LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Did you know that the queen is the head of the nation? The power she wields is called her royal prerogative. One of her most notable powers is appointing the prime minister, the highest-ranking official in the British government. She must follow the Cabinet Manual, which lays out formal rules for her appointment.
The Queen can bestow honors on exemplary citizens of the United Kingdom. These honors are often earned through artistic, scientific, or charity work. The most common royal titles are Sir and Dame. Though these titles don’t give you much power, they make names sound cooler. The queen has the power to appoint judges and appoint archbishops.
The queen has the power to dissolve Parliament. She has not done so, though. The last time she dissolved parliament was in 1830. She has the right to summon the prime minister for meetings, but she is legally required to remain politically neutral. The queen must abide by the advice of her ministers. It’s her right to express her views on the government, but she must be politically neutral. During her weekly audience with the prime minister, she receives a report about the latest news in the country.
The Queen of England has three distinct branches. In addition to her jurisdiction in England, she is the monarch of Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. All three are part of the United Kingdom. She also has authority over the Commonwealth realm, which includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. All of these realms are comprised of over 150 million people. In addition to the Queen of England, the Queen of the UK is the head of the Commonwealth.
While she may have been born on 21 April 1926, she did not attend school. She received her education from her nanny, Marion Crawford. She reportedly wrote her autobiography, The Little Princesses, without her permission. Interestingly, Elizabeth also served in the military during World War II. Despite her obscurity and low profile, she is still regarded as an icon and the ultimate ruler. The British monarchy has been a source of fascination for centuries.
The Queen made history when she first visited the US in 1957. Her first state visit was to the United States, where she addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. On May 14, 1965, the Queen devoted a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. She is fluent in French and has recently made headlines by successfully lobbying to get her household and land exempt from carbon emissions legislation.
The Queen is the only monarch in the world who has two birthdays. As a result, her last name is Windsor, not York. George V chose this name because it seemed more English than Germanic during World War I. In addition to her two birthdays, she has thirty-six godchildren. This is the second-largest number of godchildren after Queen Victoria. While this number may seem small, it is a very significant fact about the monarch.