{"id":"C2004A00044","name":"Royal Style and Titles Act 1973","slug":"royal-style-and-titles-act-1973","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"114 of 1973","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":2695,"registerId":"commonwealth-C2004A00044-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-03-29","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Royal Style and Titles Act 1973","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 20.2\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nRoyal Style and Titles Act 1973\n\n \n\nNo. 114 of 1973\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act relating to the Royal Style and Titles\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\nRoyal Style and Titles Act 1973\n\nNo. 114 of 1973\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nAn Act relating to the Royal Style and Titles\n\n[Reserved for Her Majesty’s pleasure, 14 September 1973]\n\n[Queen’s Assent, 19 October 1973]\n\n[Queen’s Assent proclaimed, 19 October 1973]\n\n WHEREAS, in accordance with the Royal Style and Titles Act 1953, Her Majesty, by Proclamation dated 28th May, 1953, adopted, as the Royal Style and Titles to be used in relation to the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories, the Style and Titles set forth in the Schedule to that Act:\n\n AND WHEREAS the Government of Australia considers it desirable to propose to Her Majesty a change in the form of the Royal Style and Titles to be used in relation to Australia and its Territories:\n\n AND WHEREAS the proposed new Style and Titles, being the Style and Titles set forth in the Schedule to this Act, retains the common element referred to in the preamble to the Royal Style and Titles Act 1953:\n\n BE IT THEREFORE enacted by the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Australia, as follows:\n\n1  Short title\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Royal Style and Titles Act 1973.\n\n2  Assent to adoption of new Royal Style and Titles in relation to Australia\n\n (1) The assent of the Parliament is hereby given to the adoption by Her Majesty, for use in relation to Australia and its Territories, in lieu of the Style and Titles set forth in the Schedule to the Royal Style and Titles Act 1953, of the Style and Titles set forth in the Schedule to this Act, and to the issue for that purpose by Her Majesty of Her Royal Proclamation under such seal as Her Majesty by Warrant appoints.\n\n (2) The Proclamation referred to in sub-section (1) shall be published in the Gazette and shall have effect on the date upon which it is so published.\n\nSchedule—Royal Style and Titles\n\nSection 2\n\nElizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: authorising a change to the Royal Style and Titles. It has not expanded beyond this narrow ceremonial function."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short — only 2 operative sections plus a Schedule","No defined terms section","No cross-references to other legislation (except the 1953 Act mentioned in the preamble)","Simple, linear structure: short title → assent provision → schedule with the actual text","No conditional logic, exceptions, or administrative machinery","Essentially a single-purpose statute: parliamentary approval for a specific proclamation"],"plain_english_summary":"This law updates how the Queen is officially described in Australia.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Replaces the Queen's official title used in Australia with a new version\n- The old title (from 1953) described her as \"Queen of the United Kingdom... and of Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith\"\n- The new title (set out in the Schedule) describes her as \"Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth\"\n\n**Key change:**\n- **Australia is now explicitly named as a separate realm** — the Queen is \"Queen of Australia\" rather than \"Queen of the United Kingdom... [who also happens to be Queen of] Australia\"\n- This reflects Australia's growing independence from Britain\n- The title no longer includes \"Defender of the Faith\" (a reference to the Church of England)\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Primarily ceremonial — it changes how the Queen is referred to in official documents, proclamations, and formal contexts in Australia\n- Does not affect day-to-day life for ordinary Australians\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- This was part of Australia's gradual move toward full constitutional independence from the United Kingdom\n- It recognised Australia as a distinct \"realm\" with the Queen as its monarch in her capacity as Queen of Australia, not just as an extension of being Queen of the UK"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act changes the formal royal style and titles used \"in relation to Australia and its Territories\" by substituting the Schedule to the Royal Style and Titles Act 1953 with the new wording set out in this Act's Schedule (section 2(1) and Schedule). The change takes legal effect only when Her Majesty issues the Proclamation and it is published in the Gazette (section 2(2)). The preamble records that the new wording retains a previously identified common element (Preamble), but the operative effect is the textual substitution authorised by section 2."