New Year sees Line of Succession shortened

New Year’s Day has seen the Senate of Austenasia pass a resolution shortening the Line of Succession, in addition to Lord Wilson appointing his last annual consuls as Prime Minister. The Senate is a body of experienced “elder statesmen” responsible for keeping the Monarch to account, and was given the power by Parliament in 2020 to approve changes to the Line of Succession. The senatorial resolution, passed earlier today, has significantly shortened the number of people in the Line of Succession from twenty down to twelve. It was considered that those removed – mostly paternal cousins of Emperor Jonathan I – were not only extremely unlikely to accept the Throne should they be offered it, but also would be difficult to contact at short notice. In a situation whereby the Throne falls vacant and the Heir (for whatever reason) refuses it, each member of the Line of Succession is to be given the chance to accept the Throne in turn. This resolution thereby removes the legal obligation for a future government to waste time tracking down relatives of the Imperial Family who would almost certainly refuse the Throne anyway, at a time when a swift and orderly transfer of power would be of paramount importance. The resolution has also issued clarification on some confusing language in the Constitution, with the effect that the maternal relatives of the Emperor have now been placed before the Empress and her family in the Line of Succession. However, due to the Line having been so shortened, all remaining in it now hold higher positions than they did previously. In other news, the outgoing Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson – who has confirmed he will not be running in next month’s general election, and also reigns as King in Gradonia – has appointed himself as one of this year’s two consuls, and kept in place one of 2023’s, Shiro Mephistopheles, as the second. 2024 will therefore be known as the year of the consulship of Villelmus Rex and Shiro Mephistopheles. A Prime Minister appointing themselves as a consul is not unusual or irregular. Of the four previous Prime Ministers to have appointed consuls, three appointed themselves as one of the consuls for a year.

Imperial Family celebrates Christmas

The past few days have seen Christmas celebrated by the Imperial Family, with the Emperor’s annual broadcast including some important news for next year. Christmas Day, Monday 25th, saw Emperor Jonathan I join his parents and his sister the Crown Princess as they attended the morning service at Carshalton Methodist Church, where both Crown Princess Caroline and Emperor Mother Margaret gave readings from the Bible. Afterwards joined by Empress Hannah, the Imperial Family travelled to the Boxall residence, home of the Emperor’s maternal relatives, where they were hosted for Christmas dinner by Lord Michael, Duke of Merton and his wife Lady Boxall. On Boxing Day, Tuesday 26th, the Boxalls were hosted at the Imperial Residence while Jonathan I and the Empress visited Empress Hannah’s parents. Christmas Day saw the publication on YouTube of the Emperor’s annual Christmas broadcast. In the broadcast, His Imperial Majesty reflected on the need to bring peace through love to others, and looked back on a year which has seen Austenasia’s fifteenth anniversary, his Decennalia, and the expansion of parliamentary representation to non-residentials. The Emperor also used the broadcast to give formal notice of a general election to take place on February 12th next year. The incumbent Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson, has already stated he will not be running, whereas his predecessor Lord John Gordon has stated that he will. His Imperial Majesty furthermore announced that the general election will take place alongside a referendum to amend the constitution, both to entrench parliamentary representation for non-residentials but also to make various other changes, the details of which will be announced in due course. Candidates for the 2024 general election will be confirmed by January 15th. Christmas decorations in the Imperial Residence will remain up until January 5th, Twelfth Night, the traditional date on which they are to be taken down.

Imperial House name change announced

Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah have announced their creation of a new imperial dynastic house to mark the one year anniversary of their marriage. In an Imperial Edict issued earlier today, His Imperial Majesty announced the foundation of the House of Austen-Buchanan, a cadet branch within the wider House of Austen. This is the branch of the dynasty to which the Emperor, Empress, and any future children will belong. Emperor Father Terry is head of the official Austenasian branch of the House of Austen, although the family also has two “British branches” descended from Terry’s great-uncles. Jonathan I and Empress Hannah were married in two ceremonies in November last year, with their legal wedding taking place on November 5th. This date was from thenceforth designated a public holiday as the Imperial Wedding Anniversary, with today’s one year anniversary therefore being the first time it has been celebrated. The imperial couple soon after moved to the Diplomatic Residence, and in August this year went on honeymoon to the Isle of Wight. A video was released this morning documenting an expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society they undertook while on the island. The Emperor and Empress have also used this first anniversary to announce the creation of a new order of merit, with twenty two people being given this award to acknowledge their help with the Emperor and Empress’ wedding last year. This new award, the Imperial Matrimonial Order, can be awarded at the discretion of the Monarch to those to whom they wish to give special thanks for their role in assisting with a wedding of any member of the Imperial Family.

