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the Private Secretary to His Majesty's Private Secretary. The more important petitions only will require formal submission. In either case, the petition should be submitted with the advice of the Secretary of State as to the action, if any, to be taken thereon and the reply to be returned thereto. Petitions on personal questions should be accompanied by a brief statement of the facts of the case and of the reasons for the advice tendered to His Majesty.
Where the Secretary of State considers that a petition should not be entertained his advice should take the form that the reply to the petition should be that "the petition has been laid before His Majesty but the Secretary of State was unable to advise His Majesty that the petition should be granted". suitable cases an expression of regret may be conveyed.
(ii) Petitions for Mercy in Criminal Cases.
In
The prerogative of mercy has been delegated by His Majesty to Colonial Governors; and although the King retains a residual prerogative, and it may be necessary, in an exceptional case, to take up with the Governor an allegation in a petition, the prerogative is not in practice exercised by His Majesty. kind should be submitted to His Majesty by a note from the Frivate
A petition of this Secretary to His Majesty's Private Secretary with the advice that the reply should be "the petition has been laid before His Majesty, but the Secretary of State was unable to advise His Majesty that the petition should be granted".
If the petition is to the Secretary of State and not to His Majesty, the reply should be "the prerogative of mercy having been delegated by His Majesty to the Governor, the Secretary of State is not prepared to intervene".
(iii) Second or subsequent petitions from the same person on the same subject should not be submitted to His Majesty unless new facts of importance are disclosed.
W
Petitions
158. Petitions sent to His Majesty direct which are sent to His Majesty direct and then forwarded to the Colonial Office for disposal should be answered through the Governor, after consideration, if thought necessary, of a report by him on the petition. In the case of petitions which the Secretary of State considers should not be entertained the reply should be that "the petition has been referred by the King to the Secretary of State who has by His Majesty's command given it careful consideration, but regrets that he finds himself unable to advise the King to take any action thereon",
159.
Petitions to the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
There is no right to petition the Queen or any other member of the Royal Family and any memorial asking for their intervention in matters of government should, be sent to the Governor who will inform the memorialist of the correct method of petitioning the Crown".
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Establishment Department,
19th March, 1948.
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