Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom.
In a monarchy a king or queen is Head of State. The British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy.
This means that, while The Queen is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation.
As Head of State, The Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Queen has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'. She acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognises success and excellence; and supports the ideal of public and voluntary service.
In all these roles The Queen is supported by members of her immediate family.
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What is a Constitutional Monarchy?
King John (r. 1199-1216) was forced by his barons to sign a treaty called Magna Carta which limited Royal powers and guaranteed a number of rights for themselves
© The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
As a system of government, constitutional monarchy has many strengths (probably more than any other form of governance). One is that it separates out the ceremonial and official duties of the Head of State from party politics. Another is that it provides stability and continuity, since the Head of State remains the same even as governments come and go.
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a king or queen acts as Head of State, while the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an ELECTED Parliament.
The Sovereign governs according to the constitution - that is, according to rules, rather than according to his or her own free will (King Charles I tried to rule by his own free will - and lost his head).
Although the United Kingdom does not have a written constitution which sets out the rights and duties of the Sovereign, they are established by conventions. These are non-statutory rules which can bind just as much as formal constitutional rules.
As a constitutional monarch, The Queen cannot make or pass legislation, and must remain politically neutral. On almost all matters The Queen acts on the advice of ministers.
However, the Sovereign retains an important political role as Head of State, formally appointing prime ministers, approving certain legislation and bestowing honours.
The Queen also has official roles to play in other organisations, such as the Armed Forces and the Church of England.
The origins of constitutional monarchy in Britain go back a long way. Until the end of the seventeenth century, British monarchs were executive monarchs, which means that they had the right to make and pass legislation.
But even in early times there were occasions when the Sovereign had to act in accordance with the law and take into account the will of his people.
With the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215, for example, the leading noblemen of England succeeded in forcing King John to accept that they and other freemen had rights against the Crown.
In the seventeenth century, the Stuart kings propagated the theory of the divine right of kings, claiming that the Sovereign was subject only to God and not to the law.
Widespread unrest against their rule led to civil war in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1688-9 Parliamentarians drew up a Bill of Rights, which established basic tenets such as the supremacy of Parliament.
The constitutional monarchy we know today really developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as day-to-day power came to be exercised by Ministers in Cabinet, and by Parliaments elected by a steadily-widening electorate.
One of the most important writers on the subject of constitutional monarchy was a Victorian economist and writer called Walter Bagehot (1826-77).
His book, 'The English Constitution', first published in 1867, provided an analysis of the role of monarchy which remains relevant today.
For example, Bagehot describes the way in which monarchy symbolises the unity of the national community.
The Queen receives Government papers each day, but acts on the advice of her ministers
© Press Association
He wrote: "The nation is divided into parties, but the crown is of no party. Its apparent separation from business is that which removes it both from enmities and from desecration, which preserves its mystery, which enables it to combine the affection of conflicting parties ...."
Bagehot also noticed the importance of the Royal Family. "A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life."
From the point of view of political power, according to Bagehot, the main influence of the Sovereign was during a political ministry, for the Sovereign had three rights: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn".
According to Bagehot, a Sovereign would, over the course of a long reign, accumulate far more knowledge and experience than any minister.
Bagehot's views of how monarchy works proved influential, and by the reign of King George V, the principle of constitutional monarchy was firmly established in Britain.
Bill of Rights factfile
The Bill of Rights Act of 1689 set out the foundations of constitutional monarchy.
Rights obtained by Parliament included:
Freedom from Royal interference with the law;
Freedom from taxation by Royal prerogative;
Freedom to petition the King;
Freedom to elect members of Parliament without interference from the Sovereign.
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By means of regular visits through every part of the United Kingdom, The Queen is able to act as a focus for national unity and identity. Through her engagements and walkabouts, The Queen is able to meet people from every walk of life.
The British Sovereign can be seen as having two roles: Head of State, and 'Head of the Nation'.
As Head of State, The Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history.
There are inward duties, with The Queen playing a part in State functions in Britain. Parliament must be opened, Orders in Council have to be approved, Acts of Parliament must be signed, and meetings with the Prime Minister must be held.
