Monarchy of the United Kingdom

The monarchy of the United Kingdom, also called the British monarchy, is the way the United Kingdom is governed with a hereditary monarch as the head of state. This monarch's powers are controlled by the British constitution and laws made by Parliament. Since September 8, 2022, the monarch has been King Charles III, who became king after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch and the royal family have many important duties. They take part in official events, ceremonies, and meetings with other countries. Even though the monarch officially has control over the government, called "His/Her Majesty's Government", this power can only be used following laws passed by Parliament. In practice, the monarch’s role today is mostly symbolic, such as giving out honours and appointing the prime minister.

The British monarchy has a long history, starting from the small kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England and early medieval Scotland. Over many years, these areas came together under one rule. Important moments include the Magna Carta, which began to limit the monarch’s power, and the joining of England and Scotland in 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Later, in 1801, Ireland joined to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

At its largest, the British Empire covered a quarter of the world. After World War II, most colonies became independent. Today, the monarch is also the head of state for fourteen other countries known as Commonwealth realms. Each of these countries is independent, and the monarch has a special title for each one. The monarchy today plays a important role in culture, tourism, and support for charities across civil society.

Constitutional role

In the United Kingdom's constitution, the monarch is the head of state. The monarch's picture appears on money, coins, and in important buildings to show the country's authority. The national anthem, “God Save the King” or “God Save the Queen,” is also about the monarch. Special promises of loyalty are made to the monarch.

The monarch does not handle everyday government work. Most powers are used by ministers or other leaders, following laws or customs. Important actions done in the monarch's name, like giving speeches or opening Parliament, are based on decisions made by others.

The monarch’s role today is mostly ceremonial. One famous writer in the 1800s said the monarch’s job is to give dignity to the government, not to run it.

Royal prerogative

Main article: Royal prerogative in the United Kingdom

The monarch has special powers called the royal prerogative. These powers are used only on the advice of the prime minister and other leaders. For example, the monarch can appoint the prime minister, but this is done based on who has support in Parliament. The monarch also gives approval for laws, signs treaties, and supports the armed forces.

The monarch meets with the prime minister once a week, but these meetings are private and no records are kept. The monarch can share thoughts but must accept the prime minister’s decisions.

The monarch’s powers are limited. For example, new taxes must be approved by Parliament. Some powers, like making treaties that change UK laws, also need Parliament’s approval.

Appointment of the prime minister

The monarch appoints the prime minister. By tradition, this is the leader of the party or group that has the most support in the House of Commons. The prime minister starts their job after a private meeting with the monarch.

If no party has a clear majority, the monarch chooses the leader most likely to gain support. This has happened a few times since 1945.

Summons, prorogation and dissolution of Parliament

The monarch can call Parliament to meet, end a session, or dissolve Parliament. When Parliament starts a new session, the monarch gives a speech outlining the government’s plans. Parliament usually ends a session after about a year. Dissolving Parliament leads to new elections.

A law changed this in 2011, but another law in 2022 restored the monarch’s power to dissolve Parliament.

Other royal prerogatives

Before a law passed by Parliament can take effect, the monarch must approve it. This approval, called royal assent, has always been given since 1708.

The monarch also plays a role in the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The monarch appoints leaders in these areas based on recommendations from their parliaments or the UK government.

The monarch cannot be prosecuted for crimes and is protected from lawsuits. However, the government—the Crown—can be sued in certain cases.

The monarch gives out honours, like knighthoods, mostly based on the prime minister’s advice. Some honours are chosen personally by the monarch.

Sovereign immunity

Main article: Sovereign immunity § United Kingdom

The monarch is protected from being arrested or sued. Laws also protect the monarch’s property. However, the government—the Crown—can be involved in legal cases. There are many laws that give special protections to the monarch and their property.

History

Main article: History of the monarchy of the United Kingdom

English monarchy

"King of England" and "Queen of England" redirect here. For the current British king, see Charles III. For other uses, see Queen of England (disambiguation).

Main article: History of the English monarchy

See also: Kingdom of England and List of English monarchs

After Viking raids in the ninth century, the kingdom of Wessex became the most powerful in England. Alfred the Great made Wessex strong and ruled over western Mercia, taking the title "King of the Anglo-Saxons." His grandson Æthelstan was the first king to rule a united kingdom close to today’s England, though regions kept their own identities. The 11th century was mostly peaceful, even with some wars with the Danes that led to a Danish king for a short time. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England, bringing big political and social changes. He continued to strengthen central power, and the feudal system kept growing.

