The Queen As An EU Citizen

I have received the following:

We are concerned that the implementation of the Treaty of Lisbon, also termed The European Reform Treaty, may have consequences which could well affect the status of The Queen as Queen of Australia and other Realms. The enforced citizenship of the Union shall, under the Treaty of Lisbon, now “be additional to national citizenship” and not, as before merely “complement” it. The EU Council of Ministers has not been able to explain what obligations this citizenship would impose on The Queen in regard to her position as Queen of nations outside the authority of the Union, advising that it is not within their competence. No one has also been able to explain what the position would be if it is held that those Acts of the British Parliament which still have relevance to the Realms, such as the Statute of Westminster and the Act of Settlement, are found to conflict with European legislation which now has an overriding authority. This matter is of such import to the stability of our own constitutional arrangements, that I appeal to the British Parliament to have these matters clarified in a legislative format, rather than merely accepting unsubstantiated assurances which have no legal significance.

Philip Benwell MBE
National Chairman
Australian Monarchist League