| The report calls
for a comprehensive modernisation
of the monarchy to bring it more into line with other European
constitutional monarchies. It says that members of the royal
family should have to pay inheritance tax and the Queen's role in
the annual state opening of parliament
should be changed.
But its biggest challenge to the current form of monarchy is
to its entanglement with the Church
of England. It argues that the Queen should no longer be the Supreme
Governor of the church. It also urges the overturning
of the controversial Act of Settlement. Under that law passed
in 1701, no Catholic or anyone married to a catholic can succeed
to the throne.
These changes would be the most radical in five hundred years,
since Henry the Eighth broke away from
the Roman Catholic faith and became head of the Church of England.
But there is considerable pressure for changes to a system many
regard as out of step with modern,
multi-cultural Britain. The Queen has herself said the monarchy
needs to adapt to modern times, while
the heir to the throne, Prince Charles, has in the past
declared his desire to be the "defender of faiths" rather
than "the faith".
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calls for: formally demands
comprehensive: complete, including
everything
constitutional monarchies: countries
which have a king or queen who are head of state but also has
a democratically elected government. The king or queen does not
take part in the process of government
the annual state opening of parliament:
the historic ceremony in which the British king or queen
formally opens parliament after the summer break
its entanglement with: its close
relationship with
overturning: here, removing, ending
a law
succeed to the throne: become king or queen
broke away from: formally stopped being a part of
out of step with: here, old-fashioned
and not relevant to
the heir to the throne: the
person who will be king or queen next because of their birthright
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