The Queen
According to a famed British constitutional scholar, Walter Bagehot, Queen Elizabeth II “could disband the army; she could dismiss all the officers . . .she could sell off all our ships-of-war and all our naval stores; she could make a peace by the sacrifice of Cornwall and begin a war for the conquest of Brittany. She could make every citizen in the United Kingdom, male or female, a peer; she could make every parish in the United Kingdom a ‘University’; she could dismiss most of the civil servants, and she could pardon all offenders.
Her Majesty’s actual rights as a Queen are only three:
- The right to be consulted by the Prime Minister
- To encourage certain courses of action
- To warn against others
The role of our monarch is extensive, stressful, and time consuming, in an age where instant gratification and rapid, fast paced ways of life seem to be the status quo. However, in stark contrast to the faced paced life of London’s streets, not one thing about the role of the Queen is executed in a rapid and fast paced way.
Throughout history, Kings and Queens have had strong links with the Armed Forces. Armies have defended and attacked territories on behalf of their rulers and have looked to them for guidance and inspiration in times of war and peace since ancient times. The Queen and the family which supports her have a substantial investment in the Armed Forces as both Head of the Armed Forces, Patrons and members of the Armed Forces themselves.
In the United Kingdom, The Queen’s title includes the words ‘Defender of the Faith’. This means Her Majesty has a specific role in both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. As established Churches, they are recognised by law as the official Churches of England and Scotland, respectively. In both England and Scotland, the established Churches are subject to the regulation of law. The principle of religious toleration is fully recognised both for those of other creeds and for those without any religious beliefs.
In the earliest times, the Sovereign was a key figure in the enforcement of law and the establishment of a system of justice. Nowadays the Sovereign retains a symbolic role as the figure in whose name justice is carried out, and law and order are maintained, but is not involved in the actual administration of justice. The independence of the legal system, and the Sovereign’s role as the source of justice, have developed over many centuries. In late Anglo-Saxon times, the concept of the Sovereign as the ‘Fount of Justice’ grew in importance as it helped to ensure that a single system of justice prevailed over competing local, civil and ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
As Head of State, Her Majesty the Queen is must remain in a strictly neutral position with respect to all matters political, where she is unable to vote or stand for election. However, the Queen does hold a key position in our nation, which is to fulfil the important and formal ceremonial roles in relation to the Government of the United Kingdom.
The Queen In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The first Christmas Broadcast was delivered by George V in 1932 and since then has evolved into an important part of the Christmas Day celebrations for many in Britain and around the world.
The Christmas Broadcast is an intrinsic part of Christmas Day festivities for many people across the Commonwealth. Each Broadcast carefully reflects current issues and concerns, and shares The Queen’s reflections on what Christmas means to her and to many of her listeners. Over the years, the Christmas Broadcast has acted as a chronicle of global, national and personal events which have affected The Queen and her audience.
Diamond Jubilee Highlights
The Monarchy
As originally conceived, a Constitutional Monarch was quite a powerful figure, head of the executive branch even though his or her power was limited by the Constitution and the elected parliament. Some of the framers of the US Constitution may have conceived of the president as being an elected Constitutional Monarch, as the term was understood in their time, following Montesquieu’s account of the separation of powers. The present concept of constitutional monarchy developed in the United Kingdom, where it was the democratically elected parliaments, and their leader, the prime minister, who had become those who exercised power, with the monarchs voluntarily ceding it and contenting themselves with the titular position. In many cases even the monarchs themselves, while still at the very top of the political and social hierarchy, were given the status of “servants of the people” to reflect the new, egalitarian view.
In Britain, the Glorious Revolution of 1688 led to a Constitutional Monarchy restricted by laws such as the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701, although limits on the power of the monarch (‘A Limited Monarchy’) are much older than that, as seen in our Magna Carta. Today the monarchy in Britain is politically neutral and by convention the role is largely ceremonial.
The British Constitution is an unwritten document, unlike the constitution in America or the European Constitution, and as such, is referred to as an uncodified constitution, in the sense that there is no one single document that can be referred to as the constitution of the United Kingdom. The British Constotution is very unique, and can be found in a variety of different documents, some dating as far back as the Magna Carta in 1215.
Throughout the centuries, Britain’s kings and queens have built or bought palaces to serve as family homes, workplaces and as centres of government. Some of these are still being used today as official Royal residences and many can be visited by the general public. The residences still standing today can be roughly divided into three categories:
– Official Royal residences
– Private Estates
– Unoccupied Royal residences
Every year the Royal Family as a whole carries out over 2,000 official engagements throughout the UK and worldwide. These engagements may include official State responsibilities. Members of the Royal Family often carry out official duties in the UK and abroad where The Queen cannot be present in person.
