The whole field of nobility and royalty is in disarray and confusion. It is rife with falsehoods, misguided experts, phony princes, and counterfeit chivalric orders. Besides the numerous scams and charlatans that exist, there is a widespread misunderstanding of the international and natural laws that govern dynastic rights. This is a field that is truly divided. This sad state of affairs need not continue. If international law is honored, revered and respected, then everything can be set in its proper order. The grand key to this needed unity is the rule of the just, time-honored laws that already exist.

Unlike some fleeting, man-made laws that change over time, there are universal, intrinsic, and indispensable laws that transcend mankind and are immutable. This is natural law. If sufficiently understood, this higher law is more than adequate to address the major issues and controversies in the study of nobility, royalty, and non-territorial sovereignty. The ultimate result of the rule of law is the triumph of justice, which can unite most people as it is one of the great universal values and inner longings and desires of mankind.

This ground-breaking book dispels the more widespread myths, fairy tales and fabrications regarding royal titles, honors, and distinctions. It deals with non-territorial sovereignty, which is central to the legal and moral survival of nobility and royalty in a modern world that is full of misinformation and confusion.

The book is provocative in that it brings up well-known international legal verities that are relatively unknown or misunderstood. The effect of these legal verities can be disturbing to some and refreshing to others. This is because the book clarifies how to identify counterfeiters while it supports and strengthens those who are true and authentic. It explains the essential legal certainties deeply associated with nobility and royalty. It also provides solutions and answers to the vexing problems that plague the realm of nobility and royalty as a field that is adrift and without an anchor.

For instance, it is extremely rare that people interested in nobility and royalty fully understand or comprehend the legal right of the sovereign head of a deposed royal house to be a fons honorum with the lawful right to award honors and give special recognitions for merit. Nor do many know how to ensure that these sacred rights of authentic and true sovereignty are perpetuated. Such important and relevant legal realities will be addressed in great detail along with repeated examples based on historical, legal, and political precedents.

Part of the reason this book is interesting and engaging, especially for a book on law, is that the language style is not only authoritative, but the author has the audacity to be blunt, outspoken, and unequivocal. Straight talk is a refreshing mode in a world where others are, all too often, tentative and indecisive. But the evidence is there to back up and support the strongly-worded and highly important legal, moral and ethical points.

However, one very real drawback to being bold, straightforward and certain is that it can be like drawing a line in the sand, which is challenging to others. But without having the courage to take such risks, one cannot defend what needs to be defended and clearly communicated. One old saying seems to communicates this well, "Look to the turtle, he only makes progress when he sticks his neck out."[1] Some things just need to be said, and it would be a sad commentary if they were not addressed for the benefit of posterity and all people.

The greatest men in history are great precisely because they broke with consensus and group thinking and dared to be pioneers and venture into what is scientifically confirmable, but was not well-known or understood. This is exactly what Dr. Kerr has done. It is an area that deserves recognition as a subject of great worth and value to men of understanding and influence.

This is a book does not skirt the issues or sweep things under the rug. It is also a book of evidence, proof, and substantiation rather than being merely a handbook of opinions. It incorporates a citation-centered style of writing to present content in a way that provides impressive and powerful validation to the valuable concepts that are taught and exemplified. Over 2,800 footnotes, which include the additional quotes supplied in the footnote sections at the bottom of many pages, are provided to affirm their universal recognition. These important, but relatively unknown, legal principles are repeated and restated through the use of numerous different citations to make it unequivocally clear what the law really is, and how it can be a protective anchor to genuine claims and expose what is false, invented or misleading.

As a direct result of the useful legal information and insight provided, this book has the unique and obvious potential to make a major contribution to the perpetuation and continuance of legitimate royalty, nobility, and chivalry, which includes the high ideals, values and legal rights associated therewith. These gems are worth preserving for many reasons, including the general good and benefit of mankind. For example, according to a variety of studies, countries with constitutional monarchs generally have the strongest economies, wealth, prosperity, freedom, and political stability.

A core theme found throughout the book is the importance of the moral and ethical principles that are inseparably connected to all just and honorable laws. These fundamental principles, if reverenced, admired, and practiced on the one hand, or ignored on the other, can make or break a nation or a people. Therefore, they are of critical value and worth and are included in what can only be considered a masterful work.

While this book is intended to be simple enough for the general public, or most people to understand, the book is also intended to give international lawyers, judges, and law students ammunition to empower them in this most unique and specialized area of international law as well as review some of the basic principles that undergird all great civilized countries.

