The British monarchy

History of the monarchy

The monarchy is no longer a governing power in politics, instead it is a symbol of Britishness,

embracing a set of traditions and ceremonies. There have been sixty-one monarchs of England and
Britain, covering over one thousand and two hundred years. The first kings were in the Anglo-Saxon
period, including the years between 827-1066. The Norman Conquest brought the reign of the
Normans between 1066-1154. After Normandy and England were reunited the Plantagenet rulers
were the next monarchs containing years 1154-1272. Monarchs between 1272-1399 ruled over
England and Wales(Edward I,II,II Richard II), then the era of Lancaster’s took over in 1399 and kept
governing until 1461, followed by the York monarchs, 1461-1485. House of Tudors was the period
including years 1485-1603. This period is often defined being glorious since it built the foundations
of a powerful nation state. The rulers from the House of Stuarts are those monarchs who ruled not
only in England, but also in Scotland. They are also referred as the Interregnum. In the period of the
Restoration, it was Anne Stuart (1702-1714) who can be considered as the first monarch of Great
Britain since the political union of England and Scotland in 1 st May 1707 merged the parliament of
these countries. On the other hand on the 1 st of January 1801 with the union of Great Britain with
Ireland it was George III from the house of Hanover who was styled as ‘ King of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland." The house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was represented by Queen Victoria
and Edvard VII. The members of the Windsor house are the present rulers of the British.

Stuart Hanoverian Hanoverian Windsor

Anne George III

Anne Stuart George William Frederick
1 May 1707[a] 25 October 1760[d]
– –
1 August 1714 29 January 1820

George I George IV
George Louis George Augustus Frederick
1 August 1714[b] 29 January 1820[e]
– –
11 June 1727 26 June 1830

George II William IV
George Augustus William Henry
11 June 1727[c][i] 26 June 1830[f]
– –
25 October 1760 20 June 1837
Victoria Edward VIII
Alexandrina Victoria Edward Albert Christian George Andrew
20 June 1837[g] Patrick David
– 20 January 1936[j]
22 January 1901 –
Abdicated 11 December 1936
Edward VII
Albert Edward George VI
22 January 1901[h] Albert Frederick Arthur George
– 11 December 1936[k]
6 May 1910 –
6 February 1952
George V
George Frederick Ernest Albert Elizabeth II
6 May 1910[i] Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
– 6 February 1952[l]
20 January 1936 –
Present

The function of the Monarch

The king or the queen is the head of the state although they don’t have political or executive role as
the legislation is decided by an elected Parliament. The head of state undertakes constitutional and
representational duties that have developed through centuries. The function of the Monarch is not
governing but it is more to strengthen the national identity. The idea of pride and unity gives the
sense of stability and continuity. They also have a very important role in charitable services that
include education, environment, hospitals, and housing. Every year the Royal family carries out over
two thousand engagements. They participate in local and community events to embrace the idea of
national unity. In addition to this the Royal Family has official relationship with units of forces, and
they often represent the Queen in Commonwealth or other countries in events such as State
funerals or national festivities. The events and ceremonies of the Royal family are: Investitures,
Garden parties, Coronation, State opening of Parliament, Changing the Guard, Remembrance Day,
Chelsea Flower Show, Gun Salutes, Garter day Service, State Banquet, Royal Maundy Service, Royal
Ascot and state visits.

Accession

It refers to the event of a new Sovereign taking the throne upon the death of the previous monarch.
It is based on the Act of Settlement that was passed in 1701 to settle the succession to the English
and Irish crowns on Protestants only. The Bill of Rights 1689 sets a set of civil rights to clarify who
can inherit the crown. The accession council assembles in St James’s Palace to make formal
proclamation of the accession of the successor to the throne. Members of this council are: Privy
Counsellors, Great Officers of State, members of the House of Lords, the Lord Mayor of the City of
London, the aldermen of the City of London, high commissioners of Commonwealth realms, and
other civil servants
The civil list

It is a list of sums given annually by the Parliament to pay the expanses of the Monarch and his/her
household. The sum is charged by the government’s Consolidated Fund and inspected by the
treasury. The custom of the Civil list appeared in 1689 the Parliament gave 600.000 pounds on the
accession of William and Mary for civil expenses. The first Civil List Act was in 1697 when £700,000
were assigned to the monarch to cover civil and royal expenses. Previously these expenses had been
paid entirely from the monarch’s hereditary revenues. During the reign of George I, the Civil List
became a fixed sum. For George II there were assigned revenues in addition to fixed. George
III made a political tool of his Civil List, rewarding his supporters in Parliament with secret pensions
and bribes. The Civil List Act of 1762, providing supervision of the account, prevented
the amending of pensions. Reform in the 1780s prohibited secret pensions and provided for some
parliamentary oversight. Further changes came during Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901) when she
was allowed to grant pensions, on the advice of her ministers, to persons who had achieved
distinction in the arts, literature, or science or had given personal services to the crown—a custom
that continued with her successors. Queen Elizabeth II received a Civil List of £475,000 when she
came to the throne in 1952, but inflation affected the list over the years, and by the early 21st
century the Civil List amounted to some £10 million annually. The fund pays the salaries of the royal
staff. The Civil List also includes direct payments to lesser royals who perform official functions. In
the 1990s Elizabeth II agreed to further reforms, reducing the list by paying many expenses from her
own income.

Coronation

It is the act of placement of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers
not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony, marking the formal investiture of a
monarch with regal power. This tradition appeared in England too, with the kings Harold
Godwinson and William the Conqueror immediately crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1066.

Court Circular

It is the official record that lists the engagements carried out by the monarch of the United
Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms; the Royal Family; and appointments to their staff
and to the court. It is issued by St James's palace and printed a day in arrears at the back of The
Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman newspapers. The Court Circular was first established
by King George III. The king had become irritated by the press at that time, who frequently reported
false movements of the Royal Family. In response the king created an official circular to all the press
that listed the engagements carried out by his family.
Grant-in-aid

It is money coming from a central government for a specific project. Such funding is usually
used when the government and the legislature decide that the recipient should be publicly
funded but operate with reasonable independence from the state. In the United Kingdom, most
bodies in receipt of grants-in-aid are non-departmental public bodies. (Organisations that have a
role in the process of national government but are not part of a government department.)

Lady-in-waiting or court lady

This is a female personal assistant at a Court, attending on a royal woman or a high-

ranking noblewoman.
In the Middle Ages, (Margaret of France, Queen of England) the majority of the office holders of
the Queen's household were still male. In the mid-15th century, Queen Elizabeth Woodville had
only five ladies-in-waiting, but in the late 15th century and early 16th century, ladies-in-waiting were
given a more dominant place at the English court, in parallel with the development in France and the
continental courts. Elizabeth of York, Queen of England had numerous ladies-in-waiting: "the
Queen has thirty-two ladies, very magnificent and in splendid style". The duties of ladies-in-waiting
at the Tudor Court were to act as companions for the Queen, both in public and in private. They had
to accompany her wherever she went, to entertain her with music, dance or singing and to dress,
bathe, as a royal person, by the standards of the day, was not supposed to do anything by
themselves, but was always to be waited upon in all daily tasks as a sign of their status. Ladies-in-
waiting were appointed because of their social status as members of the nobility, by the
recommendation of court officials, knights or military officers, and because they were expected to
be supporters of the dynasty or the royal woman because of their relatives.
Trooping the Colour

It is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British Army. It has been a tradition since the
17th century, although its roots go back much earlier. On the battlefield, a regiment's colours, or
flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their ensigns slowly
march with their colours between the ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments'
colours.