Should we still have a monarchy?

Find out more about the British monarchy

The history of the monarchy

England and Scotland had separate monarchies until 1603, when Queen Elizabeth I died without giving birth to an heir to the throne. This meant that she was succeeded by the ruling monarch of Scotland, King James IV.

Britain has a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the Queen is bound by the constitution and therefore has very little power over the government. Walter Bagehot, a 19th century writer, wrote that "The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights - the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn."

Your thoughts

Here's what some message board users had to say about the issue:

• "No tourists come to this country because of the monarchy any more. It's time for it to go."
• "They portray themselves well and convey superb relations with foreign countries."
• "The NHS is failing, the crime rates are through the roof, and what do we do? We throw millions of hard-earned taxpayers' money at a silly little tourist attraction."
• "They're part of Britain and part of our culture. Why shouldn't we have them?"

The rights of the monarch

The Queen has what is known as the "Royal Prerogative", meaning (theoretically) executive power over the government. However, she chooses not to exercise many of these powers through convention and precedent. Some of rights and duties are listed below.

• She has the power to dissolve parliament and summon it again at the State Opening of Parliament (after the general elections), but always exercises these powers under the advice of the Prime Minister.
• The Queen formally appoints the Prime Minister, who she has the official power to remove in an emergency.
• The Queen has the duty to keep the "Queen's peace" - this is carried out by the government. The power to detain people for "breaching the peace" allows police to break up minor fights or disturbances, without giving the offender a criminal record.
• She is the Head of Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 countries who used to be part of the British Empire and who are now entirely responsible for their own governments. Over 30% of the world's population is a member of a Commonwealth country.
• The Queen is the "fount of honour", meaning that she grants all honours and dignities. Most of these (such as peerages and other honours) are granted after consultation with the Prime Minister.

Finances

• The monarchy is funded by the Civil List, and royal residences are paid for by the Grant in Aid - both of which come from public funds (i.e. taxes).
• However, the Crown Estate (land owned by the monarchy) generates a great deal of money for British tax-payers every year - for example, it raised over £200 million in 2006/07.
• The Queen has paid tax on her own personal income since 1993, but does not pay income tax or capital gains tax.