“It's illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament”
MYTH! The UK Law Commission explicitly states no such law exists. They also found no law stating that dying in a royal palace entitles anyone to a state funeral.
The claim holds that it is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament because the Palace of Westminster is a royal palace, and anyone dying there would be entitled to a state funeral. The Law Commission's Statute Law Repeals team confirmed no such law exists. Several people have died in Parliament without receiving state funerals: Guy Fawkes (executed, 1606), Sir Walter Raleigh (executed, 1618), Spencer Perceval (assassinated PM, 1812), and Sir Alfred Billson (died while voting on sugar tax, 1907). Perceval, the only British PM ever assassinated, was buried at his family's expense. The origin of the myth is unknown, but it may stem from confusion with the Coroners Act 1988, which states that deaths in royal palaces fall under the jurisdiction of the coroner of the Queen's household - a procedural matter, not a funeral entitlement.
Where the story gets it wrong
Many believe dying in the Houses of Parliament is illegal because the Palace of Westminster is a royal palace, entitling anyone who dies there to a state funeral. In fact, no such law exists, and people including MP Sir Alfred Billson in 1907 have died there without receiving state funerals.
No such law exists. The Law Commission's Statute Law Repeals team has confirmed there is no legislation making it illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament or any royal palace. The team has also been unable to trace any law granting a state funeral to anyone who dies in a royal palace.
- Current status
- Unknown