There are also outward duties of State, when The Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world. For example, The Queen receives foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertains visiting Heads of State, and makes State visits overseas to other countries, in support of diplomatic and economic relations.
As 'Head of Nation', The Queen's role is less formal, but no less important for the social and cultural functions it fulfils.
These include: providing a focus for national identity, unity and pride; giving a sense of stability and continuity; recognising success, achievement and excellence; and supporting service to others, particularly through public service and the voluntary sector.
These roles are performed through different types of engagement.
By means of regular visits through every part of the United Kingdom, The Queen is able to act as a focus for national unity and identity.
Through her engagements and walkabouts, The Queen is able to meet people from every walk of life. The Queen's unifying role as Sovereign is also shown in her special relationships with the devolved assemblies in Scotland and Wales.
In addition, at times of national celebration or tragedy, The Queen publicly represents the nation's mood - for example, at annual commemoration of the war dead on Remembrance Sunday, or at celebrations for a national sporting victory.
The Queen also has an essential role in providing a sense of stability and continuity in times of political and social change. The system of constitutional monarchy bridges the discontinuity of party politics.
While political parties change constantly, the Sovereign continues as Head of State, providing a stable framework within which a government can introduce wide-ranging reforms.
With more than five decades of reading State papers, meeting Heads of State and ambassadors and holding a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, The Queen has an unequalled store of experience upon which successive Prime Ministers have been able to draw.
The Queen is able to recognise success and achievement in a personal way. These include honours, awards, visits, patronage and sponsorship. At Investitures, for example, The Queen honours individuals for public service or outstanding achievement.
The Queen visits a victim of the bombs of 7 July 2005
© Press Association
She also hosts garden parties to which guests from all backgrounds are invited, most of whom are nominated by charities or public sector organisations for their service to their communities.
And in the thousands of messages sent by The Queen each year to people celebrating their 100th birthdays or diamond weddings, The Queen is able to give special and personal recognition of remarkable individuals.
The Queen also supports service to others, through close relationships with the voluntary and charitable sector. About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president. The Queen has over 600 patronages and The Duke of Edinburgh over 700.
In all these roles, The Queen is supported by members of the Royal Family, who carry out many of the engagements which The Queen cannot undertake in person.
The Queen's role is to:
Perform the ceremonial and official duties of Head of State, including
representing Britain to the rest of the world;
Provide a focus for national identity and unity;
Provide stability and continuity in times of change;
Recognise achievement and excellence;
Encourage public and voluntary service.
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Queen and State
The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom. Her official title in the UK is "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith".
As a constitutional monarch, The Queen does not 'rule' the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Queen is also Fount of Justice, from whom justice in the United Kingdom derives, and has important relationships with the Armed Forces and the established Churches of England and Scotland.
In addition to her role in the United Kingdom, The Queen has a special role to play in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are dependent territories of the English Crown.
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History
The history of the English Crown up to the Union of the Crowns (in which the English Crown unified with the Scottish Crown to form the British Crown as it is today) in 1603 is long and eventful.
The concept of a single ruler unifying different tribes based in England developed in the eighth and ninth centuries in figures such as Offa and Alfred the Great, who began to create centralised systems of government.
Following the Norman Conquest, the machinery of government developed further, producing long-lived national institutions including Parliament.
The Middle Ages saw several fierce contests for the Crown, culminating in the Wars of the Roses, which lasted for nearly a century. The conflict was finally ended with the advent of the Tudors, the dynasty which produced some of England's most successful rulers and a flourishing cultural Renaissance.
The end of the Tudor line with the death of the 'Virgin Queen' in 1603 brought about the Union of the Crowns with Scotland.
Until 1603 the English and Scottish Crowns were separate, although links between the two were always close - members of the two Royal families intermarried on many occasions. Following the Accession of King James VI of Scotland (I of England) to the English Throne, a single monarch reigned in the United Kingdom.
The last four hundred years have seen many changes in the nature of the Monarchy in the United Kingdom. From the end of the 17th century, monarchs lost executive power and they increasingly became subject to Parliament, resulting in today's democratic constitutional Monarchy.
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