What direct impact does the British Monarchy have the day to day operation of England?

Question

Is the Queen a figurehead, or does she actually possess power to make substantial changes?

Answer 1

The Queen has the right to be consulted, informed, and has the right to warn and advise the Prime Minister.

Her authority is subtle, built first upon the fact she has been personally informed by every PM since Churchill's last term.

She also has vast knowledge of the intricacies off the British governmental system, something the Prince of Wales also has, and Prince William is being trained in. This depth of knowledge has more than once tripped up a PM.

Answer 2

The Queen doesn't have any real political powers. In theory she could refuse to give Royal assent to a law, so it couldn't come into force, but the last time this was done was in Queen Victoria's reign. She also retains the right to disolve Parliament, although again she normally does this at the request of the Prime Minister when s/he calls a General election.

Her impact is much more subtle. The police and army swear allegience to her rather than an elected politician so in theory they are less prone to political interference.

Her Majesty also makes a huge impact to the economic life of the UK. As well as the obvious income from tourists, she does a lot of work in bringing business to the UK.

Answer 3

Her Majesty has the power to appoint her Prime Minister. In 1963 she took sooundings from senior members of the Conservative Party (including unelected Peers) and, following that advice, chose Sir Alec Douglas-Home. Only a very select handful of advisers were involved in that decision.Since then, each party has had formal procedures in place for selecting a leader so it is unlikely to happen again. I agree with the previous poster about her quiet influence on matters beneficial to the UK such as trade.

Answer 4

The Monarchy administers civil service and issues passports. It also has the authority to disband parliament.