We know the plot can be a bit intimidating, so we deicded to write out short (or short-ish!) explanations of things that people should know about if they are members. Basically, it's like WIRTW Made Easy so you don't get overwhelmed!

The Sulgraves have been the ruling family in the United Kingdom since 1688. Ever since then, they’ve managed to squash any sorts of attempts at stealing their power and have, for all intents and purposes, been a family who has ruled admirably. Well, admirably enough to prevent a revolution. Over time, their powers have eroded bit by bit—but the king or queen is still the most powerful person in the land. The Prime Minister’s powers don’t even come close to the reigning monarch’s. In our world, the king is the one who declares wars, approves/doesn’t approve all legislation from parliament and handles a lot of the day-to-day running of the country. The heir to the throne is Alexander, Prince of Wales; though he is not the first born child of King James, he is the firstborn son. He has a reputation for being all over the tabloids and deep down he isn’t really thrilled about the concept of being king one day. The rest of the King’s children go about their lives pursuing their own interests as best they can (the oldest princess is living her own life outside the palace walls).

The Nobility are a class of British citizens who are deeply rooted in money and tradition. These are the Dukes, Earls, Barons and the like. The nobility in Britain is still based on a patriarchal system-- that is, that the eldest male son inherits his father's titles. All in all, the nobility is a small group that’s nearly like a family in many ways—all of them knowing each other and each generation growing up with each other. Though it is a very dysfunctional sort of family. And a lot of nobility tends to marry their own sort. How they live their lives is completely up to them, however. Some choose to live the sort of rich socialite life, while others do their best to blend in to the background. Especially considering the political climate and the skepticism regarding their class of people.

SULGRAVE FAMILY HISTORY :: ROYAL CANONS :: NOBILITY CANONS

The government of the United Kingdom in our universe is made up as it is in real life: the Sovereign, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The similarities mostly end there.

The House of Commons is the lower house of government. They are a democratically elected group, however, in our world, they have limited ability to really do much of anything besides introduce and debate legislation. That is all up to the monarch himself.

The House of Lords is the upper house of government. Made up of members of the nobility and clergy (as they are officially titled 'The Lords Spiritual and Temporal'), no one has a stated political party. To become a member of the House of Lords, you must either be a senior bishop of the Church of England or appointed specifically by the monarch.

There are a vast number of political parties in the UK. Here are information about the two main parties on WIRTW and their views on the monarchy. To read more about them, click here.

The Conservative Party is the right-wing political party in the United Kingdom, ascribing to political conservatism and British unionism. In our universe, this also means they are the party that supports the monarchy.

The Labour Party is the main opposition party to the Conservatives at this point in time. They are a center left democratic socialist political party. In our universe, they in general do not support the monarchy, certainly not as it is now, though many MPs support keeping the Sulgrave family around--just in a ceremonial way, much as it is in real life.

The Liberal Democrats are the smallest party currently, a social liberal political party that is considered more radical than Labour though their ideology is, in general, the same. While some in the Labour Party, for example, support the monarchy as is and a vast majority wish for the concept to stick around in some way, the Lib Dems want it abolished.

DETAIL ON GOVERNMENT WORKS ON WIRTW :: POLITICAL CANONS

The British People’s Republican Army is, as of now, the only major anti-monarchy group in the United Kingdom. In short, their goal is to remove the monarchy from power and help England become a democratic nation. That being said, most of those involved with the BPRA have socialist tendencies and are quite liberal on the political scale. Nathan Williams, the group’s leader, runs a tight ship—but like any radical group, there are some loose cannons. They are a para-military group at its core and the ranking system within their group is very important to them. It is what allows them to be as organized and effective as they are.

Of course, not any one person agrees with any other person—which can cause turmoil within its ranks. Some don’t believe in the use of violence to achieve their end game. Some do. Some believe it is okay to target nobility and royalty, but not commoners. And it goes on and on. The BPRA is just starting to come into its own with public acts of displeasure. Some would even say they are resorting to terroristic type means in order to get what they want—such as the bombing at The Royal Ascot horse races (link to subplot). They are your typical group that thinks they must be extreme and use any means necessary, to pry Britain from the tyrannical hold of the monarchy.

REVOLUTIONARY CANONS:: HOW BRPA IS RUN