William was followed by his sons William II and then Henry I. Henry I named his daughter Matilda his heir, the only surviving child he had. After Henry died in 1135, his nephew Stephen took the throne with support from most barons. Matilda fought against him, and England fell into disorder called the Anarchy. Stephen held on but agreed that Matilda’s son Henry II would be next. Henry II became the first Angevin king of England and the first of the Plantagenet dynasty in 1154.

Many Angevin kings had trouble with their nobles and family. Henry II fought rebellions from his own sons, including future kings Richard I and John. Richard I was away a lot fighting in the Crusades but was killed while besieging a castle. John took over but faced big problems with the barons. In 1215, they forced him to sign the Magna Carta to protect nobles' rights. Soon after, civil war began called the First Barons' War, and French Prince Louis claimed the throne. The war ended when John died in 1216, leaving the throne to his young son Henry III. Many lords supported Henry III. In 1217, Louis gave up his claim. Eleanor was kept under guard until she died in 1241. Some records say Henry III gave her a golden crown before she died.

Later in Henry III’s rule, Simon de Montfort led another barons' rebellion, starting the Second Barons' War. The war ended with a win for the king, though many rebels died. The king agreed to call a parliament in 1265. In 1268, Henry III ordered a priory to remember Arthur and Eleanor as past kings and queens.

The next king, Edward Longshanks, was better at keeping royal power and took over Wales. He tried to control Scotland but lost those gains under his son Edward II, who also fought with nobles. In 1311, Edward II lost power to a group of baronial "ordainers", but he got it back by 1322 with military wins. Edward was removed by his wife Isabella and their son Edward III became king.

Edward III claimed the French Crown, starting the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He took much French land, but by 1374, he lost almost all of it. Edward’s rule also saw Parliament grow, dividing into two Houses. He died in 1377, leaving the throne to his 10-year-old grandson Richard II. Richard II often fought with nobles trying to keep power. In 1399, his cousin Henry Bolingbroke took over. Richard was removed, imprisoned, and possibly killed, and Henry became king as Henry IV.

Henry IV was Edward III’s grandson and son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, so his dynasty was the House of Lancaster. Most of his time as king, he fought off rebellions and plots, helped by his son, the future Henry V. Henry V’s rule, starting in 1413, had less trouble at home, so he could fight in France. Though he won, he died suddenly in 1422, leaving baby Henry VI as king. French forces used this to push back against English rule.

Henry VI’s weak leadership and his wife Margaret of Anjou, plus his advisers, made the House of Lancaster weak. They fought the House of York, led by Richard, Duke of York, who disagreed with the Queen. Richard died in battle in 1460, but his son Edward IV won in 1461, removing Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. Edward IV often fought with Lancastrians and his own advisers after marrying Elizabeth Woodville, and Henry VI returned briefly. Edward won again at Barnet and killed the Lancastrian heir, Edward of Westminster, at Tewkesbury. He captured Margaret of Anjou and sent her away, but not before she saw Henry VI killed while a prisoner. The Wars of the Roses kept happening during the rules of Edward IV’s son Edward V and brother Richard III. Edward V vanished, likely killed by Richard. Finally, the Lancastrian branch led by Henry Tudor succeeded in 1485 when Richard III died at the Battle of Bosworth Field.

King Henry VII made peace with remaining Yorkists by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Henry restored strong control, ending noble conflicts. The next king, Henry VIII, brought big political changes. Religious fights and problems with the Pope, plus his need for a male heir after marrying Catherine of Aragon and only having a daughter, led him to leave the Roman Catholic Church, create the Church of England, and divorce Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn.

Wales, conquered earlier but still separate, was joined with England by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Henry VIII’s son Edward VI kept religious changes but died young in 1553, causing a succession problem. He wanted Lady Jane Grey to take over, but she only ruled nine days. With lots of support, Mary I took the throne. Mary I married Philip of Spain, who became co-ruler. He fought bad wars in France, and she tried to bring England back to the Roman Catholic Church, punishing Protestants. After she died in 1558, her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I took over. England returned to Protestantism and grew into a world power by building its navy and exploring new lands.