This book has the real potential to make a substantial contribution to the important fields of legal ethics and international affairs as the following individuals have testified:

It is a very interesting work, very comprehensive of the different aspects of non-territorial sovereignty and composed of original research. . . . This element is perhaps the most creative part of the book. It is magnificently done and of great worth. (Adalberto J. Urbina Briceño, Sc.D., Professor Head of the Public International Law Chair (Catholic University Andrés Bello- Caracas), Associate Professor of Public International Law and Human Rights (Central University of Venezuela), Member of the Academic Committee of the Specialization in Human Rights (Central University of Venezuela), and author of the 2012 book Derecho Internacional De Les Refugiados.

This book is unparalleled in bringing together the legal history, rights, and international framework for non-territorial sovereign families. It should be required reading for any serious student of modern royalty. I am pleased to offer my support as the head of the royal Bagrationi family of Georgia and claimant to the throne. (His Royal Highness, Prince Nugzar, Head and Chief of the Royal House of Georgia)

I found Dr. Kerr’s book extremely interesting. It is a goldmine of references and is a valuable account of a [thought provoking] . . . and poorly understood area of law. (Rev’d Professor Noel Cox, LLM, MA, MTheol, Ph.D., LTh, FRHists, Barrister, Aberystwyth University, New Zealand)

Dr. Kerr has put together a book that is a "one of a kind" providing what is needed to perpetuate the rights of deposed sovereignty. For all those interested in the legal future of nobility and royalty, this is a very important, scholarly and insightful book to read. It should be read by all heads of state. This book is a masterpiece on law and justice. (LaWanna Blount, Ph.D., F.Coll.T, vice president, co-founder and professor at the International College of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Como, Mississippi, USA)

I found the article [sub-chapter] on Tibet very well-researched and thorough in its exploration of the status of Tibet as an independent state. The book, in general, is a clearly argued exploration of the laws that support dispossessed governments. It is written in a clear and compelling manner. It is hoped that more and more people will become familiar with the laws of justice contained in this book. (Thubten Samphel, director of the Tibet Policy Institute of the Central Tibetan Administration and author of the book Falling Through the Roof, Dharamshala, India)

I have gone through the sub-chapter entitled "The Royal Princes of India and their De jure Rights" and the book "Non-Territorial Sovereignty in International Law" by Dr. Stephen P. Kerr. The area of knowledge it covers is highly interesting and research oriented. The author has taken the subject comprehensively specifying the concept of "de-facto" and "de-jure sovereignty" in the international perspective. I personally very much appreciate the efforts of the writer. Thank you. (Anand Ballabh Kafaltiya, LLM, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Jurisprudence, International and Comparative Law, Bareilly College and M.J.P. Rohikhand University, India)

Dr. Kerr’s book . . . is one of those singular, path breaking works that throws new light on a field of study . . . on the complex legal and philosophical sinews that keep alive [deposed] monarchies. . . . This type of writing fills a huge gap within the royal studies field. . . .

Sovereignty is the heart and soul of a monarchical institution [it needs to be fully understood]. . . . I highly recommend this first class writing. . . . (Dr. Diana Mandache, historian and author, Bucharest, Romania)

This is the first book of its kind about this most interesting and important subject. The author obviously has a deep understanding of international law and how it relates to deposed monarchies and exiled governments. The content is will structured and well written. I accept this book as conforming to the highest academic standards expected of a master scholar and practitioner. (Alexander Arapov, Sc.D., Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Sociology of the All-Russian State Distance-Learning Institute of Finance and Economics, a branch of the Financial University of the Russian Federation)

I am very impressed with Dr. Kerr’s book. This has been the most interesting and helpful book I have read in the field on nobiliary law as well as international law. I highly recommend this enlightening contribution to the understanding of non-territorial sovereignty. . . . It exemplifies the highest level of scholarly content, clarity and depth of inquiry yet presented on this profound and important subject. (Prof. Dr. Mirjana Radovic-Markovic, Academician, Institute of Economic Sciences and Faculty of Business Economics and Entrepreneurship, Belgrade, Serbia)

Dr. Kerr has put together a remarkable book that could unify the whole field of nobility and royalty around the only subject upon which everyone could agree, that is, upon the need for the absolute rule of just laws. At present, the field is subject to the chaos of many contradictory opinions. For this reason alone, the book is worth its weight in gold. It presents an important message that makes it stand out as a book that will be consulted for years to come.

-----The Senior Editor: D. Edward Goff, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., DBA, National Board Member APA, Asst. Professor of Genealogy, Social Science and Law at the International College of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Asst. Editor of the peer reviewed professional journal ALTAIR