Michael L Nash celebrates the Jubilee with a look at the state of the monarchy
In every reign of length there are defining moments. The Coronation of 1953 was one of these, early in the reign. In 1977, 25 years was celebrated in the Silver Jubilee. This, though not having the resonance of the Coronation, was a moment to consider what had happened or developed in legal and constitutional terms. An article in 1977 covered this (127 NLJ 5084, p 528). Now, 60 years into the reign, the context is very different; so, since 1977, have been the legal and constitutional developments.
Royal divorce
Perhaps the first of these occurred in 1978, when the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, was divorced, which should be seen in the light of the then new divorce legislation, particularly the Matrimonial Causes Act of 1973. Social acceptance had greatly changed. So had the way the media operated, and the royal family’s increasingly sophisticated handling of it.
Legal and constitutional developments have circled around the many roles
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