NCTJ QUESTION THE MONARCHY

NCTJ Question on The Constitution and The Monarchy. You have been asked to provide background information for a short feature explaining the role, powers and funding of the monarchy.

a) Outline the powers of the monarchy. (15 marks)

The British Monarchy has been established for around 1000 years with various lines of succession and houses ruling England and The British Isles. In 21st century Britain, Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State, Head of The Church of England, Head of The House of Windsor and monarch of Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand. However, the British Royal Family have no power to rule the country, as that role is now filled by Government, in particular Gordon Brown the current Prime Minister. The Queen’s role is to travel the world meeting various state leaders, presidents and Prime Ministers, and entertaining them at formal dinners.

The Queen, with her various costumes, jewellery, palaces, stately homes and pageantry with events such as Trooping the Colour, royal weddings and state funerals, serves as a living reminder of past royal traditions, and is vital in keeping Britain’s tourism industry thriving, especially in London and Windsor to boost the UK’s economy. The Queen meets regularly with the Prime Minister to discuss state affairs, but she has no power in making any laws, acts or regulations. They also discuss world affairs such as the war in Iraq or 9/11. After Princess Diana died, The Queen had to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss her state funeral and her image as both a Head of State and a grandmother, as her reputation as a conservative stiff upper lip English woman who did not display her emotions was felt as cold by the general public. Their meetings are protocol, and serve to meet past British traditions such as in Tudor times when Cardinal Wolsey met King Henry VIII to discuss the country and power. This tradition is kept alive, but the roles of decision-making and power have been reversed.

The senior members of the Royal family such as The Duke of Edinburgh, Princes Charles, William and Harry undertake public duties if the Queen is unable to attend as the public are keen to have the publicity of such well-known members of a British institution to generate prestige, publicity, and possibly more money if it is a charity event. Stories of the monarchy are highly sought after by the media as they generate more sales, listeners and revenue for the media industry, especially stories of senior royals.

The Queen is able to award people for services to the country such as knighthoods, titles, MBEs, CBEs, which keeps old traditions alive and gives more power to people such as Sir Paul McCartney whose public profile is now higher as a result of being given a title.

The Queen’s image is also present on coins, banknotes and she has the power to call or dissolve Parliament, gives the Royal Assent to Bills passed by Parliament, formally appoints the new Prime Minister, judges, diplomats, governors, officers in the armed forces, bishops and some senior Church of England clergy. She also declares war and makes peace. Most of these roles are carried out on the advice of her courtiers, employees and Parliament. b) Indicate how the monarchy is funded. (4 marks) The monarchy is funded through Civil List to cover official expenses such as travel and accommodation to help the Sovereign fulfil her duties as the Head of State and Head of The Commonwealth.

Other sources of income include Grants-in-Aid from Parliament to cover the maintenance of the royal residence and royal travel, the Privy Purse, which is the traditional income for the Sovereign’s public and private use. The Royal family have private income from Prince Charles’s Duchy whereby he sells products from his Gloucestershire estate such as jam and organic produce, Princess Anne holds equestrian events at her Gatecombe Park Estate, Prince Edward owns a media company, Prince Andrew is in the Navy, Princes William and Harry serve in the Army and receive an annual salary and Lord Linley owns a furniture company in London. c) List three local contacts you would approach for quotes to give this a local angle and give reasons for your choices. (6 marks)

To give this feature a local angle, I would interview an elderly person who has lots of royal souvenirs and memorabilia from the last 50 years to demonstrate the changes in the House of Windsor through various weddings and births, someone who can share their memories of the events such as the Coronation, through to the 1982 wedding of Prince Charles.

I stood at the front of the queue when the Queen came to Uxbridge in June 2002, so I could arrange an interview with one of my friends who witnessed the event herself, or perhaps workers in Uxbridge who remember that event because The Queen and Prince Philip arrived in Uxbridge to unveil the statue outside the Chimes Shopping Centre.

The Queen also came to Brunel last year, therefore I would speak to the Vice-Chancellor of Brunel, and interview my friend Alex who stood at the front of the queue just to gain reactions and special memories. I would also interview the local Mayor because they always present the Queen with flowers when she arrives in the local area.