The British monarchy is one of the oldest and best-known institutions in the world: its line of succession goes back, with many breaks and changes of dynasty, to the Anglo-Saxon kings of the 9th century. Today it is a constitutional monarchy: the sovereign is head of state, a symbol of national unity and a central figure in public life, but reigns without ruling, because political power belongs to Parliament and the government. Since September 2022 the king has been Charles III, who came to the throne on the death of his mother Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history.
What the sovereign does
Every year the King opens Parliament with the King's Speech, reading out the government's programme; he formally appoints the Prime Minister, choosing the leader of the party with a majority in the House of Commons; he signs laws with Royal Assent, which by convention has not been refused since 1708; and he receives the Prime Minister in private audience every week. He is head of the armed forces, Supreme Governor of the Church of England and head of the Commonwealth, the association of 56 countries born of the former Empire. He is also head of state of fifteen countries, the Commonwealth realms, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In practice the sovereign always acts on ministers' advice and avoids taking any political position.
The royal family carries out thousands of official engagements every year, supports hundreds of charities and represents the country abroad. It is funded partly by the Sovereign Grant, a public payment calculated on the profits of the Crown Estate, and partly by private income from the Duchy of Lancaster.
Charles III and the succession
Charles III, born in 1948, was Prince of Wales for more than seventy years, the longest-serving heir apparent in history. Crowned in Westminster Abbey on 6 May 2023, he has brought a long-standing interest in the environment, architecture and interfaith dialogue. The Queen Consort is Camilla. In 2024 the King announced a cancer diagnosis, while continuing his public duties. The heir to the throne is his son William, Prince of Wales, married to Catherine; next come their children George, Charlotte and Louis. Since 2013 the succession no longer favours sons over daughters.
Royal residences
- Buckingham Palace in London, official residence and administrative headquarters of the monarchy, open to the public in summer.
- Windsor Castle, the oldest inhabited castle in the world and the royal family's favourite residence (see Windsor).
- The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official residence in Scotland, and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.
- The private estates of Sandringham in Norfolk and Balmoral in Scotland.
See also London's royal palaces.
The monarchs of England and the United Kingdom
The first king of all England is considered to be Athelstan (924-939), grandson of Alfred the Great. These are the main dynasties:
- Anglo-Saxons and Danes: from Athelstan to Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), with the interlude of Danish kings such as Cnut the Great (1016-1035).
- Normans (1066-1154): William the Conqueror, William II, Henry I, Stephen.
- Plantagenets (1154-1399): Henry II, Richard the Lionheart, King John, who sealed Magna Carta, Henry III, Edward I, II and III, Richard II.
- Lancaster and York (1399-1485): Henry IV, V and VI, Edward IV, Edward V and Richard III, the last king to die in battle, at Bosworth.
- Tudors (1485-1603): Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I.
- Stuarts (1603-1714): James I, also King of Scots, Charles I, beheaded in 1649, Cromwell's republic (1649-1660), Charles II, James II, William III and Mary II, and Anne, first sovereign of united Great Britain from 1707.
- Hanoverians (1714-1901): George I, II, III and IV, William IV, Victoria.
- Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, then Windsor (from 1901): Edward VII, George V, who changed the dynasty's name to Windsor in 1917, Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936, George VI, Elizabeth II, Charles III.
The debate on the monarchy
The monarchy enjoys the support of a majority of Britons, but with sharp differences by age: young people are much less attached to the Crown than older people, and polls show support has fallen since the years of Elizabeth II. The republican movement calls for an elected head of state, while supporters stress the monarchy's role as a symbol of continuity above party politics and its importance for tourism and the country's image. See also Parliament and government and the history of the United Kingdom.