},"complexity_factors":["Very short text with only two operative sections and a Schedule (sections 1 and 2 plus Schedule).","Effect is conditional on a Royal Proclamation and Gazette publication (section 2(1)–(2)), creating a single external dependency.","References and substitution of the earlier Royal Style and Titles Act 1953 Schedule add a cross‑reference to an earlier instrument (section 2(1) and Preamble).","Practical complexity limited to administrative updates across official instruments and publication logistics (section 2(2)).","Limited exercise of discretion: Her Majesty issues the Proclamation and appoints the seal by Warrant (section 2(1)), but no broad delegation or rulemaking power is created."],"plain_english_summary":"### What this law does\n\n- The Act replaces the previous royal style and titles used in relation to Australia and its Territories with a new, specified wording. The new wording appears in the Schedule to this Act: \"Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.\" (Schedule — Section 2).\n\n- Parliament gives its formal assent to Her Majesty adopting that new wording and authorises Her Majesty to issue a Royal Proclamation under such seal as She appoints by Warrant (section 2(1)).\n\n- The Proclamation must be published in the Gazette and takes legal effect on the date of that publication (section 2(2)).\n\n- The Act is given a short title: Royal Style and Titles Act 1973 (section 1).\n\n### Who decides and who acts\n\n- The Government of Australia proposed the change (Preamble). Parliament provides its assent for the change to be adopted (section 2(1)). Her Majesty issues the proclamation that brings the new wording into legal effect and may determine the seal to be used by Warrant (section 2(1)). The date the Gazette publication occurs determines when the new wording takes effect (section 2(2)).\n\n### Who is affected and how\n\n- The Act applies to the royal style and titles \"used in relation to Australia and its Territories\" (section 2(1) and Schedule). That means official references to the sovereign in instruments, proclamations and similar contexts governed by law or official practice will use the new wording once the Proclamation is published (section 2(2)).\n\n- There is no text in the Act that directly imposes new duties on private parties; the immediate direct effect is on official usage and documentation.\n\n### Implementation mechanics, incentives and costs\n\n- The legal change is conditional on a Royal Proclamation and its publication in the Gazette. Until that publication occurs, the previous form set out in the Schedule to the Royal Style and Titles Act 1953 remains in place (see section 2(1) referencing the 1953 Schedule).\n\n- Administrative costs fall on the Commonwealth and its agencies (and possibly territorial administrations) that must adopt the new wording in official instruments, stationery, emblems, proclamations and other usages once the Proclamation is published (see section 2(2)). Those are one‑off or discrete update costs required to reflect the new official style.\n\n- The Act vests limited procedural discretion in the crown side of the apparatus: Her Majesty issues the Proclamation and appoints the seal by Warrant (section 2(1)). The timing and form of the Proclamation (and its Gazette publication) determine when the change takes effect (section 2(2)).\n\n### Trade-offs, risks and practical effects\n\n- The Act substitutes the previous text (from the 1953 Act) with the new wording it schedules (section 2(1) and Schedule). The preamble records the Government’s view that the proposed wording \"retains the common element referred to\" in the 1953 preamble; that is an expressed aim recorded in the instrument, not an operative legal requirement (Preamble).\n\n- The primary operational risks are administrative: ensuring the Proclamation is issued and published (section 2(2)); and updating official documents and instruments to reflect the new style. The Act does not itself create penalties or compliance rules for failure to update—its effect is to authorise and record the new wording for official use (section 2).\n\n- The change is narrowly focused on the form of the royal style and titles used in relation to Australia and its Territories. It does not, on its face, alter other legal rights or obligations outside the specific adoption and publication mechanism set out in section 2 and the Schedule."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973","history":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973/history","analysis":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/royal-style-and-titles-act-1973/documents"}}