Royal sign-manual
Encyclopedia
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s to the autograph signature
Signature
A signature is a handwritten depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Similar to a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying...
of the sovereign, by the affixing of which the monarch expresses his or her pleasure either by order, commission, or warrant. A sign-manual warrant may be either an executive actfor example, an appointment to an officeor an authority for affixing the Great Seal
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
of the pertinent realm. The sign-manual is also used to give power to make and ratify treaties.
Some letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
are not signed by the monarch in person. Instead, the monarch signs a warrant authorizing the preparation of the letters patent (that are written in ceremonial calligraphy and on vellum) and approving the draft text of the letters patent. Then, once the letters patent are prepared, they are sealed with the Great Seal without the need for the signature of the monarch, because authority for issuing the letters patent was already given by the sovereign by means of the warrant. Those letters patent finish with the words "By warrant under the Royal Sign Manual," to signify that they do not bear the sign-manual themselves because they have already been approved by a previous warrant.
In contrast, other letters patent, due to the nature of their contents (such as those that authorise the expenditure of money, or those that signify Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
to Acts of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
), need to have the royal sign-manual affixed directly to them. In that case, the letters patent will contain, at the bottom, the words: "Signed by the Queen herself with Her own hand." The royal sign-manual will usually be placed by the sovereign at the top of the document. These papers usually must be countersigned by a principal secretary of state
Secretary of State (United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, a Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister in charge of a Government Department ....
or other responsible minister.
In certain cases, the use of the sign-manual has been dispensed with and a stamp affixed in lieu thereof, as in the case of George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, whose bodily infirmity made the act of signing difficult and painful during the last weeks of his life. The Royal Signature by Commission Act 1830 (11 Geo. IV & 1 Will. IV c. 23) was passed providing that a stamp might be affixed in lieu of the sign-manual, but the sovereign had to express his consent to each separate use of the stamp, the stamped document being attested by a confidential servant and several officers of State.
The royal sign-manual usually consists of the sovereign's regnal name, without the numbering, followed by the letter R for Rex (King) or Regina (Queen). Thus, the signature of the current queen reads Elizabeth R. During the period when the British monarch
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
also held the title of Emperor or Empress of India
Emperor of India
Emperor/Empress of India was used as a title by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II, and revived by the colonial British monarchs during the British Raj in India....
, the sign manual would end with the letters R I, such as in Edward R. I., the letter I meaning Imperator
Imperator
The Latin word Imperator was originally a title roughly equivalent to commander under the Roman Republic. Later it became a part of the titulature of the Roman Emperors as part of their cognomen. The English word emperor derives from imperator via Old French Empreur...
(Emperor) or Imperatrix (Empress).
The royal sign-manual of King George III George III of the United Kingdom George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death... . |
 The signature of King Edward VIII Edward VIII of the United Kingdom Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay... as King-Emperor. |
See also
- Royal cypherRoyal CypherIn modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
- Royal charterRoyal CharterA royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
- Royal warrantRoyal WarrantRoyal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
- Letters patentLetters patentLetters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
- CalligraphyCalligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
- Autograph letterAutograph letterIn Vatican usage, an autograph letter is a letter signed by the Pope in which he refers to himself as "I", or using the majestic plural, "we", as opposed to the more usual letter from the pope signed by a subordinate referring to the Pope as "he" and saying, for example, "The Holy Father has...
External links
- United Kingdom House of Commons debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 24 May 1830
- United Kingdom House of Commons debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 27 May 1830
- United Kingdom House of Commons debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 28 May 1830
- House of Lords debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 24 May 1830
- House of Lords debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 25 May 1830
- House of Lords debates on the Royal Signature by Commission Act, 27 May 1830