New England Online > Government & Politics > The Monarchy > Regency
Regency
In New England, a Regency is a period when the ruling monarch is deemed to be unfit to rule and the next in line to the throne is instated as proxy. Since independence, a regency has been applied on both occasions where the existing monarch is close to death and unable to rule. The second of these, from 16 March 2043 to 8 December 2045, was the longest and is most often cited in the public conscoius as an example of a regency in New England.
Framework
The legal framework that structures the adminbistration of the state during a regecny is the Regency Act 2012. The Act provides the scope for a regent in law, and also empowers the Chancellor to manage the executive functions when the monarch is absent.
According to the act, incapacitation is determined by the Physician Royal, who issues a medical certificate to this effect. If the Chancellor, Speaker of the House, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and two members of the royal family concur, the act takes immediate effect. If two or more members dissent, the act declares that parliament must determine if the monarch is incapaciatated.
Officers
Prince Regent - The title of Prince Regent falls to next in the line of succession, which is usually the Duke of Duval. If there are no members of the line of succession able to assume the title, then spouse of the monarch may assume the title. If the spouse is unavailable, the Royal Chancellor assumes the title. The Prince Regent exercises symbolic role as head of state, and must co-assent to all bills brought to the Executive Council for approval. However, the chair of the Executive Council is passed to the Chancellor.
Royal Chancellor - The Chancellor is the second most senior officer in the government, after the First Minister. In the event of a regency being proclaimed, it is the chancellor that assumes the chair of the Executive Council when the Monarch is absent or incapciatated.
