The Crown and the Union
The nutshell
The United Kingdom is made up of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The King is the head of state for all four, so the Crown is one thing the whole union shares.
Every fact on this page comes from Parliament, the government and non-partisan explainers. Each source tag — like HoC — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What the Crown and the Union means
The United Kingdom is a union of four nations. These are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Across the UK there are four parliaments and four governments.GOV The King is the head of state for the whole UK, so the Crown is one thing the whole union shares.HoC
How the crowns came together
The Crown has linked these nations for a long time. In 1603 the crowns of Scotland and England came to sit on one person. James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. This is called the Union of the Crowns.Parl Each kingdom kept its own parliament at first. The Acts of Union in 1707 then joined the two into one kingdom, called Great Britain.Parl
The Crown across the union today
Today the King is head of state for the whole union. But Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have a devolved government — one that runs some matters for its own nation.GOV The King stays out of the day-to-day running. For example, the King appoints the First Minister of Scotland, but only after the Scottish Parliament has picked one.Royal
One monarch, many countries
The same King is also head of state of 14 other countries, called realms.HoC Each realm is independent and keeps its own laws. Sharing one monarch does not mean sharing one government. The UK Parliament stays sovereign over the whole UK, which means it can make laws for any part of it.GOV
- The King is the shared head of state of all four UK nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- The Crown links the union back to 1603, when the crowns of Scotland and England first sat on one head
- The same King is also head of state of 14 other countries, called realms, where each realm keeps its own laws
- Sharing one monarch does not mean one government, because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have a devolved government
- The King does not run those devolved governments, because the Crown acts on the advice of ministers
- One shared crown is not one shared parliament, and the UK Parliament stays sovereign over the whole union
The deep end6 min
The Union of the Crowns, 1603
Before 1603, England and Scotland were separate kingdoms with separate monarchs. When Elizabeth I of England died without a child, the English throne passed to a cousin, James VI of Scotland. From then on James VI of Scotland was also James I of England, a moment UK Parliament records as the Union of the Crowns.ParlOne monarch now wore both crowns, but the two kingdoms stayed separate, each with its own parliament and laws.Parl
From two crowns to one kingdom
A shared monarch was not the same as a shared state, and that fuller union came later. The Acts of Union in 1707 joined the kingdoms of England and Scotland into a single Kingdom of Great Britain.Parl Over time the union took its present shape of four nations, with four law-making parliaments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.GOV
The Crown across the union today
The King is the head of state of the whole United Kingdom.HoCSince the late 1990s, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have each had a devolved government. Certain powers are devolved to those nations, while reserved matters stay with the UK Parliament, which remains sovereign.GOV The Crown sits above this arrangement without running it. For example, the King formally appoints the First Minister of Scotland only after the Scottish Parliament has nominated one, and appoints the First Minister of Wales after the Senedd has nominated one.Royal
One monarch, many realms
The Crown reaches beyond the UK as well. The same King is head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms.HoC Each realm is a separate, independent country that shares the same monarch while keeping its own laws and government. So the Crown is a shared head of state, across the four nations of the UK and across these realms, rather than a single shared government over those nations and realms.