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THE TIMES
18.1.1959
Tennant to instate new constitution: Nobility out, Sovereign in
Prime minister Roger Tennant and his government have published their proposition for a new constitution for the country. The constitution has been drafted in cooperation with all the major parties and will be in effect starting from 1.1.1960. It will change three significant things: the heredity of noble titles, the status of constituent countries, and the new office of head of state.

Abolition of hereditary titles
According to the new constitution, noble titles will no longer be passed on to the next of kin. Sons and daughters of dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, barons, baronets, and knights born after 1.1.1960 will not be entitled to use these titles in any official circumstances. However, existing titles will remain official until their last bearer dies. Also, 'pretence of nobility' will no longer be a misdemeanour, meaning that it is perfectly legal to use these titles unofficially, be the person related to nobility or not.

This change will be most notable for the Bowes-Lyon family. Duchess Elizabeth of England, her consort Duke Philip, and their children, Lord Charles of Wales and Lady Anne of Cambridge will keep their titles, but When the Duchess dies, her title will not pass on to Lord Charles. Thus, Elizabeth will be the last hereditary head of state of England, but the 32-year-old duchess most likely still has many decades before the end of her reign.

The change of constitution requires a five-sixths majority in the parliament, so the government had to secure the support of Yr Undeb Gealtaidd, the Celtic party with 26 seats. The party leadership made it very clear that they will not back any proposition to weaken the Cornish monarchy, so royal titles were excluded from the abolishment: Queen Lovisa's son Harry and his son Hugo will, in time, become Kings of Cornwall, as will their descendants.

Power stripped from constituent countries
Starting next year, Britannia will no longer be a federation but a unitary republic. The country shifts to a more streamlined system of legislation with significant power in civil matters still remaining in the hands of regional administrations. In effect, the local governments will continue to organise their own postal, social, and police services as well as education, but they will not be able to pass any new local laws without the consent of the British parliament. As a part of this reform, the word 'State' will be removed from the official names of the constituent countries. From now, they will be known simply as England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Kingdom of Cornwall (sticking to their special status here as well).

It is rumoured that this new system of devolution was proposed by the Conservative party and its inclusion in the new constitution was the only way to get the party to back the proposal. Again, the required support of 450 members of parliament has forced the government to include legislation they did not actually want. Undoubtedly, this will leave a heavy scar on the relations between the Tories and the Scottish and Irish national parties that heavily support stronger autonomy of the constituent countries.

Sovereign to be elected this September
Another major change in the system of government is the creation of the office of the Sovereign. For over 80 years, Britain has been without a politically non-affiliated head of state, and many have spoken for the creation of such an office before. Still, not until the Republican party became a part of Tennant's coalition government has the idea been seriously discussed at the top level. Unlike the monarchs of old, the modern Sovereign will be elected in a direct referendum for 10 years at a time. Sovereign candidates are allowed to be members of a political party, but they must resign their membership if they are elected, as the Sovereign must be politically neutral and only protect the constitution.

First such election will be in September this year, and the winner will start his 10-year tenure at the strike of the new year 1960. The Sovereign will act as the official head of state, host and attend state visits, and appoint the new prime ministers after parliamentary elections. He will also have the right to disband the cabinet if it abuses its power. There has been much discussion as to where the Sovereign's official residence will be, as there are several places in the Greater London area that have the necessary grandeur and banquet facilities. A movement lead by Margaret Thatcher, the only Conservative MP from the Enfield constituency, is demanding Buckingham Palace to be restored as the home of the Sovereign. However, the City of Westminster has announced that they will not agree to move their City Hall away from the former royal palace. Currently, the most likely candidate is Stafford House, a large 19th-century mansion located just 200 metres away from Buckingham Palace and owned by the Foreign Office.