Why does the current royal family have it sewn up?

Question

in the old days you would get different people and families claiming the throne of Britain.

why doesn't it happen these days?

Answer 1

Matters have been settled since the union of the houses of York and Lancaster. The name of the dynasty has changed from time to time since then, but all lines would still have given us Lizzie Windsor. The most recent name change from Saxe-Coburg was to make us forget they are all Germans.

Answer 2

One.  parliment decides who is in line for the throne now.

two.  It's illegal for any one in line for the throne to be involved in politics.

If you can't influence the politicians and they set who get the throne.  Then there isn't much to fight over is there.

Answer 3

I'm organising a Jacobite rebellion for March 3rd next year. Bring your own blunderbuss.

Answer 4

Because in the old days (before 1600), there were any number of families that had ties to the Royals by havingmarried their daughters, or marrying their own to their sons.

After 1550 there happened that all people/families with any serious pretenses died off, to the point that after Edward VI died, they had to crown Henry VIII's daughters, and when Bess died, the closest person with anything like a claim was James VI of Scotland... the Stuarts did not produce much offspring to muddle the heir pool, and since willy the orangeman ousted James II, there has been no real succession crisis, either by lack of suitable heirs, or by warlike disputes between possible heirs. As the mountbattens have steadily married only in royal families since the reign of Victoria, and those have pretty little interest in claiming the british throne so long as british kings will be powerless pupppets, there are no claimants outside the windsor line.

Answer 5

Because the British monarchy is the oldest Monarchy in European history , it memory deserves me right. As such an institution it's a proud one we have. So yes, they are indeed inheritance of the throne.

Answer 6

Centuries ago, the royalty was determined as having "divine"     affirmation.  God had assigned the royal family rights to being royal.  Severe fights about it occurred and entire families were killed by usurpers.  One family was almost entirely killed out and refused to state before being beheaded that they were not appointed by God as being the divine rulers of England.  Their descendants came back into power later because of the courage of their forefathers not giving up their royalty rights.  Because of communication, everyone knows this particular royal family, and divine wars don't happen as they once did.

Answer 7

Recent program gave the true ruler of Britain as a sheep farmer in Australia. The direct descendant of the Jacobite King James who was overthrown by the Protestant aristocracy in the 17th century lives in Paris. I had better put France here because all the Americans think Paris is in Texas.

Answer 8

I think in the past years it has become such an embarrassing job, who would really want it?

Answer 9

The War of the Roses put paid to that. And then the 2 Houses that were competing for the throne were united through marriage.

That pretty much settled any other claims.

Answer 10

There are VERY few bloodlines left to claim the throne and it is such a long list of Losers that you have now in the UK that no one would WANT it.

Answer 11

The main way of changing the Royal Family throughout history has always involved war.  Not many private armies exist in England today and nobody finds the country attractive enough to invade.

Answer 12

This is not another joke about those hats the Queen wears, is it?

Answer 13

I'd be obliged if you would end your question with "Sir" when you're addressing me!

Answer 14

Because many relatives especially distant one's have much stronger claims to thrones in other countries such as Spain, Denmark and Norway, also because the throne does not contain power anymore and power was the main reason that  Royalty were fighting for the crown. E.g. in the Wars of the roses and when William II was supposedly killed by his brother Henry II.

Answer 15

Because any pretender to the throne or anyone who interferes with royal protocol has arranged accidents in underpasses in Paris. That's why.

Answer 16

Because there are fewer extant royal bloodlines. Most of them have died out.