Does the royal family in England have any real power, or is it just a ceremonial position?

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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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17 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

In theory the monarch still have a lot of power. He can veto any laws, dissolve the parliament (until they reform), command the armies, etc. But this is all theoretical and it would probably not go down well if he tried to use any of his powers. In the 1600s there was even a war between the King and the Parliament which resulted in King Charles being convicted of treason by the Parliament and sentenced to death. The legal grounds for the trial was dubious but that does not matter when you have the majority of the population with you. There are other examples as well from other countries where the monarch were dethroned for vetoing bills that passed the Parliament. So even though the British monarch does theoretically have a lot of power it is most likely not possible to exercise any of those powers.

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