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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They technically have ultimate authority on any new law being published. Any bill the UK government passes has to go through Royal Assent to actually become law, which is approval by the monarch. These days there is a system of delegation in place, so it’s not actually dependent on them.
If the monarch prevented an extremely unpopular bill from becoming law via royal assent, there would likely be no problem. If they prevented a popular bill from becoming law, they would risk a revolution.
The royal family also owns a significant amount of the land in the UK, and revenue from that land technically belongs to them, although they’ve essentially made the government a landlord, taking a static fee instead. This includes hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, prime shopping areas, over half the coast, and more.
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