The Political System
The UK is a constitutional (or parliamentary) monarchy, without a written constitution.
The British constitution is based on Acts of Parliament.
The country has a monarch as its Head of State.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a symbol of the unity of the nation.
The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to the sovereign's eldest son.
The Queen has a certain role in state affairs.
She meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers.
The Queen has a lot of ceremonial functions.
She opens and closes Parliament.
The Queen approves the appointment of the Prime Minister.
The monarch gives her Royal Assent to bills.
The Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth and the Head of the Church.
Theoretically every act of government is done in the Queen's name, but in reality everything is done on the advice of the elected Government.
The Monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.
Many members of the Royal Family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad.
The Royal Family's money comes from two sources: government funds and their own personal wealth.
The wealth is considerable. *
The Queen Elizabeth II is one of the richest women in the world.
Her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses are paid for by government money.
The monarch has very little power and can only reign with the support of parliament.
Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
The House of Commons is made up of 635 elected members.
The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker.
MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition.
The first two rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties, the back benches belong to the rank-and-file MPs.
Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days.
MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings.
New bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons.
If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated.
Finally, it goes to the monarch to be signed.
Only then it becomes law.
The other House of Parliament is the House of Lords.
The House of Lords has more than 1,000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House.
Members of this Upper House are not elected.
They sit there because of their rank.
The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor.
In modern times, real political power rests with the House of Commons.
The House of Lords has limited powers.
Queen Elizabeth II b. 1926 m. Philip Duke of Edinburgh son of Prince Andrew of Greece
Queen Elizabeth II is a 'constitutional monarch'. This means that although she is
Interesting Fact: There has not been a Queen of England since 1707. Queen Ann was the last ever King or Queen of England. From 1707, the monarch, although living in England, has been known as either the Monarch of the Kingdom of Great Britain (as Queen Anne was) or of the United Kingdom (as Queen Victoria was).
•officially the head of the state, the country is actually run by the government, led by the Prime Minister.
Where does the Queen live? The Queen lives at Buckingham Palace in London.
The Official Title of the Queen Her Majesty The Queen's title in the United Kingdom is:'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'.
When did Queen Elizabeth come to the throne?
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father, King George VI. Her Coronation, at Westminster Abbey, followed on June 2, 1953. (A new king or Queen begins to rule as soon as their succession to the throne has been announced. But the coronation - when the crown is placed on the monarch's head - may not happen until months later.) The queen celebrated her Golden jubilee (50 years since her accession) in 2002.
Head of State
Queen Elizabeth II is the United Kingdom's Head of State. She is queen of 16 former British colonies, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand; and head of the Commonwealth, a multinational body created after the dissolution of the tritish empire.
Who is the Queen married to? The Queen as married to the HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the son of Prince and Princess Andrew of Greece and Denmark. They married on 20 November 1947.
The Duke is Queen Elizabeth's third cousin; they share Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother.
Interesting Fact: The wife of a male monarch (e.g. the Queen Mother was the wife of King George VI) takes on her husband's rank and style upon marrying, becoming Queen. She is known as the Queen consort (wife and consort of a reigning king) (A consort is a spouse, usually of royalty.)