Scottish monarchy

"Queen of Scots" and "Queen of Scotland" redirect here. For other uses, see Scottish queen (disambiguation)

See also: Kingdom of Scotland, List of Scottish monarchs, and Government in medieval Scotland

In Scotland, like England, monarchies began after the Roman Empire left Britain in the early fifth century. The three groups living in Scotland then were the Picts north of the Forth and Clyde, the Britons in the south including the Kingdom of Strathclyde, and the Gaels or Scotti from the Irish kingdom of Dál Riata in Argyll and the western islands. Kenneth MacAlpin is seen as the first king of a united Scotland (Scotia in Latin, or Alba in Scots). Scotland grew by taking over places like Strathclyde.

Early Scottish kings didn’t inherit the throne directly. They followed tanistry, where the monarchy switched between branches of the House of Alpin. There was often voting for the king, which led to fighting between royal families. From 942 to 1005, seven kings were killed or died in battle. In 1005, Malcolm II took over after killing many rivals. When he died in 1034, his grandson Duncan I became king instead of a cousin, as usual. In 1040, Duncan lost a battle to Macbeth, who was killed in 1057 by Duncan’s son Malcolm. The next year, after killing Macbeth’s stepson Lulach, Malcolm became king as Malcolm III.

More battles and removals followed, with five of Malcolm’s sons and one brother becoming king. Finally, the throne went to his youngest son David I. David was followed by his grandsons Malcolm IV and then William the Lion, the longest-ruling King of Scots before the Union of the Crowns. William joined a rebellion against England’s King Henry II but was captured. To be freed, William had to agree to Henry as his overlord. England’s King Richard I ended this in 1189 for a large payment. William died in 1214, succeeded by his son Alexander II. Alexander II and his successor Alexander III tried to take the Western Isles, still under Norway. In Alexander III’s time, Norway invaded Scotland but failed. The Treaty of Perth let Scotland keep the Western Isles and other areas.

Alexander III died in a riding accident in 1286, causing a big succession crisis. Scottish leaders asked England’s King Edward I to help find the rightful heir. Edward picked Alexander’s young granddaughter Margaret. But Margaret died at sea in 1290 while coming to Scotland, and Edward was asked again to choose among 13 rival claimants. After two years, a court chose John Balliol as king. Edward tried to control Balliol, but when Balliol refused in 1295, Edward invaded. For the first ten years of the Wars of Scottish Independence, Scotland had no monarch until Robert the Bruce declared himself king in 1306.

Robert’s efforts brought success and Scottish independence was recognized in 1328. But he died a year later, succeeded by his young son David II. Claiming to restore John Balliol’s heir, England invaded in 1332. Over four years, Balliol was crowned, removed, returned, removed, returned, and removed again, finally staying in England, while David kept the throne for 35 more years.

David II died with no children in 1371 and was succeeded by his nephew Robert II of the House of Stuart. Robert II and his successor Robert III saw a decline in royal power. When Robert III died in 1406, regents ruled because the king, Robert III’s son James I, was captured by the English. James returned in 1424 after paying a large ransom. To restore his power, he used harsh measures, executing many enemies. He was killed by nobles. James II continued his father’s policies against powerful nobles but died in an accident at age thirty, and regents took over again. James III was defeated in battle by rebelling Scottish earls in 1488, leading to another young king: James IV

In 1513 James IV invaded England, trying to use the absence of England’s King Henry VIII. His forces were defeated at Flodden Field; the king and many nobles and soldiers died. James IV’s infant son James V took over, with regents ruling. James V fought a disastrous war with England in 1542 and died that year, leaving his six-day-old daughter Mary as queen. Regents ruled again.

Mary, a Roman Catholic, ruled during big religious changes in Scotland. Reformers like John Knox led to Protestant control. Mary worried people when she married her Catholic cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, in 1565. After Darnley’s murder in 1567, Mary married the Earl of Bothwell, who was suspected in Darnley’s death. Nobles rebelled, forcing her to give up the throne. She fled to England, and her infant son James VI became king, raised as a Protestant. Mary was held in England and later executed by England’s Queen Elizabeth I.

