Bored with your family head? Wait till he goes to the loo, declare him to have abdicated, and vote for a new one. The winner takes his seat at the head of the table. All adult males related by blood eligible to vote or be a candidate.
Tanistry, or elective monarchy, is a system where a king was elected from candidates who were members of the kindred descended in the male line from a common ancestor, all of whom are considered to have equally legitimate claims on the Throne. Those eligible to vote are princes who have attained their majority. This system is in use in Cambodia, Kuwait, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, and was formerly used to choose the King of Scotland and the High King of Ireland. It was also in use in Anglo-Saxon England, Hawaii, Poland, and medieval Scandinavia. Typically, votes would be cast in family blocks.
My reckoning of the British succession:
• King Edward VII (1901-1910)
• King Arthur (1910-1942)
• King Edward VIII (1942-1972)
• King Henry IX (1972-1974)
• HM King Edward IX (since 1974) - the current Duke of Kent
eligible candidates should Edward IX die include:
o HRH Prince Michael of Kent
o HRH Prince Richard of Gloucester
o HRH Prince Charles of Wales
o HRH Prince Andrew of York
o HRH Prince Edward of Wessex
o HRH Prince William of Wales
o HRH Prince Harry of Wales
o HH Prince Peter of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
o HH Prince Andreas of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
o HH Prince Hubertus of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha
o George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews
o Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
o Lord Nicholas Windsor
o Lord Frederick Windsor
Whose your money on from that merry lot?
