Frequently Asked Questions | Britroyals
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the last British King fight in                  a battle?
George II was the last                  British King to lead his army in person, during the War of the                  Austrian Succession, at the Battle of Dettingen in Bavaria, 27th                  June, 1743. The last English King to die in battle was Richard                  III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire on 22                  August 1485 defeated by Henry Tudor who became Henry VII ending                  the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of York and Lancaster                  and starting the Tudor dynasty. The last British King to die in                  battle was James IV of Scotland killed at the Battle of Flodden Field in Northumberland on 9 September                  1513 when the Scots invaded England hoping to take advantage of                  Henry VIII's absence in France, but were defeated by English forces                  under Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey.
How far back can the British Royal Family                  trace their roots? Is Queen Elizabeth II really directly descended                  from Alfred the Great?
She is the 32nd great granddaughter of King                  Alfred who 1,140 years ago was the first effective King of                  England. He ruled from 871 to 899.
I thought that American Independence was                  in 1776. Why is it quoted as 1783?
The Continental Congress of the 13 American colonies declared                  independence in 1776. However, the war continued and independence                  from Britain was not achieved until the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
Was George III really mad?
For most of his reign King                  George III was an astute king and politician with a strong                  sense of duty. Later in his reign he suffered from recurrent and                  eventually permanent mental illness. This baffled medical science                  at the time, although it is now generally thought that he suffered                  from the inherited blood disease porphyria. He suffered his first                  attack in 1788 and by 1810 was unfit to rule. In 1811 his son                  George, Prince of Wales, became Regent for 9 years until his father                  died in 1820.
Who would now be King or Queen if Edward                  VIII had not abdicated?
Edward VIII abdicated                  in 1936 less than a year after becoming King to marry Wallis Simpson.                  His younger brother Bertie became King                  George VI and was the father of the present Queen                  Elizabeth II . He died in 1952, and Edward who had no children                  died in 1972. So even if Edward had not abdicated Elizabeth would                  now be Queen. She would have come to the throne in 1972 instead                  of 1952.
Why did Edward VIII have to give up the throne                  to marry a divorcee but Prince Charles is still in line to the                  throne?
Royals who are divorced or marry divorcees do not lose                  their position in the line of succession. Edward VIII had a number                  of affairs with married women including Wallis Simpson who was                  already divorced and still married to her second husband. His                  parents King George V and Queen Mary did not approve and refused                  to meet her. When George V died Prime Minister Baldwin made it                  clear that the Government, popular opinion in the country and the oversees Dominions (now the Commonwealth nations) did not                  approve of his plans to marry Wallis. Social attitudes towards                  divorce and a women looking for a third marriage were considered                  scandalous at the time, and if Edward married against the advice                  of his Ministers it would have caused the Government to resign                  and a constitutional crisis. Edward chose to abdicate.
The 1772 Royal Marriages Act requires members of the                  Royal Family to obtain permission from the Sovereign to marry.                  Queen Elizabeth II gave her permission for Prince Charles to marry                  Camilla, and more recently for Prince William to marry Catherine                  Middleton.
Would Princess                  Diana have become Queen?
If Prince Charles had become King during their marriage then                  she would have been his consort with the title Queen Diana. They                  divorced in 1996 and she died in a car crash in Paris on 31st                  August 1997. Although popularly known as 'Princess Diana' this                  was not her title - because she became a princess by marrying                  Prince Charles her title was Princess Charles Philip Arthur George,                  Princess of Wales, or more simply Diana, Princess of Wales.
Who is Prince Henry shown as fourth in                  line to the Throne? What about Prince Harry?
Prince Harry's name is Henry                  Charles Albert David . Harry is his nickname
Is Kate Middleton the first commoner to marry an heir to the throne?
