Why Does Great Britain Have A Queen?

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Anyone who has been in England for a while knows how traditional they are. I am always asking questions because I am a noisy American and the most common answer I get to my questions is “It’s tradition”.

There has been a Monarch in charge of England since 1103 and the United Kingdom since 1604.

Queen Elizabeth took the throne in 1953 after the death of her father. Her husband is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. They have 4 children (numbers coincide with number in line for the throne):
  • Princes Charles (1)
    • Formerly married to Princess Diana
    • Currently married to Duchess Camilla
    • Sons Prince William (2) 
      • Prince George (3) 
    • Prince Harry (4)
  • Princess Anne
    • Married to Captain Mark Phillips
    • Children Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips
  • Prince Andrew (4)
    • Formerly married to Sara Ferguson
    • Children- Princess Beatrice(5) and Princess Eugenie (6)
  •  Prince Edward (7)
    • Married to Countess Sophie Rhys-Jones
    • Children Louise (9) and Viscount (8)
So what is the Queen’s role?

A lot of the duties of the Queen are not involved in the government as those powers have been delegated to the House of Parliament.

Here is a list of her current roles:
  • Head of the Church of England
  • Attends state functions such as opening the new session of Parliament and dissolving the Parliament before a general election and approving Orders and Proclamations.
  • Meets with the Prime Minister on a weekly basis and gives her views on government matters but she remains politically neutral.
  • Grants honours to deserving and high-achieving people to reward them for their merit, service or bravery.
  • In the case of a hung parliament, the Queen would appoint the person who she thinks has the confidence of the House of Commons.
  • Hosts dinners for foreign leaders and visits other countries.

 The Royal family also aids in representing the monarch and attend charity events. They attend over 2,000 engagements in a year.

The Monarch also generates money for the country in tourism to see where the next ceremony is please go here .

Did you know that the Queen cannot go into the House of Commons because she is not a commoner?

I think it’s a bit of the money that the monarch generates for the country and the fact that the English love to hold on to their tradition.

All the Best!

American to Britain