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The Barclay brothers have said they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights after the High Court rejected their claim that state recognition of feudal positions in Sark breaches human rights.

New legislation will give Sark, a “crown dependency", an elected legislature for the first time. However, the unelected feudal positions of Seigneur and Seneschal will not be abolished. The first is an heredity "lord" who leases the island from the British head of state. The Seneschal is the chief civil and criminal judge who also presides over the parliament.

The Barclay brothers own a fifth of the island's land and have substantial business interests in Britain, including conservative publications. They both use the feudal title of “knight”.

Sark is a “crown dependency” in the English Channel.

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The Scout Association has threatened to deny full membership of its Cubs to eight-year-old Matthew McVeigh because he refuses to promise allegiance to Britain's feudal head of state, Elizabeth Windsor.

Matthew's family is Catholic and Britain's constitution bars Catholics from the nation's chief public office. His mother Tracy McVeigh told the Daily Record newspaper "The 1701 Act of Settlement specifically discriminates against Catholic people and only allows for Protestants to take the throne - so why should we make an oath to the monarchy? Matthew said "It's not fair. I don't want to say a promise that I don't believe in.

The Scots Association wanted Matthew to say "I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God and the Queen, to help other people and to keep the Cub Scout Law". He offered to promise to do his duty to his country instead of Windsor. The Scouts Association refused to allow this. It does allow Cubs to substitute a deity other than “God”.

Using a demeaning alternative to the word “citizen”, Scout Association spokesperson Chris Foster told The Record that “British subjects must promise to do their duty to the Queen. It is simply UK Scout Association policy that all British subjects must promise that."

Republicans are subject to systematic discrimination in Britain. They are barred from the legislature and from judicial and military positions.

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The Caribbean island Bermuda, Britain’s oldest colony, is to celebrate the birthday of hereditary head of state Elizabeth Windsor for the last time this year. The colony’s government, which favours independence from Britain, is to replace the public holiday that marks the birthday with National Hero’s Day. The government hopes this will encourage national identity.

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A Roy Morgan Research opinion poll suggests that 46 per cent of New Zealanders are in favour of their country becoming a republic. Only 41 per cent favoured the current status of monarchy. This percentage fell to 32 when those polled were asked what they would want if Charles Windsor became Britain’s head of state.

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The British government announced on 30 April that there would be no change to the feudal Act of Settlement that favours males for head of state and bars Catholics.

In April the government had announced its intention of ending the discrimination against women that the Act requires. Solicitor General Vera Baird is reported to have called the feudal law "a load of rubbish".

The marriage of Peter Philips to Canadian Catholic Autumn Kelly has also led to calls for reform. Mr. Philips holds the eleventh position in the line of possible heads of state but would have lost his place on marrying Ms. Kelly. She converted to Anglicanism, however, allowing Philips to keep his position.

Britain’s feudal constitution bars all citizens who are not members of the Windsor family from their country’s chief public office.

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Thousands danced in the streets of Kathmandu when Nepal’s monarchy was abolished on 28 May. Legislators had voted 560 to 4 to end the 240-year-old evil.

King Gyanendra has been given 14 days to vacate his palace and has been asked to pay the electricity bill. His portrait has already been removed from bank notes and his name deleted from the national anthem.

Gyanendra became feudal head of state in 2001 and assumed absolute power in 2005. Maoists led an armed revolt for ten years. After giving up their arms they won a general election in April of last year. They have not yet been able to form a government.

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