The Queen's husband Prince Philip is a direct descendant                  of Queen Victoria, Diana's family had titled ancestry and Camilla                  is the granddaughter of a baron. Prince William's wife Catherine                  (Kate) nee Middleton comes from a middle class background                  with no aristocratic or titled connections. She is not however                  the first commoner to marry a future king. Notably Anne Hyde first                  wife of King James II, and Elizabeth Woodville, who married King                  Edward IV in 1464 and became a key figure in the Wars of the Roses                  were commoners with no direct connections to nobility. Edward VIII married Wallis Simpson but had already                  abdicated as King.
Why are William and Harry referred to                  as Wales when their name is Windsor?
Members of the Royal Family who are titled His (or Her) Royal                  Highness do not traditionally need or use a surname. Windsor is                  the name of the Royal House to which they belong. Their titles                  are HRH Prince William of Wales and HRH Prince Henry of Wales .                  During their tours of duty with the Armed Forces, the Princes                  chose to show their surname as Wales. Members of the royal family                  who are not HRH (for example Prince                  Edward's children Louise and James) use the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
Why are Prince Andrew's daughters princesses                  when Prince Edward's daughter is not? Also why do Princess Anne's                  children Peter and Zara not have titles?
You become a prince by being the son of a prince, or princess                  by being the daughter of a prince or by marrying a prince. So                  Prince Andrew's daughters are Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.                  The Queen's daughter Princess Anne has the title Princess Royal,                  but her children Peter and Zara do not have titles. It is traditional                  that they would have been made a Duke and Duchess or Earl and                  Countess, but it is understood that Princess Anne asked the Queen                  not to give her children titles so they could live as private                  individuals. Prince Edward declined to be made a Duke on his marriage                  and became Earl of Wessex, so that his wife Sophie is Countess                  of Wessex. The Royal Family is descended directly from the Anglo-Saxon                  Kings of Wessex. On their marriage is was anounced that their                  children would not be titled Prince and Princess but as the children                  of an Earl, so they are Lady Louise and James Viscount Severn.
Why are Roman Catholics excluded from                  the Line of Succession to the British throne?
In 1534 Henry VII I broke                  with the Church of Rome over his divorce from Catherine of Aragon                  and made himself Head of the Church of England. Every King or                  Queen since Elizabeth 1 has held the title 'Supreme Governor of                  the Church of England' and 'Defender of the Faith'. As it is a                  Protestant Church all those in the Royal line of succession and                  their spouses have to be Protestants. The Act of Settlement (1701)                  laid down that only Protestant heirs of Princess Sophia, granddaughter                  of James I, may succeed to the British throne. Neither Catholics,                  nor those who marry a Catholic, nor those born out of wedlock,                  may remain in the line of succession. Prince Charles has let it                  be known that when he becomes King he will take the title 'Defender                  of Faith' instead of' 'Defender of the Faith' to include faiths                  other than the established Church of England.
In Aprl 2013 the Succession                  to the Crown Bill 2013 changed the succession laws so that                  a person is not disqualified from succeeding to the Crown as a                  result of marrying a Roman Catholic . They will however not be                  allowed to become a Roman Catholic as the British Monarch is head                  of the Protestant Church of England.
Why are younger brothers higher in the line                  of succession than their older sisters?
The line of succession to the British throne used until                  recently the system of male primogeniture whereby younger sons                  have precedence over their older sisters. So Prince Andrew and                  Prince Edward are above their older sister Princess Anne in line                  of succession, and Prince Edward's son James is above his sister                  Louise. While male precedence may now be considered to be out                  of line with current 'equal-rights' thinking and is proposed to                  be changed, it has not prevented some of the most successful and                  longest reigning British monarchs from being queens including Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.
It does allow the succession to inherit through the                  female line, so the children of daughters can succeed to the throne                  as is the case with the current Queen. The French and German monarchies                  used a system of Salic law whereby females had no right to inherit                  and could not pass it to their offspring. The last time that the                  British throne passed to a son in precedence to a first born daughter                  was when Queen Victoria's son Edward VII inherited the throne                  over his older sister Princess Victoria. Had she become queen                  she would have been Queen Victoria II and her son Kaiser Wilhelm                  II would have also been King William V and ruled over a huge combined                  British and German Empire. This could have significantly changed                  20th century European history with the 1st World War unlikely                  to have happened as it did but replaced with other nationalist,                  republican and fascist struggles leading possibly to the downfall                  of both monarchies and a changed map of Europe.
