Word: monarchism
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...meeting of the Accession Council, the oldest governmental convocation in England, 192 of whose members gathered at St. James's Palace to determine formally the new sovereign's accession and title. The council's task was complicated by the fact that Elizabeth, the first British monarch since George I to be out of the country when her predecessor died, was still 4,000 air miles from London and hence unavailable to proclaim, as required, that she is a Protestant. Nevertheless, in two hours, the councilors decided that she was indeed the rightful sovereign...
Queen Victoria, in whose reign Bagehot was writing, exclaimed: "Oh, the wicked man, to write such a story!" Elizabeth might feel the same way, for, as every loyal subject knows, the British Constitution cannot be understood by people who think it says exactly what it means. The monarch's will is presumed to march with the will of her ministers. Elizabeth's actual rights as a Queen are only three: the right to be consulted by the Prime Minister, to encourage certain courses of action, and to warn against others...
...calls a party leader to form a government, but the person she designates must command a majority in the House of Commons. (George III was the last monarch to summon and dismiss ministries at will.) Elizabeth's power to grant or refuse a dissolution of Parliament is real enough, but she would use it independently only in extraordinary circumstances-e.g., if death or strife hopelessly entangled the wheels of party government...
What She Can't Do. Elizabeth cannot vote. Nor can she express any shading of political opinion in public. The last monarch who did that was George III, who in 1780 personally canvassed Windsor against the Whig candidate Keppel. Elizabeth cannot sit in the House of Commons, although the building is royal property. She addresses the opening session of each Parliament, but she cannot write her own speech. She cannot refuse to sign a bill of Parliament. She cannot appear as a witness in court, or rent property from her subjects...
What She Owns. Elizabeth is one of the world's wealthiest individuals. Although a monarch's private holdings (and will) are unpublished, the crown jewels are estimated at up to $140 million, and Buckingham Palace's gold dinner service at $10 million. It is impossible to price-tag the private estates at Balmoral and Sandringham, the library of Windsor Castle and the art treasures of Buckingham Palace. The Queen owns 600 of the Thames River's 800 swans, all sturgeons and whales caught in home waters, the land around the perimeter of the islands between high...