Monarchy of Cygnia (Joan of What?)

Empress of the Cygnians
Coat of arms of the Cygnian Imperial Family
Incumbent
Elizabeth since 3 April 1936
Details
Style	Her Majesty
Heir apparent	Charles, Crown Prince of Cygnia
First monarch	George I
Formation	5 May 1792
Residence	Ellingham Palace

The Empress of the Cygnians, commonly referred to as the Cygnian Empress, is the constitutional monarch of Cygnia. The monarch's title is "Emperor" (male) or "Empress" (female). The current monarch and head of state, Elizabeth, acceded to the throne following the death of her father, George IV.

The monarch and his or her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties. As the monarchy is constitutional, the monarch is limited to non-partisan functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the Chancellor. The monarch is, by tradition, commander-in-chief of the Cygnian Imperial Armed Forces. Though the ultimate formal executive authority over the government of Cygnia is still by and through the monarch's royal prerogative, these powers may only be used according to laws enacted in Congress and, in practice, within the constraints of convention and precedent.

Constitutional role

The Imperial Standard of Cygnia, the Emperor's official flag

In the Imperial Constitution, the Empress (otherwise referred to as the Sovereign or "His/Her Imperial Majesty", abbreviated H.I.M.) is the Head of State, as established in Article II, Section 1. Oaths of allegiance and office in Cygnia are made to the Empress and her lawful successors. "God Save the King" is the Cygnian imperial anthem, and an abbreviated version is used as the official imperial fanfare. The Empress also appears on postage stamps and coins.

The Empress takes a relatively significant role in Government for a constitutional monarch. While the decisions to exercise sovereign powers are delegated from the Empress, either by statute or by convention, to the Chancellor, the Cabinet, officers of the Crown, or other public bodies, exclusive of the Empress personally, the Empress acts as an important part of the system of checks and balances to the various political institutions of the country.

• Legislative power is exercised by Congress, comprised of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• Executive power is exercised by Her Imperial Majesty's Government, which comprises the Chancellor and his/her Cabinet. While the Empress serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Cygnian Imperial Armed Forces, the powers associated with the Commander-in-Chief are exercised by the Chancellor through the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the Ministry of Defence. The Cabinet also has the direction of the Civil Service and other Imperial Servants such as the Diplomatic Corps and the Military Intelligence Bureaus (the Empress receives certain foreign intelligence reports before the Chancellor does).
• Judicial power is vested in the various courts of the Union, the most senior of these being the Supreme Court of Cygnia.
• The Church of Cygnia, of which the Empress is the head, has its own legislative, judicial and executive structures.
• Powers independent of government are legally granted to other public bodies by statute or Statutory Instrument such as an Order in Council, Imperial Commission or otherwise.

Appointment of the Chancellor

Every four years or when otherwise necessary, the Empress is responsible for appointing a new Chancellor (or reaffirming the appointment of the existing Chancellor if re-elected). The Chancellor is constitutionally empowered to appoint and dismiss every other member of the Cabinet, and thereby constitutes and controls the government. While by tradition the Empress may appoint whomever he deems fit to serve as Chancellor, Constitutional law binds the Empress to appoint the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives. The Chancellor takes office in a public inauguration ceremony in the presence of the Empress.

Imperial Prerogative

Some of the government's executive authority is theoretically and nominally vested in the Sovereign and is known as the imperial prerogative. The Empress acts within the constraints of convention and precedent, exercising prerogative only on the advice of the Chancellor and the Federal Executive Council. In practice, prerogative powers are exercised only on the Chancellor's advice – the Chancellor, and not the Sovereign, has control. The Empress holds a weekly audience with the Chancellor. No records of these audiences are taken and the proceedings remain fully confidential. The Empress may express her views, but as a constitutional ruler must ultimately accept the decisions of the Chancellor and the Cabinet except in circumstances as provided in the Constitution.

The Imperial Prerogative includes the powers to appoint and dismiss officials, regulate the civil service, and issue passports. The decision to declare war and make peace is not the Empress' to make; Congress instead has the powers to do so. The Empress is responsible for the protection of Cygnians abroad and foreign nationals in Cygnia, making the powers related to those specific responsibilities fall outside the jurisdiction of Imperial prerogative. The Empress is commander-in-chief of the Imperial Armed Forces, accredits Cygnian High Commissioners and ambassadors, and receives diplomats from foreign states.

