The Royal Stuart Society, founded in 1926, is the senior

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

monarchist Monarchism is the advocacy of the system of monarchy or monarchical rule. A monarchist is an individual who supports this form of government independently of any specific monarch, whereas one who supports a particular monarch is a royalist. ...

organisation and the foremost Jacobite body in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Its full name is The Royal Stuart Society and Royalist League although it is best known simply as the "Royal Stuart Society." It acknowledges Francis, Duke of Bavaria as head of the Royal House, while refraining from making any claim on his behalf that he does not make himself. The society organises annual events to commemorate the major anniversaries of Jacobitism and other events of Stuart and royalist interest.

History

After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the Jacobite movement was in disarray. The Royal Stuart Society was established by Captain Henry Stuart Wheatly-Crowe, who served as its first Governor-General, and representatives of the Royalist Association and other defunct or moribund Jacobite bodies. It considers itself a successor to, and effectively the continuation of, bodies of the

Neo-Jacobite Revival The Neo-Jacobite Revival was a political movement that took place during the 25 years before the First World War in the United Kingdom. The movement was monarchist, and had the specific aim of replacing British parliamentary democracy with a restor ...

, such as the Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland (founded in 1891 by

Herbert Vivian Herbert Vivian (3 April 1865 – 18 April 1940) was an English journalist, author and newspaper owner, who befriended Lord Randolph Churchill, Charles Russell, Leopold Maxse and others in the 1880s. He campaigned for Irish Home Rule and was pr ...

Ruaraidh Erskine Ruaraidh Erskine of Marr (15 January 1869 – 5 January 1960) (Scottish Gaelic: Ruaraidh Arascain is Mhàirr) was a Scottish nationalist political activist, writer and Scottish Gaelic language revival campaigner. Early life Ruaraidh Erskine ...

and

Melville Henry Massue Melville Amadeus Henry Douglas Heddle de La Caillemotte de Massue de Ruvigné, "9th Marquis of Ruvigny and 15th of Raineval" (25 April 1868 – 6 October 1921) was a British genealogist and author, who was twice president of the Legitimist Jacobit ...

), the

Order of the White Rose The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. T ...

and the Thames Valley Legitimist Club. Among its other founders were Lionel Erskine-Young, 29th Earl of Mar (1891–1965) and

Reginald Lindesay-Bethune, 12th Earl of Lindsay Reginald Lindesay-Bethune, 12th Earl of Lindsay, Justice of the Peace, JP, Deputy Lieutenant, DL (18 May 1867 – 14 January 1939), known as Viscount Garnock 1894-1917, was a Scottish nobleman and British Army officer. The eldest son of the 11th ...

(1867–1939).Robert FJ Parsons, ''The Role of Jacobitism in the Modern World'' (Royal Stuart Society, Huntingdon, 1986).

Objectives

The objectives of the Royal Stuart Society are as follows: (1) to be open to all who have an interest in the members of the Royal House of Stuart, their descendants and supporters; (2) to promote research in and further knowledge of Stuart history; (3) to uphold rightful Monarchy and oppose republicanism; and (4) to arrange such commemorations, lectures and other activities as shall advance these objects. It describes itself on its website as being “monarchist and traditionalist”. the Governor-General was Murray, Duke of St Albans, the Chairman of the Council Julian, Lord Aylmer, and the Acting Principal Secretary Hugh MacPherson.

Activities

The Society organises a variety of events throughout the year. An important part of these events are the commemorations in

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

and

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. Details of all these events, many of which are open to the public who are always made welcome, appear on the Society's website. A well-attended Service to commemorate the execution of King Charles I is held at his statue in Trafalgar Square on 30 January each year and a wreath is later laid on behalf of the Society on the King's tomb at St George's Chapel, Windsor at the beginning of Choral Evensong. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, is remembered with a Service at her tomb in Westminster Abbey on 8 February. The nativity of King James VII and II is marked by prayers and the laying of flowers at his statue outside the National Gallery on 14 October. The Society also holds an annual dinner which commemorates Restoration Day and White Rose Day. An informal party for members is usually held in November. The Society's lectures take place at the parish hall of the Jesuit church at Farm Street in London's

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

. Newsletters with details of people, events and news of the Society are produced and edited by the Principal Secretary and sent to members during the year. The Society publishes the Royal Stuart Journal annually and this is available to non-members via the website. The Journal recently replaced a series of publications called ''Royal Stuart Papers'' (still available from the Society) which included papers by a number of well known historians such as

Roy Porter Roy Sydney Porter, FBA (31 December 1946 – 3 March 2002) was a British historian known for his work on the history of medicine. He retired in 2001 from the director of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine at University College L ...

, Richard Sharpe,

Murray Pittock Murray G. H. Pittock MAE FRSE (born 5 January 1962) is a Scottish historian, Bradley Professor of Literature at the University of Glasgow and Pro Vice Principal at the University, where he has served in senior roles including Dean and Vice Princip ...

Eveline Cruickshanks Eveline Cruickshanks (1 December 1926 – 14 November 2021) was an historian of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British political history, specialising in Jacobitism and Tory (British political party), Toryism. She was of English, Scottish ...

Lady Antonia Fraser Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (' Pakenham; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and p ...

and

Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 bo ...

References

{{Authority control Jacobitism Monarchist organizations 1926 establishments in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1926 Clubs and societies in Norfolk Monarchism in the United Kingdom