The British monarchy as of 2008

Résumé du document

The British monarchy is a shared monarchy which can trace its ancestral lineage back to the Anglo-Saxon period. The British monarch or Sovereign is the Head of state of the United Kingdom and in the British overseas territories. So the British monarch is also head of state of sixteen other countries, all of which were once part of the British Empire. These countries, together with the UK, are known as the Commonwealth Realms.

The powers of the monarchy, known as the Royal Prerogative, are still very extensive. But most of the powers are exercised not by the monarch personally, but by ministers. Indeed, as the modern British monarchy is a constitutional one, the Sovereign's role has been recognized since the 19th century, but in practice, political power is exercised today through Parliament and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The present Sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since February 6Th, 1952. But her function is often criticized and discussed for the money it represents. On the other side, it seems difficult to imagine Britain without the Royal Family.

Extraits

[...] The powers of the monarchy, known as the Royal Prerogative, are still very extensive. But most of the powers are exercised not by the monarch personally, but by ministers. Indeed, as the modern British monarchy is a constitutional one, the Sovereign's role has been recognised since the 19th century, but in practice, political power is exercised today through Parliament and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The present Sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since February 6Th But her function is often criticized and discussed for the money it represents. [...]

[...] We have a good example with the success of Stephen Frears' film Queen” (starring Helen Mirren : it takes an intimate glimpse at the interaction between Queen Elizabeth II and British Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to reach a compromise between treating her death as a private tragedy for the Royal Family and appeasing the public's demand for an overt display of mourning) which raises relevant questions : How can the royal family both show modernity and respect its traditional old fashioned image? Can we speak in terms of influence regarding the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Queen? Is monarchy still relevant today? 6 It would be interesting to draw a parallel between France and the United Kingdom: can we see a kind of nostalgia of the monarchy in the very presidential system of the French republic? [...]

[...] Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom: is she the perfect representation of the monarchy? Her life We do not know much about Elizabeth II, majesty”, “Ma'am” or “Your majesty” (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): she has rarely given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except to those few heads of government who share her confidence. [...]

[...] The common law holds that the Sovereign "can do no wrong"; the monarch cannot be prosecuted in his or her own courts for criminal offences. However, lawsuits against the monarch personally are not cognizable. The Sovereign also exercises the "prerogative of mercy," and may pardon offences against the Crown. Similarly, the monarch is also the fount of honour, or the source of all honours and dignities in the United Kingdom. Thus, the Crown creates all peerages, appoints members of the orders of chivalry, grants knighthoods, and awards other honours. [...]

[...] It embodies the British culture and values. Ex: the British culture is often defined in relation with the sovereign: “Elizabethan theatre”, “Victorian England”, “Edwardian England” . If the royal family has always had to embody traditional values, it has showed over the last decades some signs of modernization: (Symbolical examples: Elton John sang at the funeral of Lady Diana Paul Mc Cartney sang for the Jubilee). But the fall of the monarchy's popularity Always a popular figure in England, not to mention other countries, opinion polls have almost always shown that Elizabeth II has an excellent approval rating, currently over 80%. [...]