What is a constitutional monarchy?
The nutshell
A constitutional monarchy is a country with a king or queen as its head of state, but where an elected Parliament makes the laws. In the UK, the King is head of state, and the government and Parliament run the country.
Every fact on this page comes from official guides to how the monarchy and Parliament work, and from non-partisan explainers. Each source tag — like Parl — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What "constitutional monarchy" means
A monarchy is a country with a king or queen. A constitutional monarchy is one where that king or queen is the head of state, but does not run the country. In the UK, the King is head of state, and an elected Parliament makes the laws.Royal
What the King does — and does not do
The King is head of state, but the role today is mostly formal. Most royal powers are used only on the advice of the government, and that advice must be followed.HoC The elected government runs the country from day to day.
How a law gets the King's approval
The Crown is one of the three parts of Parliament, with the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A bill that has passed both Houses becomes law only after the Crown formally agrees to it. This step is called Royal Assent.Parl Today Royal Assent is a formality. No monarch has refused it since 1708.IfG
Why the King stays out of politics
In a constitutional monarchy the monarch stays above party politics. The King is head of state, not the leader of a party, and does not take sides between the parties.Royal Real political power sits with the elected Parliament and government.
- A monarch as head of state stays above party politics and does not compete with elected leaders for votes
- The role passes on without an election, which gives the country a long-lasting head of state not tied to one government
- The monarch's powers are set by law and by convention, so real power stays with the elected Parliament and government
- The head of state is not elected, so voters cannot choose or remove the monarch
- The role is passed down within one family, so it is not open to anyone else
- Reform campaigners, such as the group Republic, argue an elected head of state would answer more directly to voters
The deep end6 min
What a constitutional monarchy is
A constitutional monarchy is a system where a monarch is the head of state, but the power to make and pass laws rests with an elected Parliament. The Royal Family's official site describes the British monarchy this way, and states that the Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role.Royal The monarch remains head of state, while the elected government and Parliament decide policy and pass laws.
The Crown in Parliament, and Royal Assent
UK Parliament is made up of three parts — the Crown, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A bill that has passed both Houses becomes an Act of Parliament only once the Crown formally agrees to it, a step known as Royal Assent.Parl In practice this is now a formality. The Institute for Government records that Royal Assent has not been withheld by a monarch since 1708.IfG
Powers used only on advice
The monarch still holds a set of formal powers, such as appointing the Prime Minister, opening Parliament and granting Royal Assent. The House of Commons Library explains that most of these powers depend on advice from ministers, and that formal advice is constitutionally binding on the monarch.HoC The King is also head of state in 14 other Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, according to the same briefing.HoC
What the debate is about
Little of the debate in the UK is about the day-to-day mechanics above, which are broadly agreed. Supporters of the monarchy argue that a head of state above party politics gives continuity and stays out of elections. Reform campaigners, such as the group Republic, argue that an elected head of state would answer more directly to voters. The topics on what the King actually does and the royal prerogative look more closely at these powers.