It is the prerogative of the Empress to convene, adjourn, and dissolve Congress. Each Congress begins with the Empress' summon, which traditionally occurs on 23 January. The new Congress' first session is marked by the State Opening of Congress, during which the Empress reads the Speech from the Throne in the Senate chamber, outlining the Government's legislative agenda. Adjournment usually occurs about one year after a session begins, and formally concludes the session. Dissolution ends a congressional term, and is followed by a federal election for all seats in the House of Representatives, and half of those in the Senate. A federal election is held four years after the previous one as provided in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution. In the event of a motion of no confidence in either the Chancellor or the Government in Congress, the Empress is empowered to declare a double dissolution (dissolution of both Houses of Congress, including the entire Senate) and call for midterm elections to form a new Congress and Government to complete the term.

Before a bill passed by Congress can become law, Imperial Assent (the Sovereign's approval) is required. Assent can either be granted (making the bill law) or withheld (vetoing the bill). However a veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Congress, whereupon the Empress is required to give Imperial Assent to the bill.

The Empress is considered to be the "fount of honour", the source of all honours and dignities in Cygnia. The Crown creates all peerages, appoints members of the orders of chivalry, grants knighthoods and awards other honours. Although peerages and most other honours are granted on the advice of the Chancellor, some honours are within the personal gift of the Sovereign, and are not granted on chancellarial advice. The Empress alone appoints members of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Swan, the Imperial Victorian Order and the Order of Merit.

Religious role

The Empress is the Supreme Governor of the established Church of Cygnia. Archbishops and bishops are appointed by the Empress, choosing the appointee from a list of nominees prepared by a Church Commission. The Crown's role in the Church of Cygnia, however, is otherwise titular; the most senior clergyman, the Archbishop of Swanstone, is the spiritual leader of the Church. As a result of the Sovereign's technical leadership of the Church, they are granted the title Defender of the Faith.

Succession

Succession to the Cygnian throne is governed by the Acts of Succession. The Acts may only be amended or added to by Acts of Congress; it is not possible for an individual to renounce his or her right of succession. The Acts of Succession restricts the succession to the legitimate descendants of George I.

Upon the death of a sovereign, his or her heir immediately and automatically succeeds, and the accession of the new sovereign is publicly proclaimed by the Chancellor. Upon their accession, a new sovereign is required by law to take the Oath of Accession. The latest oath, taken by Elizabeth in 1949, is as follows:

“

I, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, do hereby solemnly and sincerely affirm that I will in my capacity as Empress of the Cygnians uphold, defend and protect the Constitution of the United Cygnian States, and to the best of my ability serve and defend the will of the Cygnian people. I further affirm that I shall protect the democratic rights of all citizens of the Union, and fulfil my responsibilities and duties without fear or favour, affection or ill will. This I declare, and this I affirm.

”

During the Empire, Emperors and Empresses were crowned in St George Cathedral, normally by the Archbishop of Swanstone. A coronation was not prescribed by law, and was not necessary for a sovereign to reign. Since the establishment of the Union in 1949, monarchs have instead been inaugurated in secular ceremonies similar to those which swear in the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. This so far has occurred only once.

While the Empress is technically the Supreme Governor of the Church of Cygnia, a religious oath or affirmation is not legally required. Indeed, Elizabeth made a secular affirmation at her inauguration. However, to assume her roles as the leader of the Church, she swore a separate, religious oath in a more private ceremony at St George Cathedral.

After an individual ascends the throne, he or she usually reigns until death. However, the Constitution provides procedures for the abdication of a monarch. In the event that the Sovereign is suspected of "treason, bribery and other high crimes or misdemeanours," Congress is empowered to suspend the Sovereign, institute a regency, try the Sovereign and thereafter if convicted the Sovereign can be compelled to abdicate. This abdication would be formally advised to the Sovereign by the Chancellor.

Restrictions by gender and religion

Succession during the Empire was largely governed by male-preference cognatic primogeniture, under which sons inherit before daughters, and elder children inherit before younger ones of the same gender. The Second Amendment to the Acts of Succession abolished the gender-preference rule for anyone born after 1 June 1946. The amendment also provided that Emperors would not be prohibited from marrying a Roman Catholic – a law which dated from the pre-Cygnian Acts of Settlement 1701. However, since the Empress is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of Cygnia, the law which prohibits a Roman Catholic from acceding to the throne remains. The amendment was passed by Congress on 14 May 1950, and was given Imperial Assent on 25 May.

Only individuals who are Protestants may inherit the Crown. Roman Catholics are prohibited from succeeding. An individual thus disabled from inheriting the Crown is deemed "naturally dead" for succession purposes, and the disqualification does not extend to the individual's legitimate descendants.

Regency

Article Two, Section 3 of the Constitution allows for regencies in the event of an Emperor or Empress who is a minor or who is physically or mentally incapacitated. When a regency is necessary, the next qualified individual in the line of succession automatically becomes regent, unless they themselves are a minor or incapacitated.

