The oath of allegiance to the queen taken by prospective jurors in the North has been dropped after 120 years in use. Previously, juries in civil and criminal cases faced contempt of court if they refused to make the oath.
Under the new rules, the oath of allegiance to the queen, seen as controversial by nationalists, has been dropped and there is no longer any mention of HRH.
The new oath, which could prove even more controversial to loyalists, simply requires jurors to swear to "faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence".
The change, under The Juries (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, brings the North into line with the rest of the UK where juries are not required to swear an oath to the queen.