Commonwealth Realm is a country which has The Queen as its Monarch. These Sovereign nations are also members of the Commonwealth of Nations which have the Royal line of succession in common with other Realms. Since 1992, there are 16 Commonwealth Realms.
There are 15 Commonwealth Realms in addition to the UK:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Jamaica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Belize
- Papua New Guinea
- St. Christopher and Nevis
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Tuvalu
- Barbados
- Grenada
- Solomon Islands
- St. Lucia
- The Bahamas
The Commonwealth of Nations is an organisation of 53 independent states made up mostly of former colonies that were part of the British Empire. The Commonwealth is headed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, however this position is not a hereditary one. 16 nations in The Commonwealth share Queen Elizabeth II as their Head of State, although each of these nations are governed separately – United Kingdom, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. These are known as the ‘Commonwealth Realms’.
The Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) and the Isle of Man are not part of the United Kingdom, but are dependent territories of the English Crown. Both have their own forms of self-administration, although the United Kingdom government is responsible for certain areas of policy. The Queen has a special relationship with both Crown dependencies, and is known there by unique titles.
Symbols of the Monarchy can be found almost everywhere in the United Kingdom. From the money we use, to the flags we fly, to the stamps we adhere to our leteters, the symbols of our Monarchy are everywhere. There are many more symbols of Monarhcy which you may or may not know of, some of which are attached to the very every day products that we purchase, use and eat. Our Crown is seen in many different ways, whilst many of these symbols are found in places you would least expect them. This section will help you identify the great symbols of our Monarchy.
Education
A Constitutional Monarchy is a form of Constitutional government, where a hereditary Monarch is the Head of State, unlike in an Absolute Monarchy, wherein the King or the Queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the Constitution.
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and Her Governments: In the United Kingdom many important governmental actions are done ‘on behalf of’ Queen Elizabeth II, or she exercises her own powers at the direction of the Prime Minister. These are generally things which remain within the Royal Prerogative.
In the United Kingdom, The Queen’s title includes the words ‘Defender of the Faith’.This means Her Majesty has a specific role in both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. As established Churches, they are recognised by law as the official Churches of England and Scotland, respectively. In both England and Scotland, the established Churches are subject to the regulation of law. The principle of religious toleration is fully recognised both for those of other creeds and for those without any religious beliefs.
Whilst monarchy is unelected, unlike an elected Presidency, Constitutional monarchy allows for certain powers of the Monarch to be limited and balanced by an elected body in the form of a Parliament of elected ministers, and is therefore a democratic process drawn upon an enlightened basis for government. Monarchists argue that Constitutional Monarchy possesses two central features that rarely are to be found in Presidents; while Presidents may see themselves in terms of a limited term of office, with them often being “retired” from other posts into the presidency, constitutional monarchy tends to involve a professional life-long commitment.
Head of State expenditure is the official expenditure relating to The Queen’s duties as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. Head of State expenditure has reduced significantly over the past decade, from £87.3 million in 1991-92 (expressed in current pounds) to £38.2 million in 2009-10. In the year 2009-10, Palace expenditure equalled the cost of just 62 pence per person. Head of State expenditure is met from public funds in exchange for the surrender by The Queen of the revenue from the Crown Estate – this was known as the Civil List.
There are many ways in which the British Monarchist Foundation strives to defend the crown. Whether it be through education, fundraising, events, challenging ignorance in the media and bringing awareness to world of the positive and valuable attributes of our Constitutional Monarchy, we believe that knowledge is power. In our desire to further educate and support the case for our Constitutional Monarchy, the following points support the case that Constitutional Monarchy within the United Kingdom holds more value that any other alternative government process.
Individuals and organisations of a republican nature would like for the overall population to believe that there is no space for a Constitutional Monarchy in a modern world, that the very establishment and theology of Constitutional Monarchy is antiquated and undemocratic, however we know the truth. In our desire to educate about and prove that Constitutional Monarchy is the strongest form of government (as if time has not done so), the British Monarchist Foundation refutes negative the claims often raised by republicans and the organisations which support them as illustrated in this section.
Over recent years numerous opinion polls have been carried out by recognised and respected polling organisations, these show that the Monarchy has clear majority support in the United Kingdom and that only a minority wish to abolish the Monarchy and become republic. The following graph shows support for retaining the monarchy or becoming a republic from 22 polls conducted by the polling group Ipsos Mori between 1993 and 2011.