The powers and privileges of the British sovereign are many and various, and they derive from a multiplicity of sources. Those who criticise the exercise of these powers often do not know their origin, or how and why they are used. Queen Elizabeth II’s reign has not been without its controversies and scandals—Queen Victoria had her fair share and still came out on top. Why have these controversies arisen?
The answer lies in the nature of our constitution: lex scripta and lex non scripta, laws written and laws unwritten. In most other major European monarchies, the parameters of the powers and privileges of the sovereign are clearly defined in the constitution, which is found in one written document, and which began at one definite point in that nation’s history.
One must also remember the memories of powers exercised (generally without any question) in the dynasties from which they have come, and there have been quite a number of such dynasties.
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