In simple terms, the prerogative is used by the prime minister and cabinet to govern the realm in the name of the Crown; although the monarch has the "right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn", an action in that role involves no exercise of discretion.
At any time the Sovereign could dissolve Parliament and call a general election. In accordance with constitutional convention, the Sovereign did not act independently, but at the request of the Prime Minister.
As the monarchy is constitutional, the monarch is limited to functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the prime minister, which are performed in a non-partisan manner. The sovereign is also able to comment on draft laws which directly affect the monarchy. The monarch is also Head of the British Armed Forces.
The Monarch can also dissolve Parliament, and appoint a Prime Minister to their liking, which has been done throughout Her Majesty's reign. This duty falls upon the Monarch not only in England, but in the Commonwealth countries that retain the British Sovereign as their Monarch and Head of State.
The monarch appoints the governor-general and the governors, on the advice of the respective State and Federal executive governments. These are now almost the only constitutional functions of the monarch with regard to Australia.
The monarch remains the head of British state, the highest representative of the United Kingdom on the national and international stage. The head of the British government, however, is the Prime Minister.
1.1 Head of State and Governor-General
Australia's Head of State is the King of Australia, His Majesty King Charles III. Under the Australian Constitution, executive power is exercised by the Governor‑General as the King's representative.
Constitutional convention requires that the declaration of war or commitment of British armed forces is authorised by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Crown. Parliament has no official constitutional role in the process.
As the keeper of the nation's Constitutional flame, the monarch can use said powers to appoint and dismiss ministers; to summon Parliament, and give royal assent to bills passed by Parliament.
Among Queen Elizabeth's special legal powers is the ability to grant the royal prerogative of mercy — which pardons an individual of any criminal punishment. In 2020, the Queen issued the special order to pardon a convicted felon after he saved the lives of British citizens in a London terror attack.
Although The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history.
The Queen is the only person to declare war and peace. This dates back from when the Monarch was responsible for raising, maintaining and equipping the Army and Navy. Today, this power can only be exercised on the advice of Ministers.
The monarch is head of state
His main functions as head of state are to appoint the Prime Minister, and all the other ministers; to open new sessions of parliament; and to give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, signifying that they have become law.
If a defeated Prime Minister refuses to do either of these two things, the Governor-General could use the reserve powers to either dismiss the Prime Minister (see above), or dissolve Parliament without the Prime Minister's advice.
However, a prime minister must have the confidence of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The term of a prime minister can end before the end of a Lok Sabha's term, if a simple majority of its members no longer have confidence in him/her, this is called a vote-of-no-confidence.
Republicanism isn't a strong force in Britain at the moment, which makes the abolition of the monarchy unlikely for the foreseeable future. But that could change if the institution does, or if it fails to attract the support of the younger British population.
Prince Harry served for close to a decade in the British armed forces, but since he stepped down from his royal duties in 2020, Prince Harry is considered a non-working royal. Because of this, he cannot wear his military uniform and is not permitted to salute as other working members of the royal family did.
She is the longest-serving monarch in British history. Busy from morning to night, she carries out more speeches and public meetings than all other members of the Royal family combined.
One power Queen Elizabeth did have was the power of travel. She was one of the most widely traveled heads of state in history, having visited a reported 116 countries. And she did it all without having a passport. All British passports are (or were) issued in the her name, so she never needed one.
The monarch remains constitutionally empowered to exercise the royal prerogative against the advice of the prime minister or the cabinet, but in practice would likely only do so in emergencies or where existing precedent does not adequately apply to the circumstances in question.
Command the Armed Forces
Yes, the 92-year-old monarch is Commander-in-Chief of the United Kingdom's entire military force! All British soldiers must swear an oath to her before officially joining the armed forces. With the power to command the army, though, comes the power to delegate that duty as well.
The Queen receives a yearly sum through what is known as the Sovereign Grant , which is equivalent to £1.29 per person in the UK. In Aussie dollars, that's around $2.23 per person, which last financial year amounted to a whopping $148 million.
Section 68 of the Constitution sets out the ADF's command arrangements. The Section states that "the command in chief of the naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the Governor-General as the King's representative".
The Queen's only necessary constitutional function is to appoint the Governor-General, and in doing this the Queen acts as advised by the Australian Prime Minister.
"The two people she phones the most are said to be her daughter Princess Anne and her racing manager John Warren." Warren can get through to the Queen "from anywhere in the world".