Petition to the King's Most Excellent Majesty

Leaflet printed with the Petition presented to King Edward VII by the Women's Freedom League on 8 July 1909. The Petition requests that the WFL be granted a personal audience with the King so that they may present their case for female suffrage. The right to petition the King is justified in the document by stating that, without the power to vote, and the continued refusal of the Government to receive a deputation from the WFL an audience with the King is the only way those not represented in parliament can air their grievances.

The leaflet refers to 'The Great Watch,' the continuous picketing of the House of Commons undertaken by the Women's Freedom League throughout the Summer of 1909 in an attempt to receive an audience with the Government. The WFL based their 'right to petition' parliament and the monarch on a statute issued during the reign of Charles II and the Bill of Rights of 1688.