The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the official head of State is the monarch but his or her powers are limited by the constitution[1].
The constitution is not written in any single document. It is a set of rules, many of which are customs[2] and conventions that have never been formally enacted[3]. The rules of the constitution can be changed at any time by the general acceptance of a new convention or by the passing of a new Act of Parliament.
Parliament is the supreme legislative body and the highest authority in the United Kingdom. It was founded by King John in a document called Magna Charta in the year 1215. The government of monarchy was interrupted only once in history in the years 1649 – 1660, when Britain became a republic under the reign of Oliver Cromwell.
According to the Royal Titles Act of 1953 the full title of the Queen is: Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
The Queen is only a formal head of state. She acts only on the advice of her ministers, who are politically responsible for what she does. She “reigns, but she does not rule”. As the symbolic head of the executive, the Queen has the right to be consulted[4], the right to encourage, and the right to warn. She summons[5] and dissolves the parliament (she must perform a speech, which has been prepared by the Government for her), appoints all ministers in the Government, appoints the archbishops and bishops of the Church of England, makes appointments to all important State offices, and confers knighthoods and other honors. In appointing the Prime Minister the Queen is bound to appoint the leader of the political party, which has a majority in the House of Commons.
The current Queen is Elizabeth II. She was born in April 1926 (first birthday) and she celebrates her second birthday in June. In 1947 she married Prince Philip. She acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953.
[1] ústava
[2] zvyky
[3] ustanoveny
[4] radit se
[5] svolává
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