Title: “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Her Other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”
Roles of the Queen:
ê Head of the State
ê Head of the Commonwealth of Nations
ê Head of the Anglican Church
ê The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
ê Head of the Judiciary
It is often said that the Queen reigns but does not rule. But still, She performs a number of functions, political and public.
| Queen’s Functions | |
| Political | Public |
| ü Represents the country on the international arena ü Summons and dissolves the Parliament ü Gives Her Royal Assent to the Bills passed by both Houses of Parliament ü Appoints the PM from the members of the majority party in the HofC ü Appoints government ministers, officers, governors, diplomats, judges and clergy on the advice of the PM ü Has the power to declare war and make peace ü Has the power to recognize foreign states and governments | v Gives audiences to her ministers and officials from overseas v Grants peerages, knighthoods and other honours v Presents at every important public event v Greets people on some big holidays (e.g. Christmas) v Does a lot of charity work |
NB! The Question of Monarchy Today
The monarchy gives British people the symbol of continuity and a harmless outlet for the expression of national pride. It provides a focus reverence for those who have a tendency to hero-worship. Even in very hard times the British looked at monarchy as a source of help. The life, the royals lead, provides a sort of entertainment. Besides numerous ceremonies and public occasions, as well as daily ones, make up for the pageantry in people’s lives. In addition monarchy is also one of the reasons why lots of tourists come to GB.
However there are those who doubt the role of monarchy in today’s Britain, stating that the new type of government is to be established or the pattern of the monarchy changed. One of the main reasons is that the monarchy has become a great burden for the state, even though the Queen decided to pay taxes on her private income and some of the royal family members don’t get their Civil List payments. Furthermore some parts of Buckingham Palace have been opened to public ever since the fire at Windsor Castle (1992).