The Queen’s role in British politics is believed to be a studied neutrality. By convention, she does not vote in elections and does not make statements that could be interpreted as party politics. As head of state, she performs the ceremonial opening of parliament and other symbolic roles, but in theory she plays no role in government decision-making or policy-making.
However, documents discovered by the Guardian in the National Archives tell a different story. The guards David Pegg tells Anushka asthana on a paper trail showing how more than 1,000 laws were vetted by the Queen or Prince Charles through secret procedure before being passed by Parliament. These laws include everything from social security, pensions, race relations, and food policies to obscure parking and hovercraft regulations. But they also include bills affecting the Queen’s personal property, such as her private estates at Balmoral and Sandringham – and everything to do with the nature of her wealth, which is estimated to amount to hundreds of millions of pounds.
The secret process of “Queen Consent” has no formal legal basis, but still exists as a parliamentary convention. And through revelations about the extent of its use, constitutional experts have called for urgent reforms.
Buckingham Palace said the queen’s consent had only been refused on the advice of ministers. “Whether the queen’s consent is required is decided by parliament, independently of the royal household, in matters that could harm the crown’s interests, including the personal property and personal interests of the monarch,” said a palace spokesman.
Illustration: Guardian Design
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