Monarchy
New Zealand
The Journal of The Monarchist League of New Zealand Incorporated
ISSN 1174-8435
Volume 9 Issue 1 February 2004
The Monarchist League of
New Zealand, Inc.
Patron: Hon Sir Peter Tapsell, KNZM MBE MBChB FRCSEd FRCS
Founder Chairman: Merv Tilsley, Esq.
The Secretary, 72F Ladies Mile, Remuera,
Auckland 1005, New Zealand
Website URL: http://www.geocities.com/Capitolhill/Parliament/7802
Council:
Chairman: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD GradDipTertTchg CertTertTchg
Secretary: Chris Barradale, Esq.
Treasurer: Stephen Brewster, Esq., MBA BCA CA
Councillors:
Nicholas Albrecht, Esq., MA(Hons)
Roger Barnes, Esq., FHSNZ
John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Mrs Jean Jackson
Neville Johnson, Esq.
Ian Madden, Esq., MA LLB FSA(Scot)
Robert Mann, Esq., MSc PhD
Carl Nordstrand, Esq.
Professor Peter Spiller, BA LLB PhD LLM MPhil PhD AAMINZ
League Officers:
Legal Adviser: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD GradDipTertTchg CertTertTchg
Librarian and Archivist: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD GradDipTertTchg CertTertTchg
Provincial Representative, Manawatu-Horowhenua: Kevin Couling de St Sauveur, Esq.
Provincial Representative, Waikato: Professor Peter Spiller, BA LLB PhD LLM MPhil PhD AAMINZ
Editor, Monarchy New Zealand: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD GradDipTertTchg CertTertTchg
Assistant Editor and Advertising Manager, Monarchy New Zealand: John Cox, Esq., LLB MNZTA
Honorary Chaplain: Rev’d Canon Gerald Hadlow, LTh
Webmaster: Noel Cox, Esq., LLM(Hons) PhD GradDipTertTchg CertTertTchg
Monarchy New Zealand is published by The Monarchist League of New Zealand Inc. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy of The Monarchist League of New Zealand. Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, Monarchy New Zealand, 123 Stanley Road, Glenfield, Auckland 1310, New Zealand. Tel: +64 9 444-7687; Fax: +64 9 444-7397; E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial
The National Party constitutional affairs spokesman asked in December whether the Government had a secret republican agenda. Dr Mapp said that the Government had replaced the Queen’s portrait in overseas posts with that of the Prime Minister, ended appeals to the Privy Council, abolished titular honours, and had now replaced the traditional royal Army badge.
It could also be added that the present Government has also proposed abolishing Queen’s Counsel; downplayed the Queen’s 2002 visit; and treated last year’s tour by the Princess Royal as a private visit, although it would traditionally have been regarded as an official visit. Seemingly the Government also deliberately downplayed celebration of the Golden Jubilee, and in a significant break with tradition, declined to issue a Jubilee Medal.
Whilst the conclusion that the Government is motivated by republicanism is inevitable, and Dr Mapp’s question was pertinent, it might be noted that the National Party has not always shown practical support for the monarchy. It was in fact the National Party that abolished most titular honours; the Queen’s portrait had been removed from overseas posts during the Prime Ministry of Jim Bolger, and the previous Government had tried to end appeals to the Privy Council. However the National Party is now in favour of the restoration of titular honours, and was opposed to ending appeals to the Privy Council.
Whilst the consistency of politicians can never be relied upon, monarchists cannot write off support from any political party either – except perhaps for the Republican Party, which ironically collapsed in 2000. The attitude of the Opposition shows that the approach of politicians to the monarchy (and the trappings of monarchy) can change for the better. There is hope that the present Government can be persuaded to change its attitude. It is important that we remember that the monarchy enjoys the support of some 70% of New Zealanders, and that younger people are less likely to believe a republic is inevitable than their seniors. It would be pragmatic politics for politicians to recognise this and embrace the monarchy.