In Aprl 2013 the Succession                  to the Crown Bill 2013 changed the succession laws so that                  a person is able to marry a Roman Catholic and remain in the line                  of successsion, and the right of male primogeniture no longer                  applies to children born after 28 October 2011. It meant that                  if the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child had been a                  girl and their second a boy, male primogenture would no longer                  have applied and he would not have had precedence over his older                  sister. However, their first child born on 22 July 2013 was a                  boy Prince George so it did not apply. Their second child Princess                  Charlotte will not lose her place even if she has a younger brother.                  This current line of succession is shown at Line                  of Succession.
King
William IV was 64                  years old when he became king in 1830 and succeeded his elder                  brother George IV. Prince Charles the current heir to the throne became 68 on 14th November 2016                  and is now the longest waiting heir to the throne. Edward                  VII became king after the death of his mother Queen Victoria                  in 1901 when he was 59 years and 2 months old. Kings & Queens by age of accession to the throne .
Could the Queen choose to pass the throne                  directly to Prince William?
The Queen cannot choose. Prince                  Charles as her eldest son and Prince of Wales is next in line                  to the throne and will become King as long as he is living when                  the Queen dies or should she abdicate. It would require a change                  to British constitutional law for this not to happen.
Will Charles become King George VII?
Charles can choose to                  rule as King Charles III or take another name. Kings often take                  a different regnal (ruling) name from their first given name.                  Charles' grandfather George VI was Prince Albert ("Bertie") before he became king,                  and his great great grandfather Edward                  VII was also Prince Albert. King Charles                  I was beheaded in 1649 after the English Civil War, and Charles                  II was popularly known as the 'merrie' monarch as he had so                  many mistresses. Charles                  Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) the Stuart pretender                  to the throne styled himself Charles III before he was defeated                  at Culloden in 1746. It is thought possible that Prince Charles                  may choose to become King George VII after his grandfather.
Will Camilla become Queen?
Prince Charles and Camilla were married on 9th April 2005. She was given the                  title Duchess of Cornwall because of sensitivity following the                  death of Diana. As the wife of the Prince of Wales her title should                  be Princess of Wales and, although before the marriage it was                  announced that she would take the title Princess consort, she                  is expected to become Queen consort when Charles becomes King.
Is there a royal connection between Camilla's                  family and the royal family?
In 1889 Camilla's great-grandmother                  Alice Keppel was the mistress of Edward                  VII when he was Prince of Wales. Edward VII was the great-great-grandfather                  of Prince Charles the current Prince of Wales.
Why is the Queen's husband Prince Philip                  not King Philip?
The husband of a queen is known as a Prince consort and does                  not become King. Queen Victoria's husband was Prince Albert, and                  Queen Elizabeth's husband is Prince                  Philip The Duke of Edinburgh . The wife of a king is a Queen                  consort and does take the title Queen although she does not rule                  as the monarch. The only exceptions were William III and Mary                  II who ruled jointly from 1689 until Mary's death in 1694.
Were Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip                  related before their marriage?
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are both great great grandchildren                  of Queen Victoria . The Queen                  is a direct descendant of Queen Victoria’s eldest son King                  Edward VII and the Duke of Edinburgh is a direct descendant of                  Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Alice.
What relation is Queen Elizabeth II to King                  George III ?
George III was her 3rd great grandfather. If you you follow the                  line of succession on her grandfather's side - George VI (father),                  George V (grandfather), Edward VII (great grandfather), Victoria                  (2nd great grandmother) , Edward Duke of Kent (3rd great grandfather),                  George III (4th great grandfather) - then he was her 4th great                  grandfather. However her grandmother Queen Mary of Teck was also                  descended from George III - she and George V were 2nd cousins                  once removed. If you follow Queen Elizabeth's line through her                  grandmother - George VI (father), Queen Mary (grandmother), Mary                  Adelaide (great grandmother), Adolphus of Hanover (2nd great grandfather),                  George III (3rd great-grandfather) - he is more closely related                  as her 3rd great grandfather. You can see this on the Royal                  Family tree .
