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6 unusual facts about royal assent


Adoption Act 1958

After receiving Royal Assent on 18 December 1958 it came into force on 1 April 1959, regulating requirements for adopters, requirements for adoption agencies and the procedure to be used when making or appealing a court decision on adoption.

Monarchy in the Irish Free State

No bill could become law until it received the Royal Assent, given by the Governor-General on behalf of the monarch.

Parliamentary ping-pong

The rule is that before a Bill can receive the Royal Assent and become law, it must be passed in its final form by both the Commons and the Lords without changes.

Royal Assent

Though in a moment of pique, he had once quipped that he would sell the country to Bill Gates and rename it Microsoft, he did seriously threaten to move to Austria with the Princely Family.

Ten Minute Rule

However, bills introduced under the Ten Minute Rule do sometimes become law, passing through every stage of Parliament right through to Royal Assent.

Wash-up period

If a Bill does not receive Royal Assent before Parliament rises, it will be lost, although a new Bill could be reintroduced after the general election.


Abbotsbury Railway

First proposed in 1872, to tap the stone deposits at Portesham and ironstone around the village of Abbotsbury itself, the first Parliamentary Bill was opposed by a local landowner and withdrawn in 1873.Further application was made in 1876 and received Royal Assent on 6 June 1877.

Act Concerning Peter's Pence and Dispensations

The fees which might have been charged for the dispensations were set and required the Royal Assent, confirmed by the Great Seal of the Realm, in matters for which the usual fee was over £4.

Dewan Rakyat

All bills must usually be passed by both the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara (the Senate), before they are given Royal Assent by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Monarch).

John Thelwall

In 1795, after prime minister William Pitt the Younger's Gagging Acts (the Treason Act and Seditious Meetings Act) received royal assent, Thelwall's lectures had a shift in theme, from contemporary political comment to the history of Rome in order to dodge censorship.

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

Royal Assent to the bill was reserved by Lieutenant Governor James Aikins and eventually the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council at Westminster ruled that, since the law affected an appointee of the federal Crown, it was ultra vires and struck down.

London School of Medicine for Women

The 1876 Medical Act was introduced into the British Parliament by Russell Gurney, husband of Emilia Russell Gurney a member of the Kensington Society, and received Royal Assent the same year.

Norfolk Island Act 1979

The Act formally established the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and gave the Assembly powers to pass, amend, and repeal laws, and - subject to the assent of the Administrator of Norfolk Island - executive powers.

Olympic Delivery Authority

Prior to the act receiving Royal Assent, Jack Lemley was appointed as chairman in 2005, but resigned on 18 October 2006.

Private member's bill

NDP MP Lynn McDonald succeeded in getting her private member's bill, the "Non-smokers' Health Act" (aka Bill C-204), passed in 1986, (given Royal Assent on 28 June 1988) restricting smoking in federally regulated workplaces and on airplanes, trains and ships.

Seigneurial system of New France

The seigneurial system was formally abolished by the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and assented to by Governor Lord Elgin on 18 December 1854 in An Act for the Abolition of Feudal Rights and Duties in Lower Canada.

Theatre Royal, Brighton

In 1806 the Prince of Wales gave Royal Assent for the theatre to be built and it opened on 27 June 1807, with a performance of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Welsh Church Act 1914

Owing to the outbreak of the First World War in August, the Act was given Royal Assent on 18 September simultaneously with another controversial bill, the Government of Ireland Act 1914, and the Suspensory Act 1914.


see also

Government of Ireland Act 1920

However, the Suspensory Act 1914 (which received the Royal Assent on the same day) meant that implementation would be suspended for the duration of what was expected to be only a short European war.

King Edward potato

It is claimed that the grower wrote to Buckingham Palace seeking permission to name his potato after the monarch and that a reply was received granting royal assent.

Local Government Boundary Commission for England

The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, which received Royal Assent on 12 November 2009, provided for the establishment of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE), and for the transfer to it of all the boundary-related functions of the Boundary Committee for England of the Electoral Commission.

Police Reservists Act 1902

The Police Reservists Act 1902 (2 Edw 7 c. 10) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 22 July 1902 and repealed shortly thereafter.

Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829

To overcome the vehement opposition of both the House of Lords and King George IV, the Duke of Wellington worked tirelessly to ensure passage in the House of Lords, and threatened to resign as Prime Minister if the King did not give Royal Assent.

Safe Streets Act

The SSA was enacted by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris and received royal assent on December 14, 1999.

Ukrainian Canadian internment

On November 25, 2005, Conservative MP Inky Mark's Private Member's Bill C-331, "Internment of Persons of Ukrainian Origin Recognition Act", received Royal Assent.

Wild Birds Protection Act 1902

The Wild Birds Protection Act 1902 (2 Edw 7 c. 6) was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, given the royal assent on 22 July 1902 and repealed in 1954.