John Cox
Acting Editor
News in Brief
Birth of new royal princess
Princess Louise of Wessex was born to His Royal Highness The Prince Edward and HRH The Countess of Wessex, at 11.32pm on Saturday 8th November 2003 (GMT). The delivery was at Frimley Park National Health Service Hospital, Surrey.
Louise weighed 4lbs 9oz at birth, and was delivered by emergency Caesarian section, was four weeks premature. As a precaution the baby was taken to the regional neo-natal unit at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, South London. She remained in hospital for fourteen days. Sophie was hospitalised for eleven days.
The first official photos of Princess Louise of Wessex were released on 10th January. They were taken by her uncle, Prince Andrew.
The full name of Princess Louise is Louise Alice Elizabeth Mary. Her name was announced on 26th November. Louise was favoured by Sophie, and is the name of Edward’s paternal great-great-grandmother. Alice is the name of the Earl’s paternal grandmother, the Duke of Edinburgh’s mother Princess Alice of Greece. Elizabeth was chosen in memory of his maternal grandmother, the Queen Mother. Mary is the name of the Countess’s mother.
It had been announced at the time of the marriage of The Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, that any children they have would not be given the style Prince or Princess and His or Her Royal Highness, but would have courtesy titles as sons or daughters of an earl.
Accordingly, their daughter will be known as The Lady Louise Windsor. This is unprecedented. Since 1714, all legitimate children and male-line grandchildren of the sovereign have been titled Prince or Princess and styled Royal Highness. However the Queen has not issued a Royal Warrant specifically allowing the children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex (or the Earl and Countess on their behalf) to relinquish the titular dignity of Prince or Princess of the United Kingdom and the style Royal Highness, and assume the courtesy titles of an earl’s children. The Countess has been quoted at saying that her daughter will be free to adopt the royal title when an adult, and that the couple didn’t want to set a precedent.
Princess Louise is eighth in line to the throne, after her father and before The Princess Royal.
Government replaces royal Army badge, and likely to abolish oath of allegiance
The government has replaced the fifty year old Army badge with a new logo. The new symbol for the Army eschews the Crown and other traditional symbols.
The existing badge (left), was adopted in 1947, and modified as recently as 1999, with the replacement of one of the two crossed swords by a Maori taiaha.
The new "logo" will supersede the Army badge for most purposes, including recruiting and official communications. The original badge will be retained for "formal" purposes – which are likely to be very limited.
The new logo (below) is said to "communicate teamwork and unity", and to "reflect the ideas of tradition, respect and loyalty".
It might be noted that the relegation of the Army badge to limited formal purposes only would seem to show a lack of respect for tradition and loyalty.
The Government has also announced a review of "obsolete" oaths and affirmations. The oaths to be reviewed include those for new citizens, public office holders, and some state sector employees. Oaths taken by professional groups and witnesses in court are not part of the review. A "working group" made up of representatives of government departments has been asked to consider – "whether current oaths adequately reflect the values and beliefs important to New Zealanders in the current age"; "whether the language of oaths under review requiring [sic] modernising"; and "options for changing, modernising, replacing and removing oaths under review".
The Justice Minister Phil Goff said that no comprehensive review of oaths and affirmations had been undertaken for almost 50 years. "Some of the oath provisions on the statute book are now obsolete while others use old-fashioned and unduly complex language", he said. He also stated that other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada, Britain, and Jamaica, had reviewed their oaths.
The working groups report is expected to report back by June, and public submissions will be sought in early 2005.
Royal Diary
The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast to The Commonwealth 2003
The following is the full text of Her Majesty The Queen’s 2003 Christmas Broadcast to the Commonwealth:
I am sure that most of you will be celebrating Christmas at home in the company of your families and friends, but I know that some of you will not be so lucky. This year I am speaking to you from the Household Cavalry Barracks in Windsor because I want to draw attention to the many Servicemen and women who are stationed far from home this Christmas. I am thinking about their wives and children, and about their parents and friends. Separation at this time is especially hard to bear.
