Royal Marriages Act 1772

E187757

The Royal Marriages Act 1772 was a British law that required descendants of King George II to obtain the monarch’s consent before marrying, significantly restricting the marriage choices of the royal family for over two centuries.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Royal Marriages Act 1772 canonical 9
Royal Marriages Act 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Act of Parliament of Great Britain ⓘ
British constitutional law ⓘ
aimedAtPreventing unsuitable or unequal marriages by royals ⓘ
appliedRegardlessOf nationality of the parties ⓘ
religion of the parties ⓘ
appliedTo British royal family ⓘ
descendants of King George II ⓘ
appliesToTitle any descendant of King George II ⓘ
category 18th-century United Kingdom legislation ⓘ
British royal family law ⓘ
citationStyle 12 Geo. III c. 11 ⓘ
consentForm formal consent of the reigning sovereign ⓘ
consentPublicationRequirement consent to be recorded in the Privy Council ⓘ
constitutionalSignificance strengthened monarch’s control over dynastic marriages ⓘ
country Kingdom of Great Britain ⓘ
effect restricted marriage choices of the royal family ⓘ
exemptionCondition descendants of princesses married into foreign families were exempt ⓘ
historicalContext enacted during the reign of King George III ⓘ
influencedDebateOn modernisation of royal marriage rules ⓘ
inForceDuration over two centuries ⓘ
inForceInYear 1800 ⓘ
1900 ⓘ
2000 ⓘ
introducedIn Parliament of Great Britain ⓘ
jurisdiction England ⓘ
Ireland (pre-1801 union context) ⓘ
linked to: Ireland

Scotland ⓘ
Wales ⓘ
languageOfStatute English ⓘ
legalArea marriage law ⓘ
royal prerogative ⓘ
legalStatus repealed ⓘ
longTermImpact shaped marital choices of British royals into the 20th century ⓘ
monarchAtEnactment King George III ⓘ
motivatedBy marriages of King George III’s brothers to women considered unsuitable ⓘ
notableConsequence discouraged marriages without aristocratic or royal background ⓘ
penaltyForNoncompliance marriage declared null and void ⓘ
purpose to regulate marriages of members of the British royal family ⓘ
repealedBy Succession to the Crown Act 2013 ⓘ
repealEffectiveDate 2015-03-26 ⓘ
replacedByRule requirement that only first six persons in line to the throne need monarch’s consent ⓘ
required monarch’s consent for marriage ⓘ
royalAssentDate 1772-04-01 ⓘ
shortName Royal Marriages Act ⓘ
temporalScope applied to marriages contracted after its commencement ⓘ
yearEnacted 1772 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

British monarchy → keyEvent → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ
Succession to the Crown Act 2013 → amends → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ
Succession to the Crown Act 2013 → repeals → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ
Royal Marriages Act 1772 → shortName → Royal Marriages Act ⓘ
linked to: Royal Marriages Act 1772
Lady Augusta Murray → legalContext → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ
Sir Augustus d'Este → legalIssue → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ
British succession law → keyStatute → Royal Marriages Act 1772 ⓘ