Possession is 9/10th of the law...

Every single now living monarch sits on their throne because an ancestor of theirs took it from someone else. In this case, might makes right.

Seems like the right step then, might be to stage an insurrection, depose the queen, and take the throne, eh?

I'm looking at you, readers from Ireland and France. :) Have at it.

> I'm looking at you, readers from Ireland and France. :) Have at it.

They've already had at it. The French in 1066 and the Irish have invaded Wales and Scotland. So have the Dutch, Germans and Scandinavians for that matter, it's time to give someone else a run.

Ireland didn't get rid of the monarchy violently, it happened as a result of the Republic of Ireland Act, 1949.

Historically, Ireland and France were England's sworn, mortal enemies (Scotland for a while too, but that's faded). Regardless of current forms of government, they have the best candidates to take the British throne by force.

A French or Irish monarch might also help bring UK back into the EU :)

After giving it some thought, I think I have the right system. After the invasion, the UK monarchy is no longer hereditary. Instead, the French and Irish parliaments, in a joint session, elect the British monarchs.

Everyone's happy. Ireland and France have their democracies. England has its monarchy.

We can even draft a constitution with bounds on who can become monarchs. For example, they might need to be citizens of former British colonies. That might help keep the former colonies happy. Keep in mind both Ireland and most of France were, at one point, colonized by Britain (for France: See Hundred Years War, The Black Prince, and Joan d'Arc).

Sweden's current monarch is king because his ancestor was adopted. His adoptive father's father was elected king (after Russian pressure).

Edit: The election happened as the king before him had no heirs.

> Sweden's current monarch is king because his ancestor was adopted.

Well, Karl XIV became king because he was elected by parliament, and then Karl XIII formally adopted him to make him and his family royal, not the other way around.

Either way, his son and grandson both married women that were descendants of Gustav Vasa in an attempt to bolster their claims, and that guy definitely took the throne by force.

So yes, you're right in that not every current reigning monarch has their position due to conquest, but most of them. And then that doesn't really matter, because the point I was making is that "rightful" is actually bullshit, it's 100% made up. It's political theater created to make it harder for presumptive conquerors to keep a throne, even if they have the might necessary to take it.

Or, as CGP Grey puts it "bigger army diplomacy"

Also, Michael Hastings isn't a descendant of Sophia of Hanover, which means his presumed claim would be invalidated by law anyway.