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Unit 7: Constitutional Structure: Executive

Survival of Monarchy: Finally, we take up the issue of the survival of monarchy in this land of Notes
representative government. Much has already been discussed in this regard in the preceding pages
and an account in this direction is rather like a recapitulation of what has been said earlier, though in
a more systematic manner. It is a fact that the spirit of the time is going against the office of the king
and over the last few decades the world has witnessed a steady decline of this ancient office at the
sweeping hands of a democratic government. It is indeed, surprising to see that while the thrones are
falling down with the lightning of the democratic thistle, the English people still sing the coronation
chorus of ‘Long Live the Queen’ and thereby demonstrate the popular belief that five kings can never
go from this world-one of Britain and other four of the playing cards. We may now mention these
important reasons of the survival of monarchy in Britain:
1. The English people are essentially conservative and they do not want to change their old
institutions radically. The experience of the Commonwealth Period (1649-60) drove home the
lesson of even a despotic king’s being better than a military dictator.
2. Britain has a cabinet government in which the monarch finds a fitting place. He is the only non-
political member of the political machine in the hands of a cabinet having a Prime Minister and
other ministers of either Labour or Conservative party. The phrase that ‘king can do no wrong’,
or ‘that he reigns but does not govern’, is a proof of the fact that real authority is exercised by
the ministers “responsible to the Parliament and the people, while the king is just a symbol of
dignified executive.
3. It follows from the above point, that the existing system of British government can not operate
well without the monarch. No elected person can replace the king in an equally suitable manner.
An elected person shall not be free from the shackles of party politics and his short tenure of
four or five years shall forfeit stability. The people will never pay that much of reverence to
their elected chief as they do for their monarch. It is also possible that an elected person being
the representative of the people and thereby in tune with people’s minds in all respects will fail
to drive out extreme radicalism. Political disputes are also likely to crop up between two elected
heads - the President and the Prime Minister. Election of the head of the state shall also mean a
lot of unnecessary expenditure and political convulsion.
4. The office of the monarch is not without many advantages on the national plane. The king
proves himself to be indispensable in the working of the government and the promotion of the
interests of the English people. It is he who invites the leader of the majority party in the House
of Commons to form the government as desired by the electorate and it is he who dissolves the
House to seek a fresh verdict of the people. A money bill is presented to the Commons with his
formal recommendation and every bill passed by the Parliament becomes an act after receiving
his assent. In addition to this, he acts as the friend, philosopher and guide of the government -
a lighthouse to show path in the midst of ruffled waters. He also acts as mediator to iron out
party differences and smoothening many rough edges in the existing postures and diminishing
the virulence of the opposition.
5. Apart from some advantages at the national plane, the British monarchy is of some more advantages
in the international sphere. The king is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and all members
either pay him final allegiance (if these are dominions) or regard him a symbol of friendship (if
these are Republics). The king is a source of maintaining good relations with other countries of
the world by means of matrimonial ties, grant of uniforms and personal goodwill visits.

The distinction between King and Crown may be made more clear with the help of a
few noteworthy points. First, the former is a living person, while the latter is the institution.
As a person, king is born and he is to die one day; while the Crown is the permanent
institution of Britain. The phrase that ‘king is dead, long live the king’ really means that
the king as a person is no more, but may the office of monarch live long.

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