How rich is Queen Elizabeth?
Her estimated personal fortune is around £350 million (US $435M).                  The Duchy of Lancaster estate, a portfolio of land, property and                  assets, is held in trust for the monarch and worth around £348                  million. She also owns properties privately that have never been                  valued, including Sandringham House, Balmoral Castle reputedly                  worth £160 million and the Castle of Mey. Her investment portfolio                  in blue-chip British companies is around £110 million, her                  personal art collection is worth at least £2 million, and she                  owns personal jewellery and a large stamp collection built up                  by her grandfather George V.
Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Crown Jewels                  and the Royal Art Collection are held in trust for the nation.
The Crown Estate, which manages on behalf of the                  monarch the property and land owned by the Crown, including properties in Regent Street and St James in London, offshore wind farms around                  Britain's coast and rural estates in Scotland, is worth around £11 billion and generates £285 million (2014/15) income                  a year. This income is given to the national Treasury for use                  in public finances, in return for a grant (£38 million in                  2012) for the cost of running the monarchy. This arrangement dated                  from 1760 when George III gave up the right to the income from                  the Crown's estates in return for a Civil List paid to members                  of the Royal Family.
In 2013 this changed to a Sovereign Support Grant                  based on 15% of the income from the Crown Estate. This means that                  for the year from April 2016 the nation will keep £242.2                  million of the Crown Estates income, and the monarchy will receive £42.7 miilion towards the cost of the Royal household, their                  travel, attending formal functions and repairs to buildings including                  Kensington Palace which is the home of Prince William, the Duchess                  of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Does the Queen pay taxes?
Yes, in 1992 The Queen offered to pay income tax and capital                  gains tax on a voluntary basis. Since 1993, her personal income                  has been taxable as for any other UK taxpayer.
Does the Queen rule or does Parliament?
The British Monarchy is a constitutional monarchy in which                  the King or Queen reigns as Head of State but with limits to their                  power, and the day-to-day government is carried out by Parliament.                  The political party with the most elected seats in the House of                  Commons elects a Prime Minister who is invited by the monarch                  to form a government. A new Parliament is opened by the monarch                  in an official ceremony, and the Prime Minister during his or                  her term in office regularly meets with the King or Queen to discuss                  political matters and events.
How many British Prime Ministers and US                  Presidents have there been during the Queen's reign?
Queen Elizabeth II has worked with 13 different Prime Ministers since she became                  Queen: Winston Churchill (1951-55), Anthony Eden (1955-59), Harold                  Macmillan (1959-63), Alec Douglas-Home (1963-64), Harold Wilson                  (1964-70 & 1974-76), Edward Heath (1970-74), James Callaghan                  (1976-79), Margaret Thatcher (1979-90), John Major (1990-97),                  Tony Blair (1997-2007), Gordon Brown (2007-2010), David Cameron                  (2010-2016) and Theresa May (2016 - present).
There have been 12 US Presidents during her reign:                  Harry Truman (1945-1953), Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61), John Kennedy                  (1961-63), Lyndon Johnson (1963-69), Richard Nixon (1969-74),                  Gerald Ford, (1974-77), James Carter (1977-81), Ronald Reagan                  (1981-89), George Bush (1989-93), William Clinton (1993-2001),                  George W Bush (2001-09), Barack Obama, (2009-present).
There have been 7 Archbishops of Canterbury and 7                  Popes during her reign.
Which King or Queen reigned for the longest time?
The longest reigning British monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who including today has reigned for      64 years, 11 months,  and 13 days                 which is the longest reign in over 1,200 years of British History.                  On 10th September 2015 she surpassed her great great grandmother Queen Victoria who reigned                  for 63 years, 7 months and 2 days from 1837-1901. See Kings                  and Queens by length of reign .
