What does the Queen do?

Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch, at the moment Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State. The Queen is also head of the judiciary (all the judges) and of the Church of England, as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Her face is on all British bank notes, coins and postage stamps.

The Queen’s constitutional role, however, is mainly symbolic. True power lies in the hands of Prime Minister and his or her Cabinet. It is the Queen who formally opens Parliament every autumn, but the speech she makes from the throne, giving details of the government future plans, is written for her by politicians. Nothing becomes British law without the monarch’s signature, but the Queen would never refuse to sign a bill which has been passed by Parliament. When a bill has been passed by Parliament it goes to her for Royal Assent before it becomes law. She could refuse to sign it, but she never does. The Royal Assent has not been refused since 1707.

It is the Queen who officially appoints the Prime Minister, but traditionally she always asks the leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons.

The Queen: representing Britain

The most important function of the Queen is ceremonial. On great occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, she is driven through the streets in a golden carriage, guarded by soldiers. She gives a state banquet, usually in her home Buckingham Palace, when foreign monarchs or heads of States visit Britain and soldiers dressed in eighteenth-century uniforms help her welcome them. The Queen is head of the Commonwealth (a group of former and present-day British colonies). As head of the Commonwealth, she meets and entertains prime ministers of the member states.

Since Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952, she has represented Britain in visits to most parts of the world. Prime Ministers come and go, but she carries on above politics, a symbol of British traditions.

This is the Queen’s crown. She only wears it for State occasions,

like the State Opening of Parliament. The diamond in the front

of the crown is the biggest diamond in the world and is from India.