During a temporary physical infirmity or an absence, the Empress may temporarily delegate some of her functions to Counselors of State, who consist of the Prince Consort and the first four adults in the line of succession. The present Counselors of State are Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duke of Sydney, the Duke of Melbourne, and the Duke of New Rotterdam.

Finances

All official expenses of the Empress are covered by the government, including those for staffing, state visits, public engagements, and official entertainment. This is provided through the Civil List, and its size is fixed by Congress every eight years; any money saved is carried forward to the next eight-year period. An annual Property Services Grant-in-Aid is paid for the upkeep of the Imperial residences, and an annual Imperial Travel Grant-in-Aid paid for travel.

The Imperial property portfolio, known as the Crown Estate, is one of the largest property owners in Cygnia, with holdings of §7.3 billion in 2011. It is held in trust, and cannot be sold or owned by the Empress in a private capacity. In modern times, the profits surrendered from the Crown Estate to the Treasury have exceeded the Civil List and Grants-in-Aid. For example, the Crown Estate produced §200 million in the financial year 2007–8, whereas reported Congressional funding for the Empress was §40 million during the same period.

Like the Crown Estate, the land and assets of the Duchy of Sydney is a similar estate held in trust to meet the expenses of the Empress' eldest son. The Imperial Collection, which includes artworks and the Crown Jewels, is not owned by the Empress personally and is held in trust, as are the Imperial residences in Cygnia such as Ellingham Palace and Admiralty House.

The Empress is subject to indirect taxes such as value-added tax, and since 1983 the Empress has paid income tax and capital gains tax on personal income. Congressional grants to the Empress are not treated as income as they are solely for official expenditure. Republicans estimate that the real cost of the monarchy, including security and potential income not claimed by the state, such as profits from the Duchy of Sydney and rent of Ellingham Palace and Admiralty House, is §334 million a year.

The Empress is also granted access to various vehicles for transportation. For ground travel, the Emperor uses the Imperial state car, which is an armoured limousine built on a heavily modified Holden-based chassis. The Chancellor uses an identical vehicle. One of two identical Douglas Madison Royce MAC-30 aircraft, which are extensively modified versions of DMR-18-800 airliners, have since 2015 served as long distance travel for the Empress and are referred to as Air Force One while the Empress is on board (although any Cygnian Imperial Air Force aircraft the Empress is aboard is designated as "Air Force One" for the duration of the flight). Domestic trips are typically handled with just one of the two planes while international flights are handled with both, one primary and one backup. Any civilian aircraft the Empress is aboard is designated Executive One for the flight. The Empress also has access to a fleet of twenty Cygnian Imperial Marine Corps helicopters of various models, designated as Marine One when the Empress is aboard any particular one in the fleet. Flights are typically handled with as many as five helicopters all flying together and frequently swapping positions as to disguise which helicopter the Empress is actually aboard to any would-be threats. The Empress is usually prohibited from travelling in the same helicopter fleet, plane, or car as the Chancellor, for security reasons.

Residences

Ellingham Palace, the main residence of the Emperor.

The Emperor's official residence in Perth is Ellingham Palace, located in the southern side of the city. It is the site of most state banquets, investitures, Imperial christenings and other ceremonies. An alternative residence is Admiralty House in the eastern city of Sydney. Other members of the Imperial family use different residences, although they unlike the monarch are not prohibited from taking residence on privately-owned property. For example, the Duchess of Carnarvon lives with her family in the southern suburbs of Perth. The Duke of Melbourne and his family lives in Cockburn House, a Government-owned riverside mansion in the southern neighbourhood of Cockburn, Perth.

Style

The present Empress' full style and title is "Elizabeth, by the Grace of the People and the Constitution, Empress of the Cygnians, Defender of the Faith". The style "Defender of the Faith" dates back to 1521, when Pope Leo X first granted the title to Henry VIII of England in 1521, rewarding him for his support of the Papacy during the early years of the Protestant Reformation, particularly for his book the Defence of the Seven Sacraments. After Henry broke from the Roman Church, Pope Paul III revoked the grant, but Parliament passed a law authorising its continued use. The usage of the title "Defender of the Faith" continued in Cygnia after George I became Emperor of Cygnia.

The Empress is known as "Her Imperial Majesty". The form "Cygnian Majesty" appears in international treaties and on passports to differentiate the Cygnian monarch from foreign rulers. The former title is used in the prefixes of military installations and naval vessels. Navy ships carry the prefix Her Imperial Majesty's Ship (HIMS), while Army and Naval bases have the prefixes Her Imperial Majesty's Army Base (HIMAB) and Her Imperial Majesty's Naval Base (HIMNB) respectively.

