Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's monarch lost the battle of life yesterday. She was the monarch of England for more than seven decades. With her death her eldest son, Charles III would be crowned as King of England. Here's an explanation about the royal succession rules in the monarchial structure.
A description is given about the accession of a new sovereign and a description of the powers and responsibilities of the monarch.
Under the British Constitution, a sovereign succeeds to the throne the moment his or her predecessor dies. There is no interregnum in between.
The new monarch is officially proclaimed king or queen by a special body called the Accession Council. A full Privy Council session is only called on the accession of a new sovereign or something which is of great importance to the hereditary basis of the monarchy.
The Lords Spiritual and Temporal ( that is bishops of the Church of England who sit in the House of Lords, together with the secular peers of the realm ) and high commissioners from Commonwealth nations.
The sovereign's coronation, in effect, is just a formal ratification procedure, that follows the accession after an interval of mourning.
The coronation takes place at London's Westminster Abbey in the presence of politicians, eminent public figures, and representatives from countries around the world.
The sovereign reigns by the grace of the 1701 Act of Settlement, which lays down the rules of succession, decreeing that only Protestant descendants of a granddaughter of James I of England ( Princess Sophia the Electress of Hanover ) can take the throne.
Until a new law in 2013, marriage with a Roman Catholic also barred a royal from a place in the line of succession. A Catholic can still not become a monarch.
The legislation also brought changes that the person succeeding would not be discriminated against in succession to the throne based on gender.
Except in the unique case of William II and Mary, who ruled jointly, the monarch reigns alone. The wives of royal men are accorded the rank and status of their husbands, while the male consorts of female royals have no automatic right to a title.
If the new sovereign is a minor, a regent is nominated by the old king or queen is appointed to fulfil the official functions of the monarch until the new king or queen reaches maturity.
Traditionally, the sovereign is held to personify the state, which he or she heads, and to symbolize a common link between the countries making up the United Kingdom. In law, the sovereign is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander-in-chief of the armed forces and supreme governor of the Church of England.
In reality, he or she rubber stamps government decisions and reigns through the will of parliament.
'The monarchy is so extraordinarily useful. When Britain wins a battle she shouts, God save the Queen; when she loses, she votes down the Prime Minister.'
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