Personal union and republican phase

Elizabeth I died in 1603, ending Tudor rule in England. With no children, she was succeeded by the Scottish king James VI, great-grandson of Henry VIII’s older sister, and thus Elizabeth’s first cousin twice removed. James VI became James I of England after the “Union of the Crowns". Though England and Scotland shared one monarch — James I & VI was the first to call himself “King of Great Britain” in 1604 — they stayed separate kingdoms. James I & VI’s successor, Charles I, often fought with Parliament over royal power and taxes. He upset people by ruling without Parliament from 1629 to 1640, making taxes and religious rules that upset Scottish Presbyterians and English Puritans. His attempt to enforce Anglicanism started rebellion in Scotland and began the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. In 1642, fighting between king and Parliament led to the English Civil War.

The war ended with the king’s execution in 1649, the end of the English monarchy, and the creation of the Commonwealth of England. Charles I’s son, Charles II, was proclaimed king in Scotland but had to flee after losing at the Battle of Worcester. In 1653, Oliver Cromwell, a top military and political leader, took power and named himself Lord Protector, refusing the title of king. Cromwell ruled until his death in 1658, succeeded by his son Richard, who soon gave up power. Unrest led people to want the monarchy back. In 1660, the monarchy was restored and Charles II returned to Britain.

Charles II’s rule saw the first modern political parties form in England. He had no legitimate children and would be succeeded by his Catholic brother, James, Duke of York. Some Parliament members wanted to block James from the throne; those who supported this became the Whig Party, while those who opposed it became the Tory Party. The bill to exclude James failed; Charles dissolved Parliament several times fearing it might pass. After the 1681 Parliament dissolved, Charles ruled without Parliament until he died in 1685. When James took over, he tried to allow religious freedom for Separatists and Roman Catholics, angering many. The Tories supported the Church of England, while Whigs wanted Parliament’s power. James kept a big army, appointed Roman Catholics to important jobs, and jailed Church of England leaders who disagreed. Protestants called the Immortal Seven asked James’s daughter Mary and her husband William III of Orange to remove James. William agreed, landing in England on 5 November 1688 with support. James, seeing many Protestant officials turn against him, fled, and William and Mary were named joint rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland.

James’s removal, called the Glorious Revolution, was a key moment in increasing Parliament’s power. The Bill of Rights 1689 said Parliament was supreme and listed rights like freedom from taxes without Parliament’s agreement. The Bill required future monarchs to be Protestants and said that after William and Mary’s children, Mary’s sister Anne would inherit the Crown. Mary II died childless in 1694, leaving William III & II as the only monarch. By 1700, all of Anne’s children had died, leaving her the only one left to inherit. Parliament feared supporters of the former James II, known as Jacobites, might try to take back the throne. Parliament passed the Act of Settlement 1701, blocking James and his Catholic family from the succession and naming William’s nearest Protestant relatives, the family of Sophia, Electress of Hanover, to follow Anne.

After the 1707 Acts of Union

See also: List of British monarchs

After Anne became queen, the succession problem returned. The Scottish Parliament was angry that the English Parliament didn’t include them in choosing Sophia’s family next. Scotland passed the Act of Security 1704, threatening to end the union of the crowns. England responded with the Alien Act 1705, threatening Scotland’s trade. Scotland and England negotiated the Acts of Union 1707, joining into one Kingdom of Great Britain, with succession following the Act of Settlement.

In 1714, Queen Anne was succeeded by her cousin and Sophia’s son, George I, Elector of Hanover, who beat back Jacobite revolts in 1715 and 1719. The new monarch was less involved in government than earlier British kings but kept control of his German lands, now linked with Britain. Power moved to his ministers, especially Robert Walpole, often called Britain’s first British prime minister, though that title wasn’t used then.

The next king, George II, saw the end of the Jacobite threat in 1746 when Catholic Stuarts were defeated. During his grandson George III’s long rule, Britain lost thirteen American colonies, forming the United States of America after the American Revolutionary War, but Britain grew stronger elsewhere. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was made by the Acts of Union 1800.

From 1811 to 1820, George III couldn’t rule due to a mental illness. His son, the future George IV, ruled as regent. During this time and his own rule, the monarchy’s power fell, and by the time of his successor, William IV, the monarch couldn’t really interfere with Parliament. In 1834, William dismissed the Whig Prime Minister, William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, and chose a Tory, Robert Peel. But after elections, Peel lost, and the king had to bring back Lord Melbourne. During William IV’s rule, the Reform Act 1832 passed, changing how Parliament worked, expanding voting rights, and making the House of Commons more important.

