QEII married. > **[Is HRH the Prince of Wales considering entering the Orthodox Church?](http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/hrh.htm)** > > Is HRH the Prince of Wales considering entering the Orthodox Church? > [@](#): > > After many years of not practising his faith, HRH Prince Philip returned to Orthodoxy in the early 1990’s. In an article of that time written by Giles Milton (‘The Spectator’, 14 March 1992), it was revealed that in May 1991 he had spoken in private to a Russian Orthodox bishop in London and for June 1993 he was planning a meeting with the Patriarch of Constantinople, a visit to the Holy Mountain of Athos in Northern Greece and a visit to the Patriarch of Moscow. In the same article, the Prince’s words to an Orthodox conference on Ecology in Crete in November 1991 were also quoted: > > ‘The Orthodox Church has always known that every form of religious expression, worship, prayer, festival, preaching, monastic life or mysticism - can provide the inspiration to a practical response to the ecological crisis’. Probably spurious as the guy was brought up in the UK from about age four 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/9 "2007-02-25T14:51:36Z")
Must have been some Orthodox thing that led Prince Philip to order MI5 to assassinate Diana, Princess of Wales, a soon as there was the slightest chance she might marry a Muslim 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Prize](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d2c977/32.png) [@Sir\_Prize](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Prize)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/10 "2007-02-25T16:28:56Z")
What happens [if the Church of England merges with Roman Catholicism?](http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8729581) ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/11 "2007-02-25T19:52:29Z")
I seem to remember that Charles recently expressed a desire to be crowned ‘Defender of Faiths’ (plural) due to the multicultural nature of the UK. Unfortunately the idea was shot down by the people who actually keep track of legislation in this area. (No cite, sorry. Can’t be bothered. Not being a good doper today). ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/12 "2007-02-25T19:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=zelie zelerton] I seem to remember that Charles recently expressed a desire to be crowned ‘Defender of Faiths’ (plural) due to the multicultural nature of the UK. Unfortunately the idea was shot down by the people who actually keep track of legislation in this area. (No cite, sorry. Can’t be bothered. Not being a good doper today). [/QUOTE] I think it was to change from being “Defender of the Faith” to plain “Defender of Faith”. ---
**Author:** ![zelie\_zelerton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/59ef9b/32.png) [@zelie\_zelerton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zelie_zelerton)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/13 "2007-02-25T20:08:12Z")
Yup, along those lines. I think he got smacked down either way. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/14 "2007-02-27T11:41:38Z")
[QUOTE=William Strunk Jr.] Could the Queen of England convert and become a Roman Catholic and remain the Queen? [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Northern Piper] The other point that isn’t addressed is the marriage of an heir to a Roman Catholic. Does such a marriage act as a lifetime exclusion, or is it only during the time of the marriage? If the Duke of Kent’s wife died, or they divorced, would he still be excluded from the throne? [/QUOTE] The texts of both the [Bill of Rights](http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=46322) and the [Act of Settlement](http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=46986) could not be clearer. If the current monarch converts, they automatically cease to be the monarch and the next valid person succeeds. It’s as simple as that. Although doubtless it would be slightly more complicated in practice. Moreover, any exclusion is permanent, with someone excluded being ‘for ever uncapeable’ of succeeding. In both cases, the relevant passage from the Bill of Rights is - [QUOTE=the 1689 Parliament] That all and every person and persons that is are or shall be reconciled to or shall hold Communion with the See or Church of Rome or shall professe the Popish Religion or shall marry a Papist shall be excluded and be for ever uncapeable to inherit possesse or enjoy the Crowne and Government of this Realme and Ireland and the Dominions thereunto belonging or any part of the same or to have use or exercise any Regall Power Authoritie or Jurisdiction within the same And in all and every such Case or Cases the People of these Realmes shall be and are hereby absolved of their Allegiance And the said Crowne and Government shall from time to time descend to and be enjoyed by such person or persons being Protestants as should have inherited and enjoyed the same in case the said person or persons soe reconciled holding Communion or Professing or Marrying as aforesaid were naturally dead… [/QUOTE] This was reiterated word-for-word by the Act of Settlement, which however went on to add the clarification that the person who thus qualified was the Electress Sophia. (Incidentally, the Wikipedia article is correct: the Duchess of Kent’s subsequent conversion does not bar her husband from the succession. The Bill of Rights and the Act of Settlement only bar someone who ‘shall marry a Papist’, which is subtlely different from finding yourself married to one.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/queen-of-england-roman-catholic/393486/15 "2007-02-27T11:50:03Z")
Quite right, **APB** , my mistake. (Note to self - quit checking summaries rather than the actual text…)