It is not just a matter of separation. The men and women of the Services continue to face serious risks and dangers as they carry out their duties. They have done this brilliantly. I think we all have very good reasons for feeling proud of their achievements – both in war, and as they help to build a lasting peace in troublespots across the globe.
None of this can be achieved without paying a price. I know that all our thoughts at this time are with the families who are suffering the pain of bereavement. All those who have recently lost a close relative or friend will know how difficult Christmas can be.
These individual Servicemen and women are our neighbours and come from our own towns and villages; from every part of the country and from every background. The process of training within the Navy, the Army and the Air Force has moulded them together into disciplined teams. They have learnt to take responsibility and to exercise judgement and restraint in situations of acute stress and danger. They have brought great credit to themselves and to our country as a whole.
I had an opportunity recently at the Barracks to meet some of those who played their part with such distinction in the Iraq operations. I was left with a deep sense of respect and admiration for their steadfast loyalty to each other and to our nation.
I believe there is a lesson for us all here. It is that each of us can achieve much more if we work together as members of a team. The Founder of the Christian Faith himself chose twelve disciples to help him in his ministry.
I was reminded of the importance of teamwork as I presented, for the first time last Summer, the Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service by groups within the community. I have been struck by how often people say to me that they are receiving their award on behalf of a team and that they do not deserve to be singled out. This annual award recognises the team rather than the individual.
In this country and throughout the Commonwealth there are groups of people who are giving their time generously to make a difference to the lives of others. As we think of them, and of our Servicemen and women far from home at this Christmas time, I hope we all, whatever our faith, can draw inspiration from the words of the familiar prayer:
Teach us good Lord
To serve thee as thou deservest;
To give, and not to count the cost;
To fight, and not to heed the wounds;
To toil, and not to seek for rest;
To labour, and not to ask for any reward;
Save that of knowing that we do thy will.
It is this knowledge which will help us all to enjoy the Festival of Christmas.
A happy Christmas to you all.
Elizabeth R
League News
Forthcoming events
The Band of The Life Guards is visiting New Zealand in February. They will be holding concerts throughout the country, and street parades in several cities.
This is the first ever visit by a band of one of Her Majesty’s guards regiments, and the first ever overseas tour by The Band of the Life Guards. Tickets may be obtained through Ticketek.
The Monarchist League held a successful Christmas function in December. Members enjoyed refreshments, and viewed a video of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee weekend. Recordings of the Golden Jubilee celebrations are available from the BBC in London. It is a matter of regret that only brief extracts of the celebrations were broadcast in New Zealand, although they were seen live in some 40 other countries. The state broadcaster had apparently followed directives to minimize coverage of Jubilee celebrations.
Overseas News
British inquest into death of Princess Diana Commences
On 6th January 2004 the first British inquiry into the death of the Princess of Wales commenced. The Coroner of the Royal Household, Michael Burgess, noted in his opening statement that an inquest could not be held until the French enquiry had been completed. A coroner’s inquest is normally held within days of a death in England. However as the Princess died in France that country had the primary responsibility for formally enquiring into the circumstances. The French enquiry was exhaustive and time-consuming, and significantly delayed by litigation brought by Mohamed al-Fayed.
Burgess will hold two separate hearings, one for Diana, Princess of Wales, as Coroner of the Royal Household, and the second for Dodi Al Fayed, as HM Coroner for Surrey.
It is anticipated that it will be 12-15 months before the public hearings resume. This delay is necessary to permit material from the French inquiry to be supplied and studied, and for the coroner to make any further enquiries that may be necessary. Unlike the French inquiry, the Surrey inquest will be open to the public.