The final change to a constitutional monarchy happened during the long rule of William IV’s successor, Victoria. As a woman, Victoria couldn’t rule Hanover, which only allowed men to inherit, ending the union of the United Kingdom and Hanover. The Victorian era brought cultural changes, new technology, and Britain becoming a world leader. In 1876, Victoria was named Empress of India to recognize British rule there. But her rule also saw growing support for the republican movement, partly because she stayed hidden and mourned after her husband died in 1861.

Victoria’s son Edward VII became the first king of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1901. In 1917, his son George V changed the family name to “Windsor" because of anti-German feelings during the First World War. George V’s rule saw Ireland split into Northern Ireland, which stayed with the United Kingdom, and the Irish Free State, which became independent, in 1922.

Shared monarchy

In the twentieth century, the Commonwealth of Nations grew from the British Empire. Before 1926, the British Crown ruled the empire together; the Dominions and Crown Colonies were under the United Kingdom. The Balfour Declaration of 1926 gave full self-government to the Dominions, creating a system where one monarch ruled separately in each Dominion. This was made stronger by the Statute of Westminster 1931, compared to a “treaty among Commonwealth countries”.

The monarchy stopped being only British, though it’s still often called “British” for legal, historic, and simple reasons. The monarch became separately the monarch of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others; one person ruling in many separate countries, like a personal union.

George V died in 1936 and was followed by Edward VIII, who caused a shock by wanting to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, which the Church of England didn’t support. Edward said he would abdicate; the UK and other Commonwealth parliaments agreed. Edward and any children from his new marriage were removed from the line of succession, and the throne went to his brother, George VI. George led Britain during World War II, visiting troops, factories, and areas bombed by Nazi Germany. In 1948 George VI gave up the title Emperor of India, though he stayed head of state of the Dominion of India.

At first, all Commonwealth members shared the same monarch as the UK, but when India became a republic in 1950, it no longer shared the monarchy. The British monarch was called “Head of the Commonwealth" in all members, whether realms or republics. This role is only symbolic, not inherited, and chosen by Commonwealth leaders. Members that share the same monarch are called Commonwealth realms.

Monarchy in Ireland

Henry II took control of Ireland in the 12th century.

Henry VIII made it a kingdom in the 16th century.

See also: Monarchy of Ireland

In 1155 the English Pope, Adrian IV, allowed King Henry II of England to take Ireland as a feudal area under the Pope. The Pope wanted England to control Ireland and bring the Irish church closer to Rome, though this was already happening by 1155. An all-island kingship of Ireland was created in 854 by Máel Sechnaill mac Máele Ruanaid. His last successor was Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, who became High King of Ireland in early 1166 and forced out Diarmait Mac Murchada, king of Leinster, a vassal kingdom. Diarmait asked Henry II for help, bringing Anglo-Norman knights and adventurers led by Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke to regain his throne. Diarmait and his allies succeeded, and Diarmait became King of Leinster again. De Clare married Diarmait’s daughter, and when Diarmait died in 1171, de Clare became King of Leinster. Henry feared de Clare might make Ireland a rival kingdom, so he used the papal bull to invade, making de Clare and other Anglo-Norman leaders and major Irish kings recognize him as their overlord.

By 1542, King Henry VIII of England broke from the Pope and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England. The Pope’s permission for Ireland became invalid, so Henry called the Irish Parliament to change his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland.

In 1800, the Irish Rebellion of 1798 led to the Act of Union, joining Great Britain and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. All of Ireland stayed in the UK until 1922 when the Republic of Ireland became independent as the Irish Free State, a Dominion in the Commonwealth. The Irish Free State changed its name to Ireland in 1937 and in 1949 became a republic, leaving the Commonwealth and ending all ties to the monarchy. Northern Ireland stayed in the Union. In 1927, the UK changed its name to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and for twenty years the monarch was called “of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas, King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India".

Modern status and popularity

In the 1990s, support for ending the monarchy grew in the UK, partly because of bad news about the royal family (like after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales). But The Independent said polls from 2002 to 2007 showed about 70–80% of British people still wanted to keep the monarchy. In September 2022, after Queen Elizabeth II died, The Guardian reported a YouGov poll showing 68% of British people felt positively about the monarchy. The newspaper thought some of this might be because of the Queen’s death, and said younger people were less supportive; 47% of people aged 18 to 24 wanted to keep the monarchy, compared to 86% of those aged 65 and over. In May 2022, before the Queen’s death, polling showed only 33% of 18 to 24-year-olds wanted to keep the monarchy. In January 2023, a YouGov survey of about 1,700 UK people found 64% thought the country should still have a monarchy.

