Commoner

A commoner, in British law, is someone who is neither the Sovereign nor a peer. Therefore, any member of the Royal Family who is not a peer, such as HRH Prince William of Wales or HRH The Princess Royal, is a commoner, as is any member of a peer’s family, including someone with a courtesy title, such as the Earl of Arundel (eldest son of the Duke of Norfolk) or Lady Victoria Hervey (a daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol).

Traditionally, members of the House of Commons were commoners and members of the House of Lords were peers, although peers whose only titles are in the Peerage of Ireland have been able to stand for election to the House of Commons for centuries. Since the House of Lords Act 1999, which excluded most hereditary peers from the House of Lords, most hereditary peers can now stand for election to the House of Commons, even though they are not commoners. For example, the 3rd Viscount Thurso and the 3rd Viscount Hailsham are currently members of the House of Commons.

The term is frequently used to refer to those not of royal blood, but this usage is incorrect.

In some British universities (notably Oxford and Cambridge), a commoner is an undergraduate student who does not hold either a scholarship or an exhibition.



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Carnegie Mellon Detection System Finds Life In Atacama Desert; Mars Ma
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[Odd] A Romanian couple has named their son Yahoo as a sign of gratitu
Daily Libertatea said on Thursday Cornelia and Nonu Dragoman, both from Transylvania, met and decided they were meant for each other following a three-month relationship over the net.They married and had a baby this Christmas, whom they decided to name after one of the worldwide web's most popular portals."We named him Lucian Yahoo after my father and the net, the main beacon of my life,"Cornelia Dragoman was quoted as saying.

Next-generation RAM: Remembering The Future
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Growing Heart Muscle: Rapid 3-D Cell-growth Technique Produces Pulsing
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Winter Weather
Cold weather safety tips and information about cold weather health conditions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Features checklists for preparing your home and car for winter weather, a FAQ on health conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite, indoor and outdoor safety pointers, a bibliography, and related links. Some material available in Spanish and Vietnamese.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival
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Finding A Way To Test For Dark Energy
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