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Royalty/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Ducklings of Cambridge coronet | 9/25/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Let us imagine that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge bring forth some fine children, and that Her ... A: The type of coronet that has been used for the sons of the heir apparent since 9 February 1662, and ... | ||
| Irish minor royal heritage | 8/30/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I am descended from the clan McGrath (my mothers maiden name , my grandfather was born and raised in ... A: The websites you mentioned appear pretty good, Another one is www.irelandseye.com and if you go to ... | ||
| Order of the Garter - antique helmet found in Afghanistan | 8/1/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I came across an antique helmet at a local market here and have been puzzling over it for days. It ... A: The motto would be "honi soit qui mal y pense", which is the motto of the Order of the Garter. This ... | ||
| Charles and Williams throne laws | 7/10/2011 | Marilyn Braun |
| Q: A huge discussion was started last night at a quiet bbq regarding Charles and William. I am hopeing ... A: Yes, there are many people who feel that the throne should bypass Charles and go directly to William ... | ||
| Abdication | 6/25/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I am an American and I watched the wedding of Prince William and Catherine on live television. There ... A: I believe that a Sovereign should remain on the throne until death. They are not elected leaders, ... | ||
| Abdication | 6/25/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I am an American and I watched the wedding of Prince William and Catherine on live television. There ... A: I would be extremely surprised if The Queen abdicated. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, ... | ||
| Abolition Of The Monarhcy | 5/7/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I would like to ask you that : if a minister invokes the procedure set down in the Parliament Act ... A: If a Bill were passed abolishing the monarchy, and was duly signed by the Queen, that would be ... | ||
| royal titles | 5/6/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: Why did Prince Williams title change to a Duke? I thought Prince was a higher title then Duke. A: He's still a Prince, but he's now got the additional title of Duke of Cambridge making him a Royal ... | ||
| royal titles | 5/3/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I am a descendant of the Moore's of Drogheda of Ireland they married the Spencer's and Princess ... A: Yes, as stated in my first answer the Moore family were first enobled in 1616 with the title Baron ... | ||
| why? | 5/3/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: why not a Roman Catholic? We thought the royalty was Catholic What is their religion? Thank you A: The royal family are Church of England, i.e. Episcopal. The Act of Settlement 1700 requires them to ... | ||
| royal titles | 5/2/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I am a descendant of the Moore's of Drogheda of Ireland they married the Spencer's and Princess ... A: Without seeing the document it's difficult to say what it means. But a writ of summons is an order ... | ||
| royal titles | 5/2/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I am a descendant of the Moore's of Drogheda of Ireland they married the Spencer's and Princess ... A: Before I go into the reasons why I'll simply say you have no right to sit in the House of Commons or ... | ||
| Monarchy Question | 5/1/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: How does one become a duke? A: You have to be created a Duke by the Monarch or inherit the title from your predecessor. There has ... | ||
| british succession | 4/30/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: If Prince Albert had to abdicate to marry a divorcee, how is Charles next in line to become King? ... A: I assume by Prince Albert you mean King Edward VIII. It's a popular misconception that King Edward ... | ||
| Correct form of address to the Duke and Duchess. | 4/29/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Professor Cox, I would like to write my congratulations to the newly-married Duke and Duchess of ... A: The best way would be to write to the Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess, though writing ... | ||
| royals | 4/28/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I head something odd today. That Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip don't even sleep in ... A: The earliest origins of the British royal family can be traced to the tribal leaders of the Germanic ... | ||
| royals | 4/26/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I head something odd today. That Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip don't even sleep in ... A: My understanding is that the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have separate rooms, but exactly how ... | ||
| The Queen's successor | 4/21/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: The Duke of Wales, Prince Charles, is first in the line of successors to Queen Elizabeth. My ... A: The law of succession is determined by Act of Parliament, and only Parliament can change the law. ... | ||
| tin biscuit box | 3/31/2011 | Marilyn Braun |
| Q: while cleaning out my grandmother's house i found i number of things that i did not know she had. 1. ... A: Sounds like you have quite the find there, especially the Queen Victoria item! The fact that you ... | ||
| queen elizabeth's surname | 3/22/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: what is the surname of the queen of england/ uk and her children? A: Queen Elizabeth's surname is Windsor. Her children are : Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (born ... | ||
| royalty in my family | 3/11/2011 | Mark Smith |
| Q: do you know were in Dublin Ireland i could find my info on my greatgrandmother who was a lords ... A: Many of the genealogical records in Ireland were destroyed in the civil war in the early 1920s. ... | ||
| lineage | 3/8/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Those of us that our genealogy goes back to a king of england regardless of timeline shouldn't we ... A: Titles will generally only pass through the male line, and even male-line descendants of kings do ... | ||
| Succession rights | 2/19/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Can the British Monarch choose his/her successor so long as it follows the current restrictions? I ... A: The Monarch has no right whatsoever to choose their successor. The law of succession is decided by ... | ||
| I need an expert in Croatian royal lineage | 2/10/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I am a screenwriter in Hollywood. I was hired in 2008 by a woman claiming to bethe heir to the ... A: I'm afraid that I don't know of anyone who could help. However,I would observe that the throne of ... | ||
| coat of arms | 2/4/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Can you help identify this coat of arms? Or direct me in how to identify the family? I have two ... A: It could easily be a chapel. I also note that there are two supporters and a coronet, which ... | ||
