His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 - Procedure and Timing

Procedure and Timing

Although Edward VIII had signed a declaration of abdication the previous day (10 December 1936), he was still King until he gave royal assent to this Act, which occurred on 11 December.

The Act was passed through the Houses of Parliament in one day, with no amendments. As the Statute of Westminster 1931 stipulated that the line of succession must remain the same throughout the Crown's realms, the governments of some of the British dominions (Canada, Australia, the Union of South Africa, and New Zealand) gave their permission for the Act to apply in their respective realms. Canada also passed the Succession to the Throne Act 1937 (1 Geo. VI, c.16) to effect changes to the rules of succession in Canada to assure consistency with the changes in the rules then in place in the United Kingdom. South Africa passed His Majesty King Edward the Eighth's Abdication Act, 1937, which declared the abdication to have taken effect on 10 December 1936, i.e. the day before it was effective in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Irish Free State passed the Executive Authority (External Relations) Act 1936, recognising the Duke of York as King from 12 December 1936, which meant that Edward was King in Ireland one day longer than elsewhere.