Royal sculpture
On 27th October last year Her Majesty The Queen unveiled a bronze equestrian statue in Windsor Great Park. The £300,000 statue – depicting the Queen as she would have appeared on horse-back in the Great Park during the 1970s – was the work of Philip Jackson, FRBS FRSA, and was commissioned by the Crown Estate Commissioners to mark the Golden Jubilee. Mr Jackson was chosen from a shortlist by the Royal Society of British Sculptors. No particular horse is represented. The statue is sited at the highest part of Queen Anne’s Ride.
The sculpture is one and a half times life-size – 12’ 6" high, and mounted on a 10" tall Portland and York stone and granite plinth. The whole display weighs 3 tons. It took two years to complete, and was cast at the Morris Singer Foundry, Lasham, near Alton, Hampshire.
Mr Jackson has previously been commissioned to cast a statue of Baroness Thatcher, and for a Royal Marines Falkland Islands memorial in Portsmouth.
The Golden Jubilee Sculpture was blessed by the Rev’d Canon John Ovenden, Chaplain of the Great Park.
This is believed to be the first statue of Her Majesty erected in Britain – there are statues in Canada and at the Australian Parliament Buildings in Canberra (unveiled 1988). There are a total of 12 statues of Her Majesty worldwide. The last Sovereign to approve the erection of a statue of themselves in the UK was Queen Victoria.
Princess Alice at 102
Princess Alice, the Queen’s aunt and the oldest living member of the royal family, celebrated her 102nd birthday on Christmas Day. After the death of the Queen Mother, Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, is the only member of the royal family surviving from King George VI’s generation.
A non-political honours system: taking the control of appointments from the hands of politicians
The purposes of this article are two-fold. Firstly, it will outline the process by which appointments and awards of honours are currently made. Secondly, it will examine some alternatives, each designed to reduce political involvement in the honours system.
The royal honours system was subject to a comprehensive review in 1995. As a result the remaining imperial awards were discontinued, leaving an exclusively New Zealand-based honours system.
The main New Zealand Royal Honours are:
The Order of New Zealand (ONZ):
A single first level, non-titular, Order. Limited to twenty persons living at any one time.
ONZ are awarded for outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity.
The Queen’s Service Order (QSO), and associated Queen’s Service Medal (QSM):
A single non-titular Order, sub-divided into classes ‘For Community Service’, and ‘For Public Services’, which ranks as a fourth level Order. The QSM ranks as a sixth level award.
QSO and QSM are awarded for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or appointed office.
The New Zealand Order of Merit:
An Order of Chivalry with five levels:
1: Principal Companions (PCNZM)]
2: Distinguished Companions (DCNZM)]
3: Companions (CNZM),
4: Officers (ONZM), and
5: Members (MNZM).
The NZM is awarded for those persons who, in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and the nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions, or other merits.
There are also the gallantry and bravery awards, which I will not enumerate here.
There are also those honours which remain in the hands of Her Majesty The Queen – the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit, the Royal Victorian Chain, and the Royal Victorian Order. More will be said of these later. But first, the selection and appointments process for the general honours will be outlined.
The administration of the honours system is entrusted to the Honours Secretariat, which forms part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This small office processes nominations and allocates honours in accordance with guidelines that have evolved over time. For the most part honours are awarded on official nominations, which may be made by anyone. Provided the nominee fulfills the requirements for the honour, and the number limits (if any) are not exceeded, then the nomination is carried to the more formal stages. This involves obtaining the informal and then formal approval of the Sovereign, the formal advice from the Prime Minister, the actual appointment, and publishing the award in the New Zealand Gazette.
The Prime Minister will normally act upon the advice of the Honours Secretariat, just as the Queen follows the formal advice of the Prime Minister. However, the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee also considers honours lists.
This committee, which meets fortnightly, or as required for honours, exists to consider appointments to statutory and other government agencies, Public Service Chief Executive appointments, and nominations for the New Zealand Royal Honours. Membership includes the Prime Minister (who is traditionally Chairman), and current members are the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Hon Dr Michael Cullen, Hon Jim Anderton, Hon Steve Maharey, Hon Phil Goff, Hon Annette King, Hon Trevor Mallard, Hon Parekura Horomia, Hon Mark Burton, Hon Ruth Dyson, and Hon Chris Carter.
