Do they have a say in making laws or any diplomatic decision of the country?
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Here in Belgium we have a “hereditary parliamentary constitutional monarchy”.
So this means the title goes from the monarch to the next family member in the line of succession.
The elected parliament makes the laws, the government (all the ministers) implements those laws and the King signs the law as head of state. In this function he symbolises the entire population of the country. But he can only do so with the approval of a member of the government who cosigns.
The king is also the commander in chief of the armed forces, but this is a symbolic function. Again, to represent that the army serves/works for the entire population. Traditionally, all the monarchs have actual military training and are actual officers in one of the branches. But once they become monarch, they get the highest military title.
So all this means that the king has no actual direct power, but he is the symbol of the nation. The Constitution defines what he/she can and can’t do. He has advisors who inform him, and direct him to have certain meetings during government formation or daily political matters. So he can influence a bit. Professional politicians want to get reelected after all, or can be bribed, or work for personal gain in the short run sometimes… the king is there to be a neutral party, a link to our past, a form of continuity in an ever changing political landscape.
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