Which King or Queen reigned for the shortest time?
Edward VI named his cousin Lady                  Jane Grey as his successor and she was proclaimed queen on                  July 10, 1553 by her father-in-law the Duke of Northumberland.                  She was 16 years old. Meanwhile Edward's half sister Mary eldest daughter of Henry VIII was also proclaimed queen. The situation                  was resolved 9 days later on July 19 1553 when Mary arrived in                  London and was proclaimed as the rightful queen. Mary was crowned                  Queen on Oct 1, 1553. Lady Jane Grey was executed on February                  12, 1554. Another who was not crowned was Edward                  V . His father Edward IV died on April 9, 1483, but he was                  usurped by his uncle Richard III who proclaimed himself king 2 months later on June 26 and crowned                  on July 6, 1483. The date that Edward died is unknown - he was                  presumed murdered with his brother in the Tower of London at sometime                  in September that year. The shortest reigning crowned king was                  Edmund II for 7 months from 25 April - 30 November 1016. Kings                  and Queens by length of reign .
Which King had the most illegitimate children?
Henry I is purported to                  have had 20-25 illegitimate children by at least six women, but                  few details are known. Charles                  II famously fathered numerous illegitimate children, of whom                  he acknowledged fourteen. His mistresses included Lucy Walter                  (2 children), Moll Davis (1) , Nell Gwyne (2), Louise de Keroualle                  (1), Barbara Villiers (6), Elizabeth Killigrew (1), Catherine                  Pegg (1), Frances Stuart (became the face of Britannia on coins),                  and at least five others. William                  IV had 10 illegitimate children born between 1794 and 1807                  by his mistress actress Dorothea Bland (known as Mrs Jordan).
Is David Cameron descended from royalty? How                  close would he be in line to the throne?
David Cameron, the previous British Prime Minister, is the great,                  great, great grandson of Elizabeth Fitzclarence (Jan 17, 1801                  - Jan 16, 1856) who was an illegitimate daughter of William                  IV and his mistress Irish actress Dorothea Bland who was known                  by her stage name as 'Mrs Jordan'. They lived together for 20                  years when he was Duke of Clarence and had 5 sons and 5 daughters. When he became heir to the throne William married Adelaide of                  Saxe-Meiningen but they had no surviving children so when he died                  having no legitimate children his niece Victoria became Queen.
David Cameron is the 5th cousin, twice removed of                  Queen Elizabeth II, but illegitimate lines have no claim to the                  throne. The Royal Marriage act of 1772, instigated by William                  IV's father George III, requires members of the royal family to                  obtain permission from the monarch to marry. So William and Dorothea                  would have had to get permission from his brother George IV to                  marry and it would also have required ratification by Parliament.                  She was Catholic and would have had to renounce her Catholic faith                  for William to remain in the line of succession to the throne.                  In the very unlikely event that they had been allowed to marry                  and had done so before their children were born then their eldest                  son George Augustus would have had a claim to the throne. His                  great grandson Geoffrey Fitzclarence, 5th Earl of Munster, was                  a Conservative politician in Winston Churchill's government. David                  Cameron's line through their 3rd daughter Elizabeth would have                  had only a very remote claim.
How big was Henry VIII?
When Henry VII I came to the                  throne in April 1509 he was 17 years old, 6ft 2in tall, and had                  pale skin, blue eyes and auburn hair. He was physically active                  and enjoyed sport, hunting and jousting. A Venetian visitor described                  him as 'His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on, a vigorous player of tennis, rider of horses, and skilled                  wrestler'. However he became fatter with age and gluttony. His                  suits of armour show that in 1512 he had a 32 inch waist , which                  increased to 35 inch by 1520s, and then grew to an enormous 54                  inch by 1545. He suffered increasingly of ill health, swelling                  of the joints and an ulcerated leg claimed to have been caused                  by a jousting accident. His pain added to his mood swings and                  unpredictable temper. In 1544 his portrait shows him puffy and                  bloated. By 1546 he could hardly walk and was carried around on                  a wooden chair . He had to be winched on to his horse and his                  armour cut open to accommodate his swollen legs. He is estimated                  to have weighed 25 stone (350 lbs or 158kg) when he died in January                  1547
Why was Queen Mary I known as Bloody Mary?