This committee will normally only become involved in the more senior awards, traditionally knighthoods. Almost all awards are processed and approved at a bureaucratic level, without political involvement. Even though its involvement may be marginal, there is a perception that honours are awarded as an exercise in political patronage. Were it decided to reduce the political involvement in the honours system, this committee would have to be replaced with something less political.
It is possible to remove political involvement altogether. One way of achieving this would be to extend those honours awarded by the Queen on her personal initiative.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century the British Prime Minister had almost complete control over the award of all imperial honours. This had come about through the development of a political patronage system, with honours seen as merely one more means through which political allegiance was obtained, maintained, and rewarded. The Sovereign had little personal involvement in the selection process.
Early in 1896 the premier, the Marquess of Salisbury, was asked by Queen Victoria’s Private Secretary to give his views on a proposal by Her Majesty to institute an order, which would be entirely in her personal gift. His Lordship offered no objections. He made the proviso, however, that the Government must not be asked to contribute to the expenses incurred thereby. As a result of this consultation, the Royal Victorian Order was instituted on 21st April 1896.
Awards of the Royal Victorian Order were, and remains, at the sole discretion of the Sovereign. Although in the early years the Order was conferred on persons whom the Sovereign particularly wished to honour, today it is used to reward personal services to the Crown, and to members of the Royal Family. The Prime Minister is informed, as a matter of courtesy, before any appointments are announced, but the selection process is not in political hands.
There have been a number of New Zealand appointments to the Royal Victorian Order, which is also continued in Australia and Canada. The Knights and Dames Grand Cross (GCVO) who are associated with New Zealand have normally been Governors-General. Dame Catherine Tizard, Governor-General 1990-96, was appointed in 1995. The Hon Sir David Beattie, Governor-General 1980-85, was made a GCVO in 1981. The Hon Sir Denis Blundell, Governor-General 1972-77, was appointed in 1974. Lord Porritt, Governor-General 1967-72, was appointed in 1970, and the Rt Rev’d Sir Paul Reeves, Governor-General 1985-90, was made a GCVO in 1986.
Other New Zealand appointees include the late Lord Grey of Naunton, Governor of Northern Ireland 1968-73, who was appointed a GCVO in 1973 after a long and distinguished career in the British Diplomatic Service.
Brigadier Lord Ballantrae (Sir Bernard Fergusson), Governor-General 1962-67 became a GCVO in 1963. Lieutenant-General Lord Norrie, Governor-General 1952-57, was appointed in 1954. Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe, Commander-in-Chief Grand Fleet 1914-16, and Governor-General of New Zealand 1920-26, was appointed GCVO in 1916. Viscount Cobham, Governor-General of New Zealand 1957-62, and Lord Steward of Her Majesty’s Household 1967-72, became a GCVO in 1972.
There have been many appointments over the years to the lower grades of the Royal Victorian Order, mainly in connection with royal visits to New Zealand.
The Royal Victorian Chain was instituted in 1902 as an honour related to, but not forming a part of, the Royal Victorian Order. This is usually conferred upon foreign Sovereigns, especially those who are non-Christian and therefore normally ineligible to be made Knights of the Order of the Garter. Senior members of the Royal Family, and of the Royal Household, and former Archbishops of Canterbury, have also received the Chain, which confers no title or precedence. No individual recipients can be classified as New Zealanders as such, although several members of the Royal Family and past members of the Royal Household have been included.
The Order of Merit was instituted on 23rd June 1902, the award of which was again to be in the hands of the Sovereign. The twenty-four members, who receive no title or precedence, are eminent men and women in the arts and sciences. A military division of the Order also exists, and is conferred rarely upon very senior military naval and air officers.
