In which the King defied Parliament
There was an Act, you see, which was very popular with the Commons and the Lords, but did not meet the favor of the King. And so Parliament voted on it, and it passed both houses, whereupon the Whip and the Prime Minister brought it to the King for his signature. And the King looked at the Act, skimmed it briefly, declared "The measure fails," and handed it back to the Whip.
Well, the Whip took it back to Parliament and informed them that the King had rejected the Act. This annoyed them considerably. So they voted on it again, and this time the vote was unanimous in both houses. The Whip took the Act and the record of the vote, and returned to the King, along with a deputation consisting of the Prime Minister and several of his Cabinet.
"Sire," the Whip declared, "Parliament has passed this bill by unanimous accord. You must now sign it into law."
The King glanced at the Act and the record of the vote, excused himself for a moment, and went to the bathroom. Upon his return, he seated himself upon his throne, looked the Prime Minister directly in the eye, and declared again, "The measure fails."
"But upon what possible legal grounds?" the Prime Minister protested. "The vote was unanimous! By law, you MUST acknowledge the expressed will of Parliament!"
"It's perfectly simple, and quite inarguable," the King replied calmly. "Everyone knows that a royal flush defeats a full House."
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