God Save the Queen
Some have rightfully commented on my mention of Her Majesty in my previous post. Since she is the Queen of Canada, I have nothing but respect for her. My previous suggestion regarding Her Majesty's citizenship and residency is based on warm intentions. She should indeed be considered to be Canadian and codifying this would draw her loyal subjects closer to her. In addition, a 2 - 3 month annual residency in Canada would make her more accessible to her subjects and strengthen the relationship between Sovereign and realm. It would be a tremendous cultural asset for Canadians to be able to experience the pageantry and ritual which some United Kingdom citizens may take for granted. While I am sympathetic to the republican movement for many reasons, these two reforms could mitigate several of their concerns.
United Kingdom Canada Canada
God Save the Queen indeed and long may she reign.
God Save the Queen indeed and long may she reign.
posted by E. J. Neafsey | 19:42
5 Comments:
Well said.
it's probably academic, but I'm not so sure the Queen is a British citizen. As sovereign, she "is" the state, not a citizen of it.
Besides,technically, Britons are not citizens, they are subjects -- subjects of the Queen. She can't be a subject of herself can she?
To become a Canadian citizen, one has to swear "true allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II and her lawful heirs." Would she swear allegiance to herself?
This is what I get for my better-than-average, yet still mediocre American understanding of the intricacies (albeit fundamental) of the Commonwealth. Thanks for educating me and some of my American readers! I suppose my deep pride as a U. S. citizen and its meaning blinds me to the fact that Commonwealth residents are indeed subjects. Our ideal of the consent of the governed with respect to the head of state is so deeply ingrained that I have to remember to be more culturally-sensitive, even when commenting on a culture which I am very familiar with. And yes, I would indeed hope that Her Majesty is her own subject and is allied with herself, as self-control is a positive trait for any Monarch to have.
This piqued my insatiable curiosity, so I decided to do some research. There is in fact a different between British subjects and British citizens. The term "British subject" is actually only officially used for a very small class of people nowadays, and the class of people who had been referred to by that term are now called "Commonwealth citizens". This is simply the citizen of any commonwealth nation; thus, a Canadian citizen was automatically a British subject.
So, the distinction we're looking for here is in fact between Canadian citizens and those of the United Kingdom. The Queen is eligible for British citizenship through lex soli, as she was born in London. However, the British Royal Family, while in fact the Canadian Royal Family, are not Canadian citizens, thus lex sanguinis would not apply. So, if the Queen were to theoretically hold Canadian citizenship, it would have to be through naturalization (doubtful), or through it automatically being granted when she assumed the Canadian throne. I couldn't actually determine whether she was or was not a Canadian citizen.
Obviously as monarch, the Queen has right of abode in Canada, and the Queen does not actually have a passport issued by any state, since the passports of her realms are requests by her for safe passage and aid, which she is perfectly capable of requesting on her own behalf without a passport. Given these facts, it doesn't really matter what state(s) she is a citizen of, except in the symbolic meaning attached to her nationality.
Hopefully I haven't bored you with this long-winded answer to your innocent speculation....
Hey
You know what's always baffled me? Why if you immigrate into Canada you have to swear allegiance to the Queen of England, whilst if you immigrate into England, you don't. Strange world we live in!
By the way great post. I have a new post over at my blog if you want to check it out. It's about how moonbats make excuses for communism.
Merry Christmas
Michael
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