New Zealanders who have been appointed members of the Order of Merit have included the British-based scientist Lord Rutherford in 1925, the historian Professor John Beaglehole in 1970, and the British-based historian Sir Ronald Syme in 1976. The former Commander-in-Chief Grand Fleet, and subsequent Governor-General of New Zealand, Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Jellicoe, was appointed in 1916. The retired Chief of Air Staff Royal Air Force, and later Governor-General of New Zealand, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Newall was made an OM in 1940.
The Most Ancient Order of the Garter was created in about 1348, and is one of the earliest and most illustrious of the principal orders of European chivalry. Indeed, it is the only one which retains its ancient ceremonial character. However, with other honours, it passed into the control of the Prime Minister, with the gradual concentration of patronage in the hands of that official. The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, dating from 1687, but with an officially adopted legendary origin "lost in the mists of time", was also in the hands of the Sovereign’s first minister by the nineteenth century.
Although the Royal Victorian Order, Royal Victorian Chain, and Order of Merit were in royal hands from its institution, all other honours were in the hands of politicians. In 1946 Clement Attlee, then Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, and Winston Churchill, Leader of His Majesty’s Opposition, agreed that henceforth both the Order of the Garter and the Order of the Thistle should also be non-political honours. In future they would be conferred by the Sovereign, without any previous formal tendering of advice by the Prime Minister. It was understood, however, that prior to the publication of any new appointments the Sovereign would inform the Prime Minister. This understanding is still followed.
The Garter is awarded to men (and since 1987 women) of distinction, of English and Welsh descent, and to those of Irish descent since the abeyance of the Order of St Patrick. Overseas subjects of the Sovereign, and foreign sovereigns, also receive the Garter, whilst Scottish subjects, and those of Scottish descent, are eligible for the Thistle.
New Zealanders who have received the Garter include the author, lecturer and mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary in 1995, and the former Governor-General and Prime Minster the Rt Hon Sir Keith Holyoake in 1980. The former Governor-General of New Zealand the Rt Hon Viscount Cobham was made a Knight of the Garter in 1964. The Chief of the British Defence Staff, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Elworthy received the honour in 1977.
The only person directly associated with New Zealand to be made a Knight of the Order of the Thistle was former Governor-General Brigadier the Rt Hon Lord Ballantrae, the former Sir Bernard Fergusson, in 1974.
These personal royal honours are still awarded to overseas subjects of the Queen even where the other imperial honours are not now conferred. Governors-General have continued to receive these awards and decorations even after it has ceased to be customary for other citizens of the particular realm. Thus Roland Michener, Governor-General of Canada 1967-74, received the Royal Victorian Chain in 1973.
The Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on Honours recommended in 1995 that existing British awards be replaced by a New Zealand Order of Merit. The only British awards which would continue would be those which the Queen awards personally. The Government accepted the report of the Committee on 15th February 1996.
I would suspect that, although the Order of Merit remains available for New Zealanders, as an award which is purely in the hands of Her Majesty, the similarity in style to the New Zealand Order of Merit has rendered its future award unlikely.
It would be possible for all matters relating to the nomination, selection, award and appointment of honours to be placed solely in the non-political sphere, following the precedent of 1946. Simply making it the responsibility of the Governor-General, as the Queen’s representative, could do this. Indeed, prior to the 1970s the Honours Secretariat was part of Government House, as it is in Canada and Australia. However, although it was accepted as appropriate that some honours, such as the Garter and Thistle, should be non-political, it would be unrealistic to believe that Government would wish to lose control over the entire system. A suggestion several years ago that the honours system in the United Kingdom be completely de-politicised (perhaps by making the Prince of Wales responsible for the administration of the process) met with a predictable lack of enthusiasm from politicians.
There is another possibility however. In both Canada and Australia special Councils and Committees exist, whose sole function is to evaluate nominations. These are independent from Government. Yet, as appointments are actually made on the formal advice of the Prime Minister, in all cases the public perception remains that it is he or she decides who shall receive honours.
