Kohlandian Monarchy

Royal Family of Kohlandia
	HM King Emeritus Philip, Queen's Father HM Queen Emeritus Ann, Queen's Mother HM Queen Catherine the First HM Queen Consort Jennifer; ; HRH Crown Princess Elizabeth; HRH Prince David; ; ;

The Kohlandian Monarchy the political entity and institution composed of the Monarch and the Royal Family. The Monarch is the Head of State under the Constitution and wields Executive, Legislative and diplomatic powers via the legal entity of The Crown. The current Monarch is Her Majesty Queen Catherine the First, who ascended to the throne on 30 August 2019.

History

List of Monarchs

Kohlandia has only had one Monarch since it's founding, that being Her Majesty Queen Catherine the First.

Powers and duties

Under the Kohlandian Constitution, the Monarch has the limited powers and duties, with the majority of Constitutional power being invested into the Government. The Monarch's powers include:

The power to attend and take part in Cabinet meetings, as the Monarch in Cabinet;
The power to attend Parliament and take part in Legislative proceedings, as the Monarch in Parliament;
The power to grant peerages and titles;
The power to grant honours;
The power to grant full citizenships under Royal Perogative;
The power to call a General Election prior to expiration of the maximum Parliamentary term*;
The power to appoint Nobles to towns, cities, provinces and other regions;
The power to veto Acts of Parliament by refusing Royal Assent;
The power to sign Treaties and enter into diplomatic relations with foreign nations*;
The power to appoint Judges;
The power to govern Crown Dependencies; and
The power to appoint Governors to Crown Dependencies*.

Powers marked with an asterisk (*) are usually either undertaken in consultation or conjunction with the Prime Minister.

The Monarch also has a variety of other powers, most of which are ceremonial in nature.

Customs

A number of customs are associated with the Monarchy, including coronations; state openings of Parliament; and the issue of Regnal Numbering.

Coronation

Coronation of a Monarch in Kohlandia is not a requirement but state ceremonies such as this are very popular with Kohlandians, so they will often happen because such an event is expected. Queen Catherine has not yet made a decision on whether to undertake a coronation ceremony or not; so no such event has taken place.

State Opening of Parliament

A state ceremony to formally open each Parliamentary session is held before citizens can sit as members of Parliament. Normally this is an annual event during which the Monarch will address the Parliament to read a speech laying out the Prime Minister's legislative agenda for that year. This speech will be written for the Monarch by the current Prime Minister. After the reading of the speech, the Monarch will then invite the members of Parliament to elect a Leader of the House for the forthcoming Parliamentary year.

The State Opening of Parliament is a Kohlandian custom rather than a law or Constitutional matter, therefore it is not required for the ceremony to happen each year. Nevertheless, it is an expected part of the Parliamentary session and to forego such an event, especially the reading of the legislative agenda, would not be seen in a good light by Kohlandian citizens.

Regnal Naming and Numbering

There is no requirement in the Constitution for the Monarch to follow any specific regnal naming or numbering system. Monarchs may choose to reign as any of their given names when the ascend to the throne, as Queen Catherine has when she decided to use one of her middle names as her Regnal Name instead of her forename.

Queen Catherine has made it known that she subscribes to the view that Kohlandia is a new nation with a new monarchy and thus the regnal numbering should begin afresh, with no continuity from any previous numbering system. The Queen therefore reigns as Queen Catherine the First and it is expected that, if she wishes to use her first name as her Regnal Name, Crown Princess Elizabeth will reign as Queen Elizabeth the First when she inherits the throne.

Line of Succession

The line of succession in Kohlandia is determined by absolute primogeniture; where the eldest direct blood relative on the same, or a subsequent, line of the family tree ascends to the throne upon the death of the reigning Monarch. Ascension is automatic and immediate upon the death of the Monarch, so anyone who does not wish to take up the duties of the Monarch is technically required to abdicate; although it is assumed that arrangements can be made to make this as simple as possible, if such an event occurs.

References