Why does the UK have a queen?

Question

Okay, I'm not British, so i'm probably overlooking something. But why does england have a Queen? what does she actually do? I mean, it seems that in this day and age, the role of a king or queen has become outdated. Does England really need a queen?

Answer 1

I'm not a royalist, however the traditions of a constitutional monarchy more than pay for themselves in revenue from the tourist industry, particularly revenue from the United States, Japan
and Former British colonies.

The queen is an ambassador for he UK and commonwealth, she also gives royal assent to any laws passed by the UK government and has the final say on if the UK goes to war.

The queen has never refused royal assent of any bill passed but has the right to do so.

We have a Queen instead of a King as a result of The Queen's Mother and Father not producing a Male Heir. If he had done so than that person would have been King over the Queen regardless of if He were born before or after the Current monarch.

Answer 2

The UK has Queen, because the UK is a constitutional monarchy The Queen has no real powers, but I do think that there is some way she could dismiss Parliament and call a new general election. All bills passing through the houses of Parliament do have to be given the Royal Assent, and I suppose she could, if she wanted to, withhold this thus killing off the new laws. The UK has a Queen because, in the UK monarchy, the eldest son becomes King, but in the absence of a son, then the eldest daughter becomes the Queen and head of state. In some countries the eldest child takes over, and in others it can only be a male, therefore the monarchy could move to a different family if the current ruler died without a son. The fact that the UK has a Queen, and all the regal trappings that go with that, is a major reason why so many people visit the UK, it certainly isn't for the weather!

Answer 3

The British are a traditional people, and the monarchy there has a long history. The Puritans abolished it during the decade or so they were in power in the 17th century under Oliver Cromwell but the monarchy came back with what is called the Restoration. Monarchs were once powerful, and could appoint and dismiss Ministers but this has not been so for a long time. Ministers are chosen by the Prime Minister, who even if he is not chosen directly by the people is chosen by Members of Parliament who have been chosen in a general election. But the Queen still has advisory power. She meets with the Prime Minister regularly in private conference, and since the present Queen has been the monarch for more than half a century and seen many Prime Ministers she can convey through her comments her views on some of the questions of the day. She always reads the Government's speech at the opening of Parliament for each session, rather like the President's State of the Union address in the United States, but the speech is essentialy written by the Prime Minister. It is a symbolic way of remembering history. Further, since she does not belong to a political party, she becomes a symbol of unity. And her annual Christmas broadcast serves to bring the nation together, rising above class, race, and other potential sources of division. Some people in Britain wish to see the monarchy ended as an antiquated instituion but they are hardly the majority. The Queen is not above satire in the media but she still commands considerable respect. The British are temperamentally comfortable with modifying tradition without abolishing it.

Answer 4

Our Queen since 1953 is Queen Elizabeth II and isn't just Queen of England, What her majesty does is promote the UK around the world, her daily engagements would wear out a twenty year old. The Royal family costs each UK household about ..50 pence a year, if it's an out of date institution, tell the millions who come to see any public event the royal family attend!

Answer 5

England has a Queen Regnant because when her father, the late King George VI, died he had no sons. According to the "Act of Settlement" and the "Line of Succession", his elder daughter instantaneously became Queen Regnant of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and her other Realms and Territories ...

What does she actually do?
Well, she does the "Red Boxes" .... reads, reviews, and signs Government papers; the Prime Minister has a weekly audience with Her Majesty ... reporting what the Government is doing, etc.; safeguards our forms of Government, appoints Ambassadors and High Commissioners, and (according to the Court Circular) has many other activities on behalf of the people. Also she visits other countries, representing Britain.

During the two World Wars, the Monarchy (King and Consort) provided much moral support to the peoples of Britain and has over the years since provided much stability to the Country ... prime ministers come, prime ministers go, parties in government change.

Certainly having a Queen (or King) is far better than having a "president" who changes every four or eight years!!

And the Monarchy has over 1000 years of on-job experience.

Answer 6

Because they don't have a king; they have to have one or the other! Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that all power resides in Parliament and the royal family are just figure heads or titular heads of state with very little "absolute royal" power any more. They have ceremonial duties, charities, etc. The Queen unifies the nation I suppose. They are fun to watch. They may be my very distant relatives. I'm still waiting for Charles to do something, just anything exciting. The royals are just royal.

Answer 7

The reason we have a queen is historical. Her function is almost entirely ceremonial, though technically she still does have powers that sit uneasily in a democratic society. As to whether we need a queen or, more generally, a royal family, I think not. The main arguments advanced for keeping the monarch are tourism (though Versailles in France is not short of visitors and they dispensed with their royalty in no uncertain terms), tradition (which also embraces sending little boys up chimneys and slavery but you don't get much call for these practices nowadays) and the abhorrence of a President in the guise of someone such as Blair (though for all his shortcomings I think his family are significantly less dysfunctional than that ensconced in Buckingham Palace.

Answer 8

YES -- We love really do need our Queen and Royal Family and to Preserve our Traditions -- This is still Great Britain --- The last thing we need is some "Perverted" Megalomaniac to Replace them - We already have a Useless Bunch called "New Labour" Ruining our Country , Vandalizing and Using Penal Taxation and the Filthy Politically Correct Trash , causing Massive Damage to the Electorate -- But we already have many other Queens , of another type , staggering around our country - But perhaps you already know about them ?????

Answer 9

England doesn't need a queen, but in many ways, the British royals are good to the country and serve for tradition.

Answer 10

The Queen is our Head of State, every country has a Head of State, and this being Britain, we like to do things in style! The alternative? Look over the Atlantic and tell me honestly if you would prefer that farce of presidency.