Question Random Question about the Royal Family Of UK

Madmaxx

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I was watching the Rememberance Day thing earlier when the Royal family place flowers at the memoral statue. And they said the Queen was the commander of the Armies of britain and the british commonwealth states.

But I just wondered what does she actually do ?? Not trying to be disrespectfull or anything I just realised and wondered does she have meetings about War and stuff? Or anything at all ?
 

Thadius

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More a ceremonial title nowadays.

Used to be they chose who we would fight/defend etc.

I think the Queen can still veto certain laws and such, but she choses not to and lets parliament fuck it up/get on with it.
 

Madmaxx

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ah right they did introduce each family member saying some have honourary titles, was just wondering if the queen was in the know of the day to day running of the UK.
 

Ch3tan

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Don't they teach people anything in school anymore?
 

Thadius

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Like I said, she is still the ehad of state, she chooses to let parliament effectively run the country, but she always has the power to veto things
 

Madmaxx

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The Queen is Head of State of 15 Commonwealth realms in addition to the UK. She is also Head of the Commonwealth itself, a voluntary association of 53 independent countries. Find out more about the Commonwealth in this section.
The Queen is Head of State in the United Kingdom. As a constitutional monarch, Her Majesty does not 'rule' the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to Government. She is also Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces and has important relationships with the established Churches of England and Scotland.
As Head of State, The Queen must remain politically neutral. Her Majesty and her family never vote or stand for election to any position, political or otherwise. This enables them to provide continuity and focus for national unity.
The Queen has many different duties to perform every day.
Some are public duties, such as ceremonies, receptions and visits within the United Kingdom or abroad.
Other duties are carried out away from the cameras, but they are no less important. These include reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes; audiences with political ministers or ambassadors; and meetings with her Private Secretaries to discuss daily business and her future diary plans.
Even when she is away from London, in residence at Balmoral or Sandringham, she receives official papers nearly every day of every year and remains fully briefed on matters affecting her realms.


I didnt realise there was a Royal Family website and Ive found out all I wanted to. But I really agree that they should teach some of this stuff in school.
 

Thadius

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Its true, History lessons mainly revolved around the Romans, or the tudors :)
 

megadave

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She cant really veto things and she knows it, that's why she doesnt. Although yeah, technically she could :p


She's basically a symbol more than anything else
 

CorNokZ

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Older monarchy than yours

14727307-6f4f25836666d6c65292d9ec464f1e09.jpeg
 

tris-

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all i know of the queen is she costs a fortune and the MP will visit her each week to discuss the goings on.
 

Lamp

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ah right they did introduce each family member saying some have honourary titles, was just wondering if the queen was in the know of the day to day running of the UK.

No. Purely titular.
 

soze

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A lot of the royals do stints in the military which is where they get the titles this is more of a hindrance than help nowadays as we are at war. But the Royals now are a tourist attraction they bring in loads of money from yanks who think they still run the country,
 

yaruar

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all i know of the queen is she costs a fortune and the MP will visit her each week to discuss the goings on.

She doesn't cost that much, afair the Civil List is fixed at 7.9 million which is bugger all in the scheme as things. I mean at that price she couldn't even afford to hire ant and dec to be court jesters for a year.
 

Mikah75

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Basically its all ceremonial as the others said. The Queen IS in charge of the british armies, before we go to war the prime minister must consort the Queen and ask for her troops and she says yes or no. However she is fully aware that if she did ever veto bills/laws or refuse to send her troops that old crone would be punted right out of Buckingham Palace so fast. The only reason they remain figure head monarchs currently is tourism and the kind of hm 'magic' of it I guess, Britain is known for its monarchy. Theoretically she has power, but she would never dare exercise it into the political world or we'd have no need for them and they would be gone, simple as.

And no they do not teach you about our own monarchy in school, let alone about politics, one must achieve that knowledge on their own :p
 

Zenith.UK

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I wonder what's going to happen when she dies. She's already said that she won't abdicate so that means she's going to hold on until her dying breath. Prince Charles should become Charles IV but he's turning 60 and become the longest king in waiting in history. He wil only have a short reign, and then it will be William V.

My hope is that he accedes to the throne whilst he is still relatively young and vital. If Prince William can raise the profile of the Royal Family again, he might use his "power" and actually engage with running the country. He won't be allowed to run the show like old monarchs, but using his veto once in a rare while will keep the Government on it's toes and make them consider their laws more carefully.
 

PLightstar

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You have to remember shes not just our Queen, shes the head of state for lots of commonwealth countries and has power in them.

Taken from Wikipedia

United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. She holds each crown separately and equally in a shared monarchy, and carries out duties for each state of which she is sovereign, as well as acting as Head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Duke of Normandy, Lord of Mann, and Paramount Chief of Fiji. In theory her powers are vast; however, in practice, and in accordance with convention, she rarely intervenes in political matters.



I am not a royalist, and think after her reign, the country should change to maybe keep the current system but change the head of state to the PM.
 

Genedril

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Dragging up what I was taught in school (& that's a very long drag for me)...

The Queen is the Head of the Armed Forces so that Parliament cannot force them to be used against the country. Armed forces swear allegiance to the Queen & not the country (iirc) & she can veto their use (& supposedly would if being used against the country).

Think this goes back to Civil War times iirc.

Should remember this stuff from my degree but most of my Politics was theoretical rather than actual.
 

Zenith

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Well, the royal prerogative have in all practical terms gone to the PM anyway, so all thats left to the queen would be constitutional/technical, not practical uses. So as been noted above, its just a dignified part of the parliament/government.
 

Bahumat

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I think the Queen should have to fight Vladimir Putin
 

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