Yet another complicated royal tradition has been added to this list, with a rule regarding the custody of the royal children recently surfacing.
According to Express, a legal statute could mean that Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Archie would be left in Queen Elizabeth‘s custody in the event of their parent’s death.
The children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Prince William and Kate Middleton would become the legal wards of the Queen, due to a 300-year-old law.
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The law is called “The Grand Opinion for the Prerogative Concerning the Royal Family,” and was introduced by King George I in 1717 after a disagreement the king had with his son over how he was raising his children.
At the time of the ruling, the judges stated:
“King’s right of supervision extended to his grandchildren and this right of right belongs to His Majesty, King of the Realm, even during their father’s lifetime.”
The law means that the custody of royal children in the event of their parent’s death will go to her Majesty.
Rachel Carrington-Matthews, an inheritance protection solicitor at Hedges Law, told Express that the 1717 rule means that the process of inheritance differs greatly for royals.
“In theory, the Queen now would have custody of the royal children and Prince Charles, upon his ascension to the throne, would inherit the custody of the royal children,” she said.
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Currently, the Queen could “inherit” two of her grandchildren and all eight of her great-grandchildren in the event of their parent’s death.
However, Carrington-Matthews pointed out that it may not be put into practice:
“In practice whether this would be the case would be another issue. It is possible that the royals would have other guidance in place in their wills.”
Regardless of this, the monarch still has input on major parenting decisions for her great-grandchildren, including air travel for heirs above the age of 12.
