In the UK what powers has the Queen actually got?

Question

Does the Prime Minister actually need to ask the Queen permission for anything or is all the power with the Prime Minister?

Answer 1

hse has the power to go to the front of the queue in Asda and Tesco's

Answer 2

Well, some say she is proficient at the Jedi mind trick

Answer 3

she has the power to just be a figurehead,,a very wealthy one, but still just a figurehead..

Answer 4

The British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and holds the now constitutional position of head of state. According to convention, the Queen's powers are exercised upon the advice of her prime minister. She does however possess certain reserve powers which she may exercise at her own discretion.

In the UK, the Queen (or King, when there is a male monarch) has numerous theoretical personal prerogatives. In practice, however, with the exception of the appointment of a prime minister, which is done with every prime minister, there are few circumstances in modern British government where these could be justifiably exercised; they have rarely been exercised in the last century. These powers could be exercised in an emergency such as a constitutional crisis. The monarch's personal prerogatives are:

- The refusal to dissolve Parliament when requested by the Prime Minister.

- To appoint a Prime Minister of her own choosing.

- The dismissal of a Prime Minister and his Government on the Monarch's own authority.

- The refusal of the Royal Assent.

- The refusal of the "Queen's Consent," where direct monarchical assent is required for a bill affecting, directly or by implication, the prerogative, hereditary revenues—including ultimus haeres, treasure trove, and bona vacantia—or the personal property or interests of the Crown to be heard in Parliament.

It has long been established in the uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom that political power is ultimately exercised by the Parliament of the United Kingdom, of which the Sovereign is a non-partisan component, along with the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Thus, as the modern British monarchy is a constitutional one, the Sovereign's role is in practice limited to non-partisan functions (such as being the fount of honour).

In practice, political power is exercised today through Parliament and by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The sovereign also holds the title of Supreme Governor of the established Church of England. The monarch holds a weekly audience with the Prime Minister, as well as regular audiences with other members of the Cabinet. The monarch may express his or her views, but, as a constitutional ruler, must ultimately accept the Prime Minister's and Cabinet's decisions.

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_mon...

Answer 5

No real power, she is just a rich lady with lots of money, and a neat title.  God save the Queen.

Answer 6

Most things she does are traditional eg dissolving parliament, but she does have some powers, called reserve powers. These give her (or him for when it's a king) the power to refuse to dissolve parliament, appoint a prime minister of her choice, dismiss a prime minister and refuse to give consent to certain bills.

Answer 7

The Queen is head of state and therefore holds all the power,

but in practice the PM runs the country ( with her advice and consent )

Answer 8

The Prime Minister has the power. Here is what The Queen does, in her capcity as an advisor to her state (from http://www.royal.gov/uk )

"As Head of State The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote or stand for election.

But The Queen does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the Government of the UK.

The formal phrase 'Queen in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Queen's duties include opening each new session of Parliament, dissolving Parliament before a general election, and approving Orders and Proclamations through the Privy Council.

The Queen also has a close relationship with the Prime Minister, retaining the right to appoint and meet with him or her on a regular basis.

In addition to playing a specific role in the UK Parliament based in London, The Queen has formal roles with relation to the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"The Queen has an important formal and ceremonial relationship with Parliament.

The phrase 'Crown in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature, which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Of these three different elements, the Commons, a majority of whom normally supports the elected Government of the day, has the dominant political power.

The role of the Sovereign in the enactment of legislation is today purely formal, although The Queen has the right to be consulted, to encourage and to warn through regular audiences with her ministers.

As a constitutional monarch, the Sovereign is required to assent to all Bills passed by Parliament, on the advice of Government ministers. The Royal Assent (consenting to a measure becoming law) has not been refused since 1707.

The Queen also plays an important role in the ceremonial opening and dissolving of Parliament.

In the annual State Opening of Parliament ceremony, The Queen opens Parliament in person, and addresses both Houses in The Queen's Speech. Neither House can proceed to public business until The Queen's Speech has been read.

This speech is drafted by the Government and not by The Queen. It outlines the Government's policy for the coming session of Parliament and indicates forthcoming legislation.

In addition to opening Parliament, only The Queen can summon Parliament, and prorogue (discontinue without dissolving it) or dissolve it.

When a Prime Minister wishes to dissolve Parliament and call a general election, he or she is obliged to seek the permission of the Sovereign to do so. For this purpose, the Prime Minister usually travels to Buckingham Palace before announcing a general election.

Since the Parliament Act of 1911, the life of the United Kingdom Parliament extends to five years, unless dissolved sooner by the Sovereign at the request of the Prime Minister.

In practice, except during the two World Wars when the life of Parliament was extended annually to avoid a wartime general election, every modern Parliament has been dissolved before its term has expired.

"The Queen has a special relationship with the Prime Minister, the senior political figure in the British Government, regardless of their political party.

Although she is a constitutional monarch who remains politically neutral, The Queen retains the ability to give a regular audience to a Prime Minister during his or her term of office, and plays a role in the mechanics of calling a general election.

The Queen gives a weekly audience to the Prime Minister at which she has a right and a duty to express her views on Government matters. If either The Queen or the Prime Minister are not available to meet, then they will speak by telephone.

These meetings, as with all communications between The Queen and her Government, remain strictly confidential. Having expressed her views, The Queen abides by the advice of her ministers.

