The Sovereign

«Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith».

The Queen is the official Head of State and, for many people, a symbol of the unity of the nation. For a thousand years England (and later the whole of the United Kingdom) has been united under one sovereign, a continuity broken only after the Civil War, by the republic of 1649 to 1660. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown I passed on the sovereign’s eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).

The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her ceremonial functions, such as opening Parliament, but also because she meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers. However, she is expected to be impartial or «above politics», and any advice she may offer the Prime Minister is kept secret.

Functions of the Sovereign:

-opening and closing Parliament;

-approving the appointment of the Prime minister;

-giving her Royal Assent to bills;

-giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

-Head of the Commonwealth;

-Head of the Church of England;

-Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

The Queen Elizabeth

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is the official Head of State and for many people she is a symbol of unity of the nation.

Queen Elizabeth 2 is not only the monarch of the United Kingdom but also of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as many other countries in the Commonwealth(an association of States that were once ruled by Britain). She is also Head of the Church of England. However, the Queen has almost no power to influence the church.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen has more freedom from the government. When the Queen was growing up, the British Empire still had colonies, and she watched as they became independent members of the Commonwealth. She has met and knows the leaders of these countries. Although she has no executive powers as Head of the Commonwealth, she takes her role very seriously. However, Britain is now a member of the European Communityand is moving away from its links with the Commonwealth. In addition, people in some of the major Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and Canada, wonder if they should be connected to a monarch so far away.

Queen Elizabeth 2 is married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburg. The heirto the throne is Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The Queens other children are Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. This group is usually called the royal family, together with Queen Elizabeth’s mother – the Queen Mother who died in 2002 at the age of 101.

The Queens power is limited by Parliament but every week she meets the Prime Minister and receives copies of the all cabinet papers.

Elizabeth is the head of the executive, of the judicial power and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the U.K. She also has to fulfill her ceremonial functions such as opening of Parliament, for example.