It is, unfortunately, not uncommon to read about the wealthy and powerful using their influence to seek laws and regulations that would benefit their own positions. It’s a little less so to hear about this happening in connection with the British Royal Family — and yet a blockbuster new report from The Guardian offers evidence of exactly that.
The report, from David Pegg and Rob Evans, references a number of government memos discovered n the National Archives. Pegg and Evans write that the Queen’s lawyer “put pressure on ministers to alter proposed legislation to prevent her shareholdings from being disclosed to the public.”
The changes to this legislation took place in the 1970s, preventing transparency laws from applying to companies utilized by “heads of state.”
The Guardian‘s report suggests that a parliamentary procedure known as Queen’s consent factored significantly into this matter. It means, essentially, that the Queen is notified when pending laws might affect the royal family — and it’s a required part of the legislative process.
The entire article is well worth a read, as it gets into the specific details of how the Queen can influence legislation, and how certain changes affected the royal family’s wealth. It makes for a gripping read, and it’s an ongoing investigation — which suggests we’re about to hear more about this in the days and weeks to come.
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