Religious role

The monarch is the supreme governor of the Church of England. Bishops and archbishops are chosen by the monarch based on advice from the prime minister and a list made by a Church group. The main spiritual leader of the Church of England and many other Anglican churches around the world is the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The monarch also promises to support the Church of Scotland and can choose a special leader for its main meeting, but does not control the church’s decisions. The monarch does not have any official role in the Church in Wales or the Church of Ireland.

Succession

Main articles: Succession to the British throne and Coronation of the British monarch

The rules for who can become the next king or queen of the United Kingdom are very important. These rules must be agreed upon by all the countries that share the same monarch, called the Commonwealth realms. The rules are set by old laws, like the Bill of Rights from 1689 and the Act of Settlement from 1701. Only certain people, mainly descendants of Sophia of Hanover, can become the monarch.

When a monarch passes away, the next person in line becomes the new king or queen right away. This new ruler must make special promises, like promising to support the Church of Scotland. Usually, there is a big ceremony called a coronation in Westminster Abbey, though this is not required for the person to officially become the monarch.

In the past, boys were chosen before girls, and people could not be Catholic. But in 2013, these rules changed so that girls and boys are now treated equally, and people can be Catholic and still marry into the royal family. However, the monarch must still be Protestant.

If the monarch is too young or unable to rule, someone next in line can act as a regent. There are also special people called counsellors of state who can help the monarch if needed. This includes spouses and close relatives of the monarch. Recently, the rules were changed to include more family members as possible counsellors of state.

Main articles: Regency Acts and Counsellor of State

Finances

Main article: Finances of the British royal family

For a long time, the monarch paid for official expenses using money from royal property called the Crown Estate. In 1760, King George III agreed to give up this money in return for a yearly payment from the government called the Civil List. This system lasted until 2012. From 2012, the Civil List was replaced with a single payment called the Sovereign Grant, which is a share of the money made by the Crown Estate.

The Crown Estate is a large group of properties in the United Kingdom, worth a lot of money. The monarch does not own it personally; it is held in trust. The money made from the Crown Estate goes to the government, and much of it is more than the Sovereign Grant. Other royal properties, like the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall, are also held in trust to help pay for royal expenses. The Royal Collection, which includes important artworks and jewels, is also held in trust and not owned by the monarch personally.

Residences

Main article: List of British royal residences

The main home for the king or queen in London is Buckingham Palace. This is where important events like parties for special guests, ceremonies for babies, and other big occasions happen. Another important home is Windsor Castle, the largest castle that people still live in. It is used mostly on weekends, during Easter, and for a special race event called Royal Ascot each year.

In Scotland, the main home is the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The monarch stays there for at least one week every year when visiting Scotland for important events.

There are other homes too, like Clarence House and Kensington Palace. All these palaces belong to the Crown and are kept safe for future kings or queens. Two other homes, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are privately owned by the monarch.

Style

Main article: Style of the British sovereign

The current monarch's full title is "Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories, King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith". The title "Head of the Commonwealth" is held by the king personally and is not part of the British Crown. The title "Defender of the Faith" was first given to King Henry VIII by the Pope in 1521 for supporting the Papacy. Even when Henry later left the Roman Catholic Church, laws were made so this title could still be used.

The monarch is called "His Majesty" or "Her Majesty". In international treaties and on passports, the term "Britannic Majesty" is used to distinguish the British monarch from rulers of other countries. The monarch gets to choose their regnal name, which might not be their first name. For example, George VI, Edward VII, and Victoria did not use their first names as their regnal names.

Arms

Main article: Coat of arms of the United Kingdom

The coat of arms of the United Kingdom shows symbols for England, Scotland, and Ireland. It includes a lion and a unicorn as supporters, with the motto "God and my Right." In Scotland, the design changes to show Scottish symbols first.

The official flag of the monarch is called the Royal Standard. It is only flown when the monarch is present. When the monarch is away, the Union Flag is shown at places like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.