Reform Act 1832

• This weekend’s coronation ceremony formally invests the monarch with their regnal powers – but King Charles III has been doing the job since he was proclaimed king in September 2022.
• So what does a monarch actually do?

Roles and responsibilities

• The monarch’s position description, so to speak, includes the roles of head of state, head of nation, head of the Church of England, head of the Armed Forces, and head of the Commonwealth.
• These are largely ceremonial and symbolic roles – the king does not intervene in the day-to-day running of these institutions.
• Upon election, the prime minister meets with the king, who formally invites them to form a government.
• The king’s parliamentary roles are largely ceremonial, with one exception.
• In addition to these roles, the king also holds various royal patronages.

Senior royals and Counsellors of State

• Traditionally, the senior royals comprise the monarch’s consort, the heir and the heir’s spouse and children, and other children and their spouses.
• However, the current list of senior royals includes the king’s brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Countess Sophie, and the king’s sister, Princess Anne.
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Harry and Meghan) famously resigned from their role as senior royals in early 2020.
• This meant that following the ascension of King Charles, the Counsellors of State were Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, and Princess Beatrice.

Questioning the monarchy today

• The monarch’s various duties may be largely symbolic, but symbols are powerful articulations of particular values, relationships, and histories.
• It is important for the various nations of the Commonwealth to reflect on their symbols and institutions as they look toward their futures.