The Queen also plays a part in the calling of a general election. The Prime Minister of the day may request the Sovereign to grant a dissolution of Parliament at any time.

In normal circumstances, when a single-party government enjoys a majority in the House of Commons, the Sovereign would not refuse, for the government would then resign and the Sovereign would be unable to find an alternative government capable of commanding the confidence of the Commons.

After a general election, the appointment of a Prime Minister is also the prerogative of the Sovereign.

In appointing a Prime Minister, the Sovereign is guided by constitutional conventions. The main requirement is to find someone who can command the confidence of the House of Commons.



There have been ten British Prime Ministers during The Queen's reign:

They are:

Winston Churchill 1951-55

Sir Anthony Eden 1955-57

Harold Macmillan 1957-63

Sir Alec Douglas-Home 1963-64

Harold Wilson 1964-70 and 1974-76

Edward Heath 1970-74

James Callaghan 1976-79

Margaret Thatcher 1979-90

John Major 1990-97

Tony Blair 1997-2007

Gordon Brown from 2007

This is normally secured by appointing the leader of the party with an overall majority of seats in the Commons, but there could still be exceptional circumstances when The Queen might need to exercise discretion to ensure that her Government is carried on.

When a potential Prime Minister is called to Buckingham Palace, The Queen will ask him or her whether he or she will form a government.

To this question, two responses are realistically possible. The most usual is acceptance.

If the situation is uncertain, as it was with Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1963, a potential Prime Minister can accept an exploratory commission, returning later to report either failure or, as occurred in 1963, success.

After a new Prime Minister has been appointed, the Court Circular will record that "the Prime Minister Kissed Hands on Appointment". This is not literally the case. In fact, the actual kissing of hands will take place later, in Council."

"The Queen's role in Parliament is:

Assenting to Bills passed by Parliament, on the advice of Ministers;

Giving audiences to Ministers, at which Her Majesty may be consulted, encourage and warn;

Opening each new session of Parliament;

Proroguing or dissolving Parliament before a general election.

Parliament has not been dissolved by the Sovereign in person since 1818 (the Prince Regent was acting for George III), and is now invariably dissolved by Royal proclamation.

This proclamation includes an order to summon the next Parliament and therefore sets in motion the machinery for holding a general election.

The Prime Minister of the day may request the Sovereign to grant a dissolution at any time. In normal circumstances, when a single-party government enjoys a majority in the House of Commons, the Sovereign would not refuse, for the government would then resign and the Sovereign would be unable to find an alternative government capable of commanding the confidence of the Commons.

When Parliament is summoned, also after a Royal proclamation, there must, since the Representation of the People Act 1918, be a period of at least twenty days before Parliament meets. This period can be extended, but only for fourteen days, according to the Prorogation Act 1867.

There is only one occasion on which Parliament meets without a Royal summons, and that is when the Sovereign has died. In such circumstances, the Succession to the Crown Act 1707 provides that, if Parliament is not already sitting, it must immediately meet and sit.

The Meeting of Parliament Act 1797 provides that, if the Sovereign dies after Parliament has been dissolved, the immediately preceding Parliament sits for up to six months, if not prorogued or dissolved before then."

Answer 9

the queen has got the power to p**s anywhere! STAB FOXES IN THE DARK  call owls in for a fry up on cold mornings and deowl them on the sly {turn them into crows]

gordy has to ask liz when he can illegally make love to badgers and that is all that stupid b*****d can do he touches up little furry husband badgers and god told me all this so its all true and thats it psalms 23 isiah and all that jehovahs witnesses please dont bother me as i am a illegal jewish counterfeiter by trade and my mother sells half strangled otters with hip problems caused by over fluctuating on the post office oh my god my dog is a mobile buffing stampede with a troubled upbringing he thinks he is a kettle lead

Answer 10

The Queen is the figure head of the monarchy which is ruled by Parliment and lead by the PM. If  Her Majesty were to issue an edict, it needs must be ratfied by Parliment in order to be put into effect.

Answer 11

Her powers are over expensive and meaningless.

Answer 12

you can find out loads on the internet

Answer 13

The Queen only has power over her own house hold....and nothing more. But that would not stop the Prime Minister having his weekly audience with Her Majesty and while in her presence perhaps ask for a little advice here and there.

It has been known to happen and The Queen is quite happy to help.

Answer 14

The majority of people here are wrong, imparticular the first answerer.

The PM has to have permission to pass any new laws, which can only be enabled after the Queen has agreed to it. So far, she hasn't said "No" to a law, but it'd be interesting to see what actually would happen.

Also, the Queen is High (or Supreme) Governor of the Church of England, and any changes in it are down to her and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Answer 15

In all matters, Parliament is sovereign, to the extent of deposing the monarch if he or she obstructs the will of parliament, whether by witholding the Royal Assent to a bill, or otherwise. But in practice, the Queen's weekly talk with the Prime Minister avoids any such opposition of wills.

It is generally understood, although it has never been officially confirmed, that when a new Archbishop of Canterbury is to be appointed, the Church of England selects two candidates, then discreetly finds out and follows the monarch's preference between them.

Answer 16

sparki20 has good answer for you. The protocol is PM functions in the name of the monarch.

Answer 17

I believe, none. She is just a figure head. A relic from back in the days when England was ruled by a monarchy.