Even in the United Kingdom, where the process is largely in the hands of a number of specialist committees, because the final advice comes from the Prime Minister (or of other Ministers for certain honours), the perception is that the honours list is solely his or her choice.
In the final analysis, there are only two ways to reduce political involvement. One is to place the process exclusively in the hands of the Queen and Governor-General (though perhaps with appointments still on the formal advice of the Prime Minister, to satisfy the requirements of constitutional responsibility). The second is to interpose an independent Council, which would approve all lists before they were submitted to the Prime Minister for the Sovereign’s approval. In any case, the Queen’s informal approval would still be necessary before the formal advice was given.
It is highly unlikely that the first option would be politically acceptable. However, I cannot foresee any serious objections to the second, which would produce a more transparent process. It would also remove the involvement of the Cabinet, and minimise that of the Prime Minister to a formal role only.
Membership of such a Council would have to be fairly large, to allow various viewpoints to be represented. I would suggest that it should be appointed by the Governor-General, and include the Executive Officer (Honours) as Secretary. The Governor-General would be a member and would preside whenever this was necessary. The Executive Officer (Honours) should be renamed (perhaps as Director, Honours Secretariat) and the Honours Secretariat made dependent upon Government House, as it was prior to the 1970s. The Council need rarely, if ever, actually meet, as all its work could be done by correspondence.
It would be desirable for the Clerk of the Executive Council to be an ex officio member, due to their significant involvement in the honours system. They would also be able to represent the views of Cabinet, were this to be necessary. The Official Secretary to the Governor-General should be a member. There should also be representatives from the New Zealand Defence Force, the New Zealand Police, the Fire Service Commission, and the Prisons Service, as members of these organisations are recipients of special awards. The Department of Internal Affairs, the State Services Commission, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade should ideally also be represented.
Other members would represent the wider community. Perhaps there could be someone from service organisations, for example. I would also suggest a legal member, and another with an appropriate background in history, and a Maori representative.
The introduction of this system would not require any special authority, regulatory or statutory. The Statutes of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for example, states that:
cl. 13. No person shall be eligible to be admitted as an Ordinary, Additional, or Honorary member of this Order unless his or her name has been laid before Us, Our Heirs and Successors, by Our Prime Minister of New Zealand or by a Minister of the Crown deputising for Our Prime Minister.
Such appointments are by warrant signed by the Queen, and countersigned by the Chancellor of the Order (the Governor-General) or the Secretary and Register (who is usually the Clerk of the Executive Council) acting for the Chancellor (cl. 14).
There is no reason why a Council cannot first approve nominations, before the Prime Minister formally submits them to the Queen. The situation is similar for the other honours and awards. It would be possible to introduce such a system by Act of Parliament. But this would be undesirable, since the honours system is traditionally not one in which Parliament has intervened. In any case, I doubt that this would make honours any more secure, as a future Government could doubtless seek Parliamentary support to change the law. Regulations under the royal prerogative could be used, though these would also be subject to possible future change. At least we could be sure that a future Government would have difficulty justifying any changes which increased their own powers.
I have made no remarks upon whether this system would allow the retention of knighthoods. The reality is that this is a political question, and we could face the situation that prevailed for some years in Australia, with knighthoods becoming a political football. I am certain that the Queen would not wish this to occur.
All major political parties might accept the re-introduction of knighthoods by a future Government in conjunction with a de-politicisation of the honours system, but I am not confident of this. Some are opposed to knighthoods for ideological reasons, and do not appear prepared to accept them as authentic aspects of our honours system, no matter how hard we may try to persuade them of this.
Dr Noel Cox
Royal Poetry
God Bless The Prince of Wales (Ei Bendith ar ei Ben)
Song with words written in Welsh by the lyric poet and station-master John Ceiriog Hughes, and set to music by Henry Brinley Richards (1817-85). They were published together in 1862. The first public performance was in London 14th February 1863, when it was sung by the well-known tenor Reeves Sims, to mark the forthcoming wedding of the then Prince of Wales. The English translation was by George Linley.
