Britain – The monarchy – Possible questions
The position of the monarchy is a perfect illustration of the contradictory nature of the
constitution.
Theory
Reality
Queen has almost absolute power.
The Queen has no power at all
Government: Queen can choose Prime Minister
Government: PM is leader of strongest party and
and ministers (servants of the crown), PM may
chooses ministers (if no majority in House of
give advice.
Commons  no taxes)
Parliament: Queen can summon and dismiss, can Parliament: can not refuse request to dismiss,
refuse laws
since 1708 every bill has been signed (someone
Law: Queen stands above the law and embodies it, else signs them)
“The Crown” accuses, “Her Majesty’s” prisons
Law: in fact this is all the work of the people, it is
just a formula.
The Crown is the institution that accuses criminals; there is no “people” or “state”, as there are no
citizens but subjects.
The House of Commons is the elected chamber of the two Houses of Parliament. The leader of the
strongest party in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister.
Windsor is the name of the royal family (“The Windsors”). Elisabeth II is only the 4th monarch with
this name, it was changed during WOI, because Saxe-Coburg-Gotha sounded to German).
The speech of the queen is written for her, she can only ask to change the wording.
The royal family
Queen Elisabeth
Queen Elisabeth II
Prince Philip of Mountbatten
Prince Charles
Princess Diana
Princess Anne
Prince Andrew
Prince Edward
the Queen Mother. She is the mother of the present Queen and was
married to King George VI (who died in 1952). She became popular
by her tours of bombed areas in London, during WOII)
Born in 1926, father died in 1952 when she became Queen. One of
the longest-reigning monarchs in British history. Widely respected for
her performance and generally popular.
Duke of Edinburgh married Elisabeth II in 1947. His outspoken
opinions on controversial matters were embarrassing to the royal
family in the 60’s and 70’s.
Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Born in 1948, eldest son of
Queen. Concerned about environment and conditions in cities. He
sometimes makes critical speeches.
Married Charles in 1981, separated in 1992 and later divorced. Died
in 1997 in a car accident. She was glamorous and popular. They have
two children: William (second heir to the throne) and Henry (1982
and 1984).
Also known as Princess Royal, daughter of Queen, born in 1950. Two
children, separation, married again in 1992. Respected for her charity
work, done in a spirit of realism.
Second sun, Duke of York, born in 1960. Divorced from Sarah
Ferguson (Fergie), two daughters.
Third and youngest son, born in 1964, involved in theatre. Married
Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, Duke and Duchess of Wessex.
Three roles of the monarch
1. Personal embodiment of the government of the country
 You can be critical about the real government, without being unpatriotic
 She creates stability when the government changes
2. Final check on a government that was becoming dictatorial
 She can refuse bills and dismiss a Prime Minister that wanted for example an illegal dismissing
of the Parliament.
3. A practical role: she goes to all ceremonies, so the real government has time to govern.
The Honours list is published twice a year, officially by the monarch, in fact by the Prime Minister.
The people mentioned on it get a title or even life peerages, which give them access to the House of
Lords.
KG
Knight of the Order of the Garter
KCB Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
CBE Commander of the British Empire
In fact the British monarchy is more important for the economy of Britain than it is to the system of
government. The buildings and the royal family itself make tourism earn an awful lot of money.
Eduard VIII wanted to marry a twice-divorced American woman. The government did not allow this,
so he had to abdicate. He went to live abroad, though he remained a popular figure. It is often seen as
an example of the power of love.
Cooling down on enthusiasm
The royal family is seen as an example of Christian family live, but the recent marital problems have
made this family less popular. On the 25th Crown anniversary there were spontaneously organised
neighbourhood parties in whole the country, but on her 40th anniversary, only a building of her was
lost in a fire.
Anti-monarchists opinions are most expressed on the fact that the royal family costs Britain an awful
lot of money.
Annus horibilis
1992: This was the year of the separation of Charles and Diana ánd the announcement that Australia
wanted to leave Britain and become a republic.
 One’s bum year
Headline of The Sun, most popular British newspaper. It uses the similarity between anus and annus to
make a pun of bum (which can mean both anus and horrible). The ‘one’ refers to the frequent use of
“one” to mean I or me by the Queen. The headline thus mixes formal and very informal language. It is
impossible that such a title could have appeared in the 50’s or 60’s.