The Emperor chooses his regnal name, not necessarily his first name – Emperors Theodore II and Theodore IV did not use their first names.

Traditionally in Britain, the signature of the King included his regnal name but not ordinal, followed by the letter R, which stands for rex or regina (Latin for King and Queen, respectively). After three Theodores occupied the throne consecutively, Theodore III dropped the usage of the initial, which had since become an I for imperator (Latin for Emperor), and instead used his full regnal name, Theodore III. This continued with Theodore IV. Ellory I also used his ordinal in his signature, although since his ordinal was I, it would not have made a difference since the ordinal could have been interpreted as the imperator "I" as well. Alexander III also uses his ordinal in his signature.

List of monarchs

Empire (1792–1949)

House of Stuart (1792–1821)

Name Reign	Portrait	Arms	Birth Parentage	Marriage(s) Issue	Death	Claim
Alexander I Alexander Henry 18 March, 1793 – 2 February, 1809			6 December 1740 Norfolk House Son of William IV of the United Kingdom and Caroline of Ansbach	Alexandria of Mecklenburg-Strelitz St James's Palace 21 April, 1761 2 children	2 February 1809 Ellingham House aged 68	Constitution of Cygnia
Theodore I Theodore William Alexander 2 February, 1809 – 9 August, 1821			31 July 1765 Kensington Palace Son of Alexander I and Alexandra of Mecklenburg-Strelitz	Anne Harris Ellingham House 9 April, 1786 5 children	9 August 1821 Ellingham Palace aged 56	Son of Alexander I

House of Stuart-Campbell (1821–1946)

Name Reign	Portrait	Arms	Birth Parentage	Marriage(s) Issue	Death	Claim
Alexander II Alexander George Louis 9 August, 1821 – 6 October, 1840			27 June 1788 Ellingham House Son of Theodore I and Anne Harris	Josephine Campbell St George Cathedral 16 August, 1799 2 children	6 October 1840 Ellingham Palace aged 33	Son of Theodore I
Theodore II Albert Alexander Theodore 6 October, 1821 – 3 February, 1885			2 June 1828 Ellingham Palace Son of Alexander II and Josephine Campbell	Mary Frances Tennyson St George Cathedral 10 August, 1847 5 children	3 February 1885 Ellingham Palace aged 57	Son of Alexander II
Theodore III Theodore Albert Alexander Charles William 3 February, 1885 – 2 August, 1928			24 March 1855 Ellingham Palace Son of Theodore II and Mary Frances Tennyson	Alexis of Spain Almudena Cathedral 4 July, 1886 Two children	2 August, 1928 Ellingham Palace aged 73	Son of Theodore II
Theodore IV William Theodore Victor Frederick Peter 2 August, 1928 – 3 May, 1932			30 April 1888 Ellingham Palace Son of Theodore III and Alexis of Spain	Gertraud Wolfshiem Ellingham Palace 3 October, 1908 Four children	3 May, 1932 Ellingham Palace aged 43	Son of Theodore III
Ellory I Ellory Alexander William Theodore Victor Albert Louis 3 May, 1932 – 4 December, 1996			8 October 1921 Ellingham Palace Son of Theodore IV and Gertraud Wolfshiem	Victoria Geraldton St George Cathedral 3 October, 1945 Three children	4 December, 1996 Swanstone aged 75	Son of Theodore IV

Union (1949–present)

House of Stuart-Campbell (1949–present)

Name Reign	Portrait	Arms	Birth Parentage	Marriage(s) Issue	Death	Claim
Ellory I Ellory Alexander William Theodore Victor Albert Louis 3 May, 1932 – 4 December, 1996			8 October, 1921 Ellingham Palace Son of Theodore IV and Gertraud Wolfshiem	Victoria Geraldton St George Cathedral 3 October, 1950 Three children	4 December, 1996 Swanstone aged 75	Son of Theodore IV
Theodore V Theodore Frederick Thomas Oliver Charles Elliott William 4 December, 1996 – 5 May, 2017			5 June, 1951 Swanstone Central Hospital Son of Ellory I and Victoria Geraldton	Elizabeth Cooke-Lyon St George Cathedral 2 April, 1979 Two children	Living	Son of Ellory I
Alexander III Alexander Charles Philip George 5 May, 2017 – present			21 June, 1982 Ellingham Palace Son of Theodore V and Elizabeth Cooke-Lyon	Catherine Parkes St George Cathedral 29 April, 2005 Three children	Living	Son of Theodore V