The British Monarchy, that most ancient and noble of institutions, seems to me to be an excellent subject in which to delve. The obvious place to start is at the beginning, but there were endings and beginnings in the reigns of Charles, Charles II and the Interregnum, when England became a republic. No doubt we’ll have a closer look at both these kings later on, but for now I think an overview will serve us well enough.
Britain is described as a Constitutional Monarchy. This came about, first by The Bill of Rights of 1689, that established the line of succession for Mary the Second’s heirs. The Act of Settlement in 1701 ensured that only a protestant could reign in Britain, and it therefore underpinned the Bill of Rights.
Even to this day, no Roman Catholic may hold Sovereignty, nor any person married to a Roman Catholic.
Constitutional Monarchy simply means that a king or queen is the Head of State, but that he or she may not in any way enact or interfere with the legislation of the country. This is the responsibility of the elected government. Party politics are held separate from the duties of the Head of State. It’s an excellent system, since the reigning monarch is in no position to nominate advisors as he or she sees fit. All must be duly elected officials.
There is no written instrument for Constitutional Monarchy. Convention ensures Its establishment, together with the rights and duties of the monarch. Nevertheless, these non-statutory rules are just as binding as if they were written out in documented form. The sovereign enjoys an important political role, even though he or she must act on the advice of their ministers. However, the sovereign is Head of the Armed Forces, they formally appoint Prime Ministers, bestow honours and have the power to examine and discuss certain legislation.
All monarchs are head of the Privy Council.This is the most ancient form of assembly, going back as it does to the Norman kings, when they’d meet their advisors in private. Hence ‘Privy’ Council.
There are 400 members of the Privy Council. They meet roughly once a month at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace. Occasionally at Balmoral.
The 17th. Century saw a change in the old ways. In those days the monarch, and the council that he or she had chosen, were the government.
We’ve touched on the Bill of Rights. This also ensured the supremacy of Parliament. The Stuart kings had made themselves extremely unpopular by their insistence of the divine right of kings, that the reigning sovereign was answerable only to God and not the law of the land.
The Privy Council is the Court of Final Appeal for countries such as Jamaica and Barbados. They’re Crown dependencies and United Kingdom overseas territories and as such have earned the right to appeal to Her Majesty in Council.
The foregoing is a potted explanation of the make-up of the Monarchy, by no means thorough. Many more pages would need to be written to cover such a vast subject. But I do hope you find this of interest, and next time we’ll have a brief look at both the Charlies!
