The Monarchy

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that although the Queen or King is head of state, they no longer have any meaningful political power. They reign – but do not rule. Until the end of the 17^th century the power to govern Britain lay with the monarch. He or she could pass laws, decide that the country should go to war and, with Parliament’s permission, raise taxes. Important changes in 1689 and 1701 meant that much of this power was passed to Parliament. Since then, Parliament has steadily grown in power and the role of the queen or king is now very limited. All the functions still performed by the British monarch are governed by convention – unwritten rules that have been established as the power of the monarchy gradually disappeared.

The Role of the Monarch

By convention, the queen or king acts only on the advice of government ministers and must remain outside party politics. In return, politicians are usually very careful to respect this neutrality, and not to draw the monarch into political controversy. The main functions of the monarch today are listed below.

The Dissolution of Parliament

This is the official term for bringing a Parliament to an end, so that a general election can take place. Only the king or queen may dissolve Parliament, although this is normally on the advice of the Prime Minister, and it is one of the most important powers still held by the monarch. The last time that the queen or king went to Parliament to carry this out in person was in 1818. When the Prime Minister decides to call a general election today, he or she goes to Buckingham palace and formally asks the queen or king to issue a proclamation for Parliament to be dissolved. Although it has not been used in modern times, the monarch still has the right to refuse to dissolve Parliament. This would only happen if the queen or king judged that it was not in the national interest to do so – for example, if Prime Minister wanted to call an election just to boost his or her own position.

The Royal Assent

Before a Bill can pass into law as an Act of Parliament, it requires the approval, or assent, of the monarch. The last monarch to refuse to approve an Act was Queen Anne in 1707. Today, assent is not reported to Parliament by the monarch in person. The last monarch to give her assent in person was Queen Victoria in 1854.

Appointing the Prime Minister

The monarch alone has the power to appoint the Prime Minister. However, she or he must choose as Prime Minister someone who will have the support of a majority of MPs in the House of Commons. Normally the leader of the party with the largest number of seats in the House of Commons is invited to form a government.

‘Hung parliament’

If no party has an outright majority of MPs it is called a ‘hung parliament’. On such occasions, the role of the queen or king in asking someone to become Prime Minister and form a government becomes more significant. In these circumstances, the monarch waits to see if the serving Prime Minister can form a government with support from other parties. If not, the Prime Minister must resign – he or she cannot call another general election – and the leader of the main opposition party is then asked to form a government. This situation seldom occurs as the voting system used in the UK almost always results in a clear majority for one party.

Other government ministers

In practice the Prime Minister now appoints all other government ministers. However, as Ministers of the Crown they are officially appointed by the monarch, and receive their royal seals of office on appointment.

Rights

The monarch has the right and duty to “advise, to warn and to encourage” the government. This summary of the relationship between the monarch and the government was written during Queen Victoria’s reign but still holds true today. The queen or king has the right to see Cabinet papers but cannot dictate government policy and must abide by the advice of her or his ministers. Each week the Queen holds an audience with the Prime Minister. The content of these meetings, and all communication between her and her government, remains strictly confidential.

The Queen and Parliament

Officially, Parliament is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, and the Crown. Its formal title is the Queen (or King) in Parliament.

The State Opening

The position of the Queen in Parliament is most obvious at the annual State Opening, when the Queen goes to Westminster in person to open a new session of Parliament. This formal, ceremonial and public occasion, is one of the few on which the Queen wears a crown and robes. At the opening the Queen addresses a speech to both Houses of Parliament from her throne in the House of Lords.

The Queen’s Speech

This speech, written by the government, is read by the Queen at the State Opening. It outlines the government’s policy for the coming session of Parliament, and sets out the new laws it intends to create. The Houses of Parliament cannot start their public business until the speech has been read.

Elections

As head of state, the Queen must be politically neutral. It is considered unconstitutional for the monarch or their heirs to take part in any way in local, national or European elections, although the law does not actually prohibit this.

The Head of the Church of England

The monarch is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Although the Church of England has little political power today, it remains the “established” national religion in England, giving it special privileges, like the 26 seats in the House of Lords reserved for the most senior Anglican bishops. It also means that laws of the Church of England are approved by Parliament.

Honours and appointments

In the past an important way for a king or queen to maintain their power was by granting people land, titles, money or jobs. Today it is the government that grants honours and makes appointments to public bodies, universities, the Church or the military. However, these must still be formally approved by the king or queen. The monarch may award some honours independently of the government. The most important of these are the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, and the Order of Merit. The Order of the Garter is the most senior and oldest British Order of the Chivalry, and was founded by Edward III in 1348. The Order, consisting of the King and 25 knights, was intended by Edward III to be the highest reward for loyalty and for military merit. Today Knights of the Garter are chosen personally by the Queen to honour those people who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life, or who have served her personally.

Royal Finance

The costs of the monarchy are covered by Parliament in a grant called the Civil List. In 2000, the annual amount of the Civil List for the next ten years was set at £7.9million per year. The Queen personally owns two palaces at Balmoral and Sandringham, but the other royal palaces are maintained at the country’s expense. Further funds are provided for official transport. Since 1933 the Queen and her heir, the Prince of Wales, have chosen to pay council tax, and income tax on their private income, though the law does not require this.

The Crown

Although the Queen today has very little power herself, the position she holds, known as the Crown, remains an important part of the UK constitution. The Crown is the term used for the office and authority of the state, as opposed to the individual person who is king or queen. It is a reminder of the fact that monarchs used to have considerable personal power. The use of the term Crown to describe state authority can be widely seen. For example, government ministers are officially called “Ministers of the Crown”. The judicial system is carried out in the name of the Crown by Her Majesty’s judges. Ships of the Royal Navy are called Her Majesty’s Ships (HMS) and members of the armed forces swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown.

Crown Prerogative

Although most of the powers once belonging to the monarch have now been passed to Parliament, some may be exercised by the government, particularly the Prime Minister.