THE ROYAL FAMILYDunhart have had a royal family ever since the 11th Century when a collection of Kingdoms were united under a single ruler. It is believed that man was King Ældric however so much about his life is now caught up in legend that it is hard to know whether it was him or his son, also called Ældric, who was truly the person to unite Dunhart into a single Kingdom. Various changes in laws have seen the way the crown is inherited differ throughout its passage to the 21st Century however it is possible to trace to lineage of the current royal dynasty, the Sowards dynasty, back to their very distant ancestor Ældric. The royal family of Dunhart still maintain a significant grasp on power and serve an important function in government and religion within the nation. Despite this there have been several notable attempts at removing the royal family, most recently in 1801 when a civil war between Royalists and Republicans lasted 18months and saw the death of King Edward II. One of the grievances was that the Hewie dynasty had become disconnected from their subjects and had become bloated with wealth. Upon assuming the throne and winning victory over the Republican forces Edward II's son, Godric established the system we have today.
MAKING LAWSLaws are passed in two ways. The first is via Royal Proclamation. Under this system the monarch must announce a new law at least six weeks before it is expected to come into force. This starts a metaphorical clock in the House of Laws, the lower of two legislative houses. Before this six weeks runs out the House must have voted to accept the Proclamation or have approved an amended version. If neither of these have happened then the Proclamation is deemed to have automatically passed. It is then passed onto the upper house, which is known as the House of Nobility. Here the law is either accepted or rejected and its fate sealed. There is however nothing stopping the monarch simply reissuing the Proclamation and restarting the process all over. While this is possible it is uncommon that a simple reissuing takes place.
The second way is that the leader of the House of Laws may issue a proposal. This must gain the support of the majority of members of the House of Laws. Once it passes it is taken to the House of Nobility where they may accept it or reject it with amendments. If the leader of the House of Laws wishes to proceed then this house must debate and redraft the proposal. It may then, assuming it passes, return to the House of Nobility. This process can happen a maximum of four attempts and if it still fails then the proposal is considered dead and may not be resubmitted in any similar form in the judgement of the Judger of the Laws. It may however be resubmitted in a different sitting of the House (i.e after elections). Should the proposal make it past the House of Nobility the monarch must either accept it or may present before the nation in a referendum the version that has passed through the houses or their own version. The general public then vote for which version to accept.
HOUSE OF NOBILITYDespite it name the House of Nobility is not reserved entirely for the nobility of the nation. It is made up of 150 members known as Noble Officers. To qualify for membership you must be one of the 50 members appointed by the monarch or win a seat in an election. Elections are held every five years in years ending in a 3 or 8. To be eligible to stand a person must meet the following criteria
*Have celebrated their 40th birthday
*Have no criminal record
*Have lived in the Kingdom for the past five years.
*Have been born in the Kingdom
*Have the ability to read and write in Landish
On election day the nation is split into 100 regions with each region electing one representative. A Supplementary vote system is used where voters rank their candidates. Should no candidate get 50% then the bottom candidate drops out with their votes now being examined for second preferences and so on until one individual gets the required 50%. Once elected an individual is paid $80,000 a year as well as being given use of a house within their region. A Noble Officer who has been elected can be replaced if their attendance falls below 80%, they are charged with any crime or breach the Rules of Etiquette that govern the day to day functioning of the House.
HOUSE OF LAWSThe House of Laws is the lower of the two houses. It is totally elected and a term lasts five years. Elections are held in years ending in a 2 or 7. The members of the House are known as Legal Officers and there are 445 of them. Among them is the Leading Officer who is the individual who can show they have the largest amount of support among the Legal Officers, this generally is someone who is the leader of a political party however this does not have to be the case. There has however not been an independent Leading Officer since 1940. The nation is split into 222 different areas with each electing two representatives, the final representative is elected from among the armed forces. To stand for election an individual must meet the following criteria.
*Have celebrated their 21st birthday
*Have no criminal record
*Have lived in the Kingdom for the last three years.
*Have lived in the area they wish to represent for the past 12 months
Once elections have been held the House of Laws votes for their Leading Officer. A Legal Officer is paid $80,000 a year as well as being given access to a property within the capital. The Leading Officer receives an extra $15,000 a year. A Legal Officer can be replaced if their attendance falls below 80%, they are charged with a crime or they break the Rules of Etiquette that govern the day to day functioning of the house.
Neither Houses have limits on the number of terms that an individual may serve.
PROTOCOLS OF GODRIC"Upon my word you shall never again have a monarch, Prince of Princess of the realm who does not understand the trials and tribulations of the people. No one may take the throne until they have lived among the people, learned from them and served them. They must prepare for the life of service which is the lot of a member of the royal family."
With these words Godric committed the royal family to a series of tests. The Priests of the Land would represent the potential royal subjects and would act as judges to determine whether the criteria had been meet. There have been several changes to the Protocol to take account of changing times. The process is clear. A Prince or Princess may not enter into the line of succession until they have achieved the following.
1. Shown that they can live in society without the trappings of wealth.
2. Learned a skill or gained qualifications that are of use to nation.
3. Served their community or nation without expectation of reward.
4. Been a part of a community without their status or title.
If an individual is deemed to have passed these then they enter into the line of succession and may use the title Prince or Princess. In addition they may be granted one of the royal properties. Should they be deemed to have failed then they lose their title and may not be granted property in their own name. Failures are rare as a Prince or Princess is prepared for the Protocols essentially since birth.
THE PROTOCOLS TODAYSince 1960 the protocols have involved the following
*Images and details of a Prince/Princesses life before the age of 16 are kept out of the media spotlight.
*On their 16th birthday they are given a new identity and set up in a community outside the capital with no more than $50,000 to start their new life.
*While undertaking the protocol a reporting injunction exists which means that no media outlet may knowingly report on the life of that Prince/Princess.
*It is not permitted for the Prince/Princess to have active security. There location though may be monitored.
*On the day of their 21st birthday they are to return to their family and all reporting restrictions are lifted.
*A week after their 21st birthday they must appear before the Court of the Priests where they must present evidence of having meet the conditions laid out in the protocol.
*A panel of nine Priests weight the evidence and may question the royal.
*The majority vote of the Priests determines whether an individual passes or fails the protocol.
*If an individual fails they are stripped of their royal title and may not be given any royal property.
*If an individual passes they are entered into the line of succession to the throne and may be given property.
*In exceptional circumstances a Prince or Princess may petition, before their 21st birthday, the Court of the Priests for additional time to meet the criteria.