| coat of arms | 2/3/2011 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Can you help identify this coat of arms? Or direct me in how to identify the family? I have two ... A: I'm afraid I don't know the arms. However, I suggest you start by writing a formal blazon, then ... | ||
| King Edward VIII | 1/5/2011 | Marilyn Braun |
| Q: I have a souvenir tumbler for the coronation of Edward VIII, 12th May 1937. The design seems to be a ... A: Doing a quick search of Edward VIII coronation souvenirs comes up with a large amount of items. From ... | ||
| Princess Carminy of Wales? | 12/26/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: According to my mother, my paternal great-grandmother often told of her family being descended from ... A: I can't find any reference to a Princess Carminy of Wales. Wales was swallowed up by England at the ... | ||
| Royal Succession | 12/23/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: If a British king should die childless but leaving his wife pregnant would the unborn child succeed ... A: In the event of that happening there would be a Regency from the moment of the King's death until ... | ||
| British Monarch | 11/19/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I would just like to find out something: Am I correct in saying that who-ever is in line to the ... A: Yes that's correct. The Crown passes immediately upon the death of the former Monarch or if a ... | ||
| Line to the throne | 11/18/2010 | Marilyn Braun |
| Q: I am interested to find out 2 answers about the British Monarch. With a large number of people in ... A: When looking at the longevity of a monarch, I'll use Queen Victoria as an example. She is the ... | ||
| William & Kate | 11/17/2010 | Marilyn Braun |
| Q: From Kate's biography it looks like she is a commoner. Does this not negate William's chances of ... A: There is no stipulation that members of the royal family need marry other royals. When Prince ... | ||
| French Royalty | 11/8/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I'm writting a book on French royalty. I guess it doesn't have to apply to France, but what did you ... A: It depends on the historical period you're looking at. In the past members Royal Princes would ... | ||
| Royal gift | 11/7/2010 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: A few decades ago my father received a gift from the Queen Sofia of Spain. It is apparently a ... A: I'm afraid it would be very hard for me to give even a rough guess without seeing the piece. I would ... | ||
| Princess Margaret of Wales? | 9/24/2010 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: Greetings. There has always been a long standing assertion from my mothers side that my great ... A: There is no princess of the British royal family who would fit your description. It is possible, ... | ||
| ranks of nobility? | 8/19/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: I was wondering if you know of a good book that I could buy that explains the geology of kings and ... A: It is a very complicated situation with the various Royal and noble titles in Europe. Up until 1871 ... | ||
| Line to the throne | 8/9/2010 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: I recently ready in a newpaper that Beatrice was 5th in line to the throne and I was trying to ... A: The rules are very simple in principle. The eldest child is preferred, with all males counting ahead ... | ||
| royalty greeting royalty | 7/18/2010 | Professor Noel Cox |
| Q: How would one Queen greet another Queen? A: Normally this would depend upon whether they knew each other personally, and whether it was a formal ... | ||
| letters to royalty | 6/26/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: Sometime ago you answered an inquiry about the form of a letter to members of the British royal ... A: For Prince Philip : The Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh Buckingham Palace London ... | ||
| Royalty & Voting | 6/9/2010 | Mark Smith |
| Q: Although the Queen and other members of the Royal Family do not vote in order to demonstrate ... A: I've had a closer look into this, which I should have done in the first place, and it seems those ... | ||
Professor Noel Cox
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am an expert on monarchy and royalty. My particular areas of interest are the New Zealand and British monarchies. Special areas in which I have written include constitutional law, the law of succession, peerage and honours, heraldry and ceremonial.
Experience
I was Chairman of Monarchy New Zealand (formerly known as the Monarchist League of New Zealand), the leading monarchist organisation in New Zealand, 2000-2010. I am also a constitutional lawyer, holding a university chair as Professor of Constitutional Law. From 2010 I have been head of the law school at Aberystwyth University, Wales. I hold the Grand Cordon, The Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl (Sultanate of Sulu).
Organizations
Australasian Law Teachers Association;
Commonwealth Lawyers Association;
Legal Research Foundation;
Monarchy New Zealand Inc (Fellow);
The Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society;
The Royal Historical Society (Fellow);
The Society of Legal Scholars;
The Ecclesiastical Law Society;
Honourable Society of the Inner Temple;
Affirming Catholicism;
The University of Auckland Legacy Society;
The University of Wales Guild of Graduates;
The Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda;
International Commission and Association on Nobility;
Irish Peers’ Association;
Centre for Law and Religion.
Publications
A Constitutional History of the New Zealand Monarchy (V.D.M., Saarbrücken, 2008; ISBN 978-3-639-00877-7) 332 pp;
“The Royal Prerogative in the Realms” (2007) 33(4) Commonwealth Law Bulletin 611-638;
“The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland and continuity of legal authority” (2007) 29 Dublin University Law Journal 84-110;
“The Revenge of the Arcane Exclusion Clause: The Civil Registration of Marriage and the Royal Family” (2005) 5(2) Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 179-204;
“The effect of the advent of the Mixed-Member Proportional voting system upon the role of the Governor-General of New Zealand” (2002) 14(2) Bond Law Review 424-441;
“The Treaty of Waitangi and the Relationship between Crown and Maori in New Zealand” (2002) 28(1) Brooklyn Journal of International Law 123-153;
“The Theory of Sovereignty and the Importance of the Crown in the Realms of The Queen” (2002) 2(2) Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 237-255;
“Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence” (September 2002) 9(3) E-Law, Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law available at
Education/Credentials
After attending grammar school in Takapuna, I took up the study of law at the University of Auckland. After graduation with an LL.B. I was admitted and enrolled as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. I then undertook an LL.M. at the same university, and received the Fowlds Memorial Prize as most distinguished student in the Faculty of Law. I subsequently undertook a Ph.D. My doctoral research was under the supervision of Associate Professor Raymond Miller, and was on the topic of the “The Evolution of the New Zealand Monarchy: The Recognition of an Autochthonous Polity”.
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