{"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":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The act updates the royal style and titles for Australia, replacing the version from 1953. The scope remains the same: to define the Queen's official title in relation to Australia. The change is a substitution, not an expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Very short text (two sections plus a schedule)","No defined terms","No cross-references or conditional logic","Single substantive provision (section 2)"],"plain_english_summary":"This law approves a new official title for the Queen to use when referring to Australia. The old title from 1953 is replaced with: 'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.' The change is symbolic and reflects Australia’s status as an independent realm within the Commonwealth. It affects ceremonial and official documents but does not alter any legal powers or rights."}},"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"}}