Queen Mary's father Henry                  VIII split with Rome over his divorce from her mother Catherine                  of Aragon and made himself head of the Protestant Church of England.                  When she became queen, Mary sought to re-establish Roman Catholicism                  as the official religion and carried out persecution of Protestant                  clergy and followers. Over 200 died including Thomas Cranmer and                  several bishops who were burnt at the stake between 1555 and Mary's                  death in 1558. She was succeeded by her half sister Elizabeth                  I , daughter of Ann Boleyn, who re-established Protestantism                  as the official Church of England.
How many British monarchs have been killed                  while they were king or queen?
- King Edmund I was killed                  in 946 during a feast at Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire, by an                  outlawed robber.
- King Edward The Martyr was murdered by members of Aethelred's household at Corfe Castle                  in 978
- King Edmund II Ironside was                  assassinated in London in 1016
- King Harold II was killed                  by an arrow in his eye at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
- King William I The Conqueror                  suffered a fatal internal injury in 1087 after being thrown against                  the pommel of his saddle near Nantes in France.
- King William II Rufus was                  killed in 1100 with an arrow while hunting in the New Forest.                  Supposedly an accident, it has been suggested that he was shot                  deliberately on the instructions of his brother Henry.
- Richard I The Lion Heart was killed by a crossbow bolt while besieging Châlus-Chabrol                  in France in 1199.
- Edward II was murdered in                  1327 at Berkeley Castle on the orders of his wife, Isabella
- Richard II was starved to                  death in 1400 while imprisioned in Pontefract castle. He had been                  forced to abdicate in 1399 by his cousin Henry IV Bolingbroke.
- Henry VI was murdered in the                  Tower of London in 1471 during the 'Wars of the Roses' between                  the Lancastrians and Yorkists.
- Edward V and his younger                  brother were imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1483 and never                  seen again. Their fate remains a mystery but the two princes are                  believed to have been murdered on orders from their uncle Richard                  III.
- Richard III was killed in                  1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
- Henry VIII executed two of                  his six wives, Anne Boleyn in 1536 and Catherine                  Howard in 1542.
- Charles I was executed by                  Parliament in 1649 following the Civil War.
Scottish Kings killed include James                  II at Roxburgh in 1460 when a cannon exploded, James                  III in battle near Stirling in 1488 by supporters of his son, James IV by Henry VIII's                  forces at Flodden in 1513, and Mary                  Queen of Scots executed in 1587 on orders from her cousin                  Elizabeth I.
Why was Edward I not Edward IV as he followed Edward the                  Elder, Edward the Martyr & Edward the Confessor?
The practice of using Roman numerals to distinguish kings                  and queens started only after there had been several with the                  same name, and particularly when there was a succession of father,                  son, grandson like Edward I, Edward II, and Edward III. Before                  then it was common for chroniclers and historians to use sobriquets                  such as Edward the Elder, Edward the Martyr, Edward the Confessor,                  Edmund Ironside, Aethelred the Unready, Alfred the Great, Harold                  Harefoot etc before this became impractical.
It would be interesting to consider how the present                  Queen would be known if she were to be referred to in this way.                  'Elizabeth the Great', 'Elizabeth the Steadfast                  ', 'Elizabeth the Dutiful', have been suggested, as well                  as 'Elizabeth the Diplomat' for her work and visits to                  so many countries, 'Elizabeth the Survivor' referring                  to her reign as the longest in British history,'Elizabeth                  the Wise', 'Elizabeth the Magnificent', 'Elizabeth                  the Supreme',  'Elizabeth the Faithful'  for her                  untiring service over 60 years to her people and the Commonweatlh,                  'Elizabeth the Enduring', 'Elizabeth the Correct', 'Elizabeth,the Benevolent',      'Elizabeth,the Tolerant', 'Elizabeth the Stalwart', 'Elizabeth the Beloved' and 'Elizabeth Britannia'.                  If you have a suggestion please contact                  us .
