In response to the news that it may soon be illegal to insult an Australian Minister for Gaming, a number of Canadians have informed me that it has long been illegal there to do any act "with intent to alarm Her Majesty."

I note that the Crown need not prove that Her Majesty was in fact alarmed by said act, only that the act was intended to alarm Her. Nor does the law specifically criminalize a mere insult, although it seems likely that many of the insults one might choose to direct at Her Majesty, should one be so boorish as to do so, would in fact be considered potentially alarming and therefore criminal acts.

On the other hand, the mere fact that Her Majesty may in fact have become alarmed is not sufficient; the Crown must prove that the potentially Majesty-alarming act was done willfully and with specific intent to alarm. To my knowledge, Her Current Majesty is not easily alarmed anyway, but these requirements should provide some protection against the day, hopefully quite far off, when a more timid soul may assume the throne.

The penalty for willfully acting with intent to alarm Her Majesty is up to 14 years in prison.