Rights of the Sovereign and the Duchy of Cornwall Bill (HL Bill 15)
A
BILL
TO
Amend the Sovereign Grant Act 2011; to amend the succession to the title of
the Duke of Cornwall; to re-distribute the Duchy of Cornwall’s estate; and to
remove the requirement for a Parliament to obtain Queen’s or Prince’s
consent to consideration of bills passing through Parliament.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Amendment to the Sovereign Grant Act 2011
(1)
Section 1 of the Sovereign Grant Act 2011 (the sovereign grant) is amended as
follows.
(2) In subsection (2), after “Her Majesty’s” insert “and the Duke of Cornwall’s”.
(3) 5After subsection (2), insert the following new subsections—
“(2A)
The Sovereign Grant may only be used to fund official Royal travel
for—
(a)
persons who are one of the six persons next in the line of
succession to the Crown, and
(b) 10persons who are staff of those under paragraph (a).
(2B) “Official Royal travel” in subsection (2A) means—
(a)
travel by air and rail by members of the Royal Family in
pursuance of their official duties;
(b)
travel by air and rail by senior members of the Royal Family
15between official residences;
(c)
travel by air and rail by staff of the Royal Households where the
journeys are undertaken directly in connection with the official
duties of Members of the Royal Family.”
2 Amendments to the Duchy of Cornwall estate
(1) 20A Charter of 1337 (Regnal 11 Edward 3) (“the Charter”) shall be read as follows.
Rights of the Sovereign and the Duchy of Cornwall BillPage 2
(2)
Whereas in accordance with the Charter the title of Duke of Cornwall devolves
on the eldest living son of the monarch being heir to the throne this shall be
varied such that the title of Duke of Cornwall shall be passed to the eldest
living child of the monarch being heir to the throne regardless of gender.
(3)
5The assets and property of the Duchy of Cornwall shall be transferred to and
shall vest in a public trust for the benefit of the people of Cornwall and the Isles
of Scilly.
(4)
The Secretary of State may by order make provision as to the public trust
established under subsection (3).
3 10Removal of Queen’s and Prince’s consent
Nothing in any rule of law, or the law, or practice of Parliament shall require a
Parliament to seek the consent of the Monarch, the Prince of Wales or the
Prince Regent to the consideration of public bills which pass through
Parliament.
4 15Short title, commencement and extent
(1)
This Act may be cited as the Rights of the Sovereign and the Duchy of Cornwall
Act 2013.
(2)
Save for the provisions of subsection (3), this Act comes into force on the day
on which it is passed.
(3)
20Section 2(3) comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State may by order
made by statutory instrument appoint.
(4) This Act extends to the United Kingdom.