Austenasian state visit to Adammia

Wednesday 4th October saw Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah represent Austenasia in a state visit to the Empire of Adammia, where they were hosted in the Adammic capital. The imperial couple were met by Emperor Adam I of Adammia in the British city of Wakefield, from where they were driven to the Adammic capital of Imperial City. Adam I was accompanied by his mother Emperor Mother Jayne and grandfather Lord Reginald Hall. Jonathan I and Empress Hannah were given a guided tour of Imperial City’s sites of historical and cultural interest before sharing a meal with the Adammians. Emperor Adam I gifted the Austenasian delegation with a signed copy of a history of Adammia, which will be placed in the Imperial Library of Austenasia. In return, Adam I was gifted handmade soaps patterned with the Adammic flag. The two Emperors used the meeting as an opportunity to sign the Charter of the Association of British Micronations (ABM), an organisation which will plan and promote diplomatic summits for small nations of British origin. The ABM will be governed by a board of trustee nations, which will have Austenasia and Adammia as permanent members alongside Lundenwic, as per agreement reached at a trilateral meeting in 2021. Wednesday’s state visit also saw Empress Hannah sign a treaty of mutual recognition with Adammia on behalf of her independent Principality of Wildflower Meadows. This makes Adammia the third nation – alongside Austenasia and the Grove – to have official diplomatic ties with the Principality.

Emperor and Empress return from honeymoon

Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah yesterday returned from a belated honeymoon on the Isle of Wight. The imperial couple, who were wed in November last year, travelled to the Isle of Wight on the evening of Tuesday 22nd and arrived back in the afternoon of Saturday 26th. The Emperor and Empress visited several sites of historical and cultural importance to the island, including Osborne House and Farringford House – the former residences respectively of Queen Victoria and her poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson – as well as the Needles, a famous landmark comprised of three stacks of chalk. Many of the couple’s excursions were done on behalf of the Imperial Geographical Society at the request of Empress Hannah, making a three-day-long IGS expedition (only the second to have lasted more than a day) part of their time away.

Diplomatic Residence inaugurated for Emperor and Empress

A property in Portsmouth was yesterday designated the Diplomatic Residence to serve as a home for the imperial couple. Emperor Jonathan I and Empress Hannah moved into the property in November last year, shortly after their wedding. The full title of the property is the Diplomatic Residence of the Envoy to Portsmouth, referring to a position officially given to the Empress on Tuesday 31st January. Tuesday also saw the property blessed by an Orthodox priest who conducted a short house blessing service, sprinkling the rooms with holy water. The Imperial Residence in Wrythe legally remains the official residence of the Monarch. However, Jonathan I and Empress Hannah have since their wedding lived in what is now the Diplomatic Residence. The imperial couple travelled back to Wrythe following Christmas, spending just over a week with their families. The Emperor will continue to return to the capital for important occasions and state events. The Diplomatic Residence, as well as serving as the imperial couple’s home, formally serves as a diplomatic base for the work of the Envoy to Portsmouth, an office tasked with providing diplomatic representation for Austenasia within the city in question.

Jonathan I and Princess Hannah marry

Emperor Jonathan I and the now Empress Hannah have been married in two ceremonies over the last few days. The couple were legally wed in a Church of England ceremony on Saturday 5th November, and their marriage was then celebrated according to the rites of the Orthodox Church on Monday 7th. The decision to hold two ceremonies was taken by the couple in order to emphasis equal respect for both of their respective religious traditions. The Anglican service, held on Saturday 5th, took place in the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Beddington, the parish attended by the Empress and her family during her childhood. This was followed by a reception at a golf course conference centre by Oaks Park. The Orthodox service, held on Monday 7th, took place in the Church of Ss. Constantine and Helen, attended by the Emperor since he joined the Orthodox Church in July 2011. It was livestreamed by Emperor Father Terry in the official Austenasia Facebook group, and followed by a celebratory buffet. Both services were attended by many of the friends and family of the imperial couple, as well as various state dignitaries. Emperor Adam I of Adammia and King Calum I of the Grove – the former of whom served as one of Jonathan I’s groomsmen – attended both services, and the former Emperor Esmond III attended the Orthodox service. Lord Timothy, the Emperor’s cousin, was his best man, and his sister Crown Princess Caroline was another of his groomspeople. Lord John Gordon, former Prime Minister, had planned to attend as another of the Emperor’s groomsmen, but was unfortunately unable to make it due to illness. Congratulations have been pouring in from numerous well-wishers from across the globe. The Prime Minister, Lord William Wilson, designed an arms of alliance for the imperial couple in his capacity as Chief Herald, which was prominently displayed behind their table at Saturday’s wedding reception and referenced in the Emperor’s speech. The imperial couple first met on 11 November 2011, began a romantic relationship on 5 November 2015, and were engaged in September 2016. Their engagement lasted several years, due to the desire to complete their university degrees before focusing on wedding planning. The Empress has reigned as Princess of Wildflower Meadows since May 2016. As this position is that of a sovereign head of state, she will likely continue to go by Princess in various contexts.