Among our ancient mountains
And from our lovely vales,
Oh, let the pray’r re-echo,
"God bless the Prince of Wales!"
With heart and voice awaken,
Those minstrel strains of yore,
Till Britain’s name and glory
Resound from shore to shore.
Among our ancient mountains
And from our lovely vales,
Oh, let the pray’r re-echo,
"God bless the Prince of Wales!"
Should hostile bands or danger
E’er threaten our fair Isle,
May God’s strong arm protect us,
May Heav’n still on us smile!
Above the throne of England,
May Fortune’s start long shine,
And round its sacred bulwarks
The olive branches twine.
Among our ancient mountains
And from our lovely vales,
Oh, let the pray’r re-echo,
"God bless the Prince of Wales!"
J. Ceiriog Hughes/Henry Brinley Richards
Royal visits
The Queen 1970
Her Majesty The Queen, and Their Royal Highnesses the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princes of Wales, and the Princess Anne (now the Princess Royal) visited New Zealand 12th-30th March 1970. This visit was notable as forming part of the Captain Cook bicentennial.
On her way to the South Pacific, the Royal Yacht Britannia transported Dr Mike Harris of the Charles Darwin Institute to the Galapagos Islands for a two-year study into the preservation of bird life. The Royal Family disembarked at Wellington, and took up residence at Government House.
It was during the visit to Wellington that the Queen conducted the first of her informal walkabouts. Her Majesty also used a new Roll-Royce Phantom Six, which was later to pass out of Government service to become a hearse.
The Royal Yacht in Auckland was welcomed by an extensive armada of small craft which needed 113 control boats to manage them. While in Auckland, the Auckland Greyhound Racing Club received a silver collar from the Duke of Edinburgh, for use as a trophy.
In the early days of the tour, while the Royal Yacht was sailing for Picton, several men on the forecastle of the escort ship HMNZS Waikato were swept overboard. One man, Chief Shipwright Lindsay, was lost.
Royal Residences past and present
Chiswick House
Chiswick House, in Burlington Lane, Chiswick, London, was built 1725-30. It was built by Lord Burlington (it was long known as Burlington House), after his return from a tour of Italy. Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington and Fourth Earl of Cork, was born in Yorkshire in 1694. In 1714 he began his Grand Tour of Italy. This tour, in conjunction with his study of Palladio’s Four Books, influenced Burlington’s decision to revive what he considered the true architecture of Vitruvius as interpreted by Andrea Palladio.
By the early 1720s Burlington had become a practicing architect, employed mostly by fellow members of the aristocracy. His influence on architecture stems mostly from his political connections. As Lord Treasurer of Ireland, Lord Lieutenant of the East and West Ridings of Yorkshire, a Privy Councillor, and a Director of the Royal Academy of Music, he managed to push his architectural views into the forefront. Through his efforts, Palladianism became the leading style in England.
The classical style recreated at Chiswick had been introduced to England a century earlier by Inigo Jones, whose Banqueting House in Whitehall, Queen’s House in Greenwich, and Queen’s Chapel at St James’, all survive.
William Kent was responsible for much of Chiswick House’s interior decoration. The villa was never intended as a residence but a temple of the arts amidst natural grounds where Lord Burlington could entertain and house his books and works of art.
Through marriage the estate passed to the Dukes of Devonshire. Chiswick House was the property of the dukes from 1753-1892. It later passed in the hands of the Middlesex County Council (1928), and then the Department of the Environment.
While it belonged to the Cavendish family (Dukes of Devonshire), Chiswick House was leased for Edward Prince of Wales 1866-1879. He made many visits to Chiswick, which was used for official entertaining.
Two prime ministers, Fox and Canning, died at the house. It was visited by two American Presidents, Adams and Jefferson, in the latter case when he was building his own Palladian residence at Monticello. Russian Tsars were also entertained there.