What about King Arthur of the knights                  of the round table and Camelot?
King Arthur is a legend and folklore of a Celtic king who                  fought to defend Britain from Saxon invaders in the 6th century.                  There is no historical evidence that he existed. Interestingly,                  Henry VII sought to revive the legend naming his eldest son Arthur.                  Unfortunately Prince Arthur died in 1502 aged 15 before he became King. His younger brother                  Henry followed his father instead and became Henry                  VIII .
Why was there no king or queen between                  1649 and 1660?
The English Civil War (1642-1649) was fought between the                  royalist forces loyal to King                  Charles I and the parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell.                  The Royalist were defeated at the Battle of Naseby in 1645 and                  following attempts to organize a Scottish invasion, Charles was                  caught and executed on January 30, 1649. It was the first time                  a British monarch had ever been publicly executed in recorded                  history. After the execution of the King, a republic was declared                  known as the Commonwealth of England (1649-1653) and then the                  Protectorate (1653-1658) with rule by parliament under Cromwell.                  Following his death in 1658, Cromwell was succeeded briefly by                  his son Richard before the monarchy was restored and Charles                  II became king in 1660.
What is the Stone of Destiny?
The Stone of Destiny is a symbolic stone that was used in                  the crowning of Kings of Scotland at the Palace of Scone in Perthshire,                  Scotland. It is a block of sandstone which measures approximately                  26 inches long x 16 wide x 11 high which rested beneath the throne.                  According to legend it was brought to Scotland by Fergus Mor from                  Ireland, where it had reached by way of Spain and Egypt from the                  Holy Land. It was used in the crowning of kings from Kenneth MacAlpin in 841 to John                  Balliol in 1292. In 1296 King                  Edward I of England took the stone to London where it was                  kept in Westminster Abbey for use in coronations. In 1950 a group                  of students stole the stone and took it back to Scotland in two                  pieces which were repaired by a Glasgow stone mason. They left                  it at Arbroath Abbey from where it was returned to Westminster                  Abbey. In 1996 the British Government decided in response to calls                  by Scottish nationalists to return it to Scotland. It arrived                  back on St Andrews Day 30 November 1996, almost exactly 700 years                  after it had been removed by Edward, and is now in Edinburgh Castle.
When did Wales become part of the United                  Kingdom?
Wales became incorporated into England under the Statute                  of Rhuddlan in 1284, after it had been annexed by Edward                  I of England in 1282. Edward dubbed his eldest son Edward                  Prince of Wales, since which time the eldest son of each English                  monarch has borne the same title. In the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542,                  Wales became legally part of the Kingdom of England, and subsequently                  part of the United Kingdom.
When did Scotland become part of the United                  Kingdom?
The Crowns of England and Scotland were united in 1603 when James VI King of Scotland became                  James I King of England. In October 1604, one year later , he                  decreed that the Royal Title would use the term Great Brittaine                  to refer to the "one Imperiall Crowne" made up of England                  and Scotland. However despite James' wishes political union between                  Scotland and England did not take place until 1707 in the reign                  of Queen Anne. See union of the United Kingdom .
When did Ireland become part of the United                  Kingdom?
Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1800 when the                  Act of Union with Ireland was passed by both the Irish and British                  parliaments
Why is Northern Ireland part of the United                  Kingdom when Southern Ireland is a different country?
Northern Ireland, predominantly Protestant, and Southern                  Ireland, Catholic, split in 1920 with 6 of the 9 counties of Ulster                  remaining within the United Kingdom, and the remaining 26 counties                  being given home rule under the Government of Ireland Act. In                  1922 the Southern counties became the Irish Free State and then                  since 1949 the Republic of Ireland.