I know they once had all the power, but is the parliamentary government in full control now, or can the royals actually affect politics, administration, and control over the country?
Edit: Thank all of you so much for taking the time to answer. This includes all of you with theories of power behind the curtains. It’s actually quite fascinating, and I am still combing through comments.
A very special thanks goes out to all the people that have “politely” corrected my use of the word, “England”. I would remind you that questions are for the point of learning. I appreciate your contribution.
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People here will likely mention King’s Consent, by which a stopgap exists to prevent the Royal Prerogative or the Crown Estate from being amended or whittled away by Parliament.
What they fail to mention is that a) it’s invoked by civil servants on very technical matters and b) is down to ministers to decide whether to uphold it or not – NOT the King.
I mean, we’ve had no shortage of ministers in power all over the UK, in the devolved administrations too, who would love to do nothing more than embarrass the Crown if it did something controversial.
It is a far, far less sinister aspect of our constitution than has been implied. Is it useful? Should it be reformed? Sure, probably. But not for the reasons people say.
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