The British monarchy explained in one line: the King is head of state, but almost every power attached to that role is exercised by elected ministers acting in his name. King Charles III acceded to the throne in September 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. What the sovereign personally still does, who inherits the Crown, and how the institution is funded are all set by a mix of centuries-old statutes and unwritten conventions that have narrowed the monarch’s practical authority while keeping the office at the centre of the state.
What the King Actually Does
The monarch’s legal authority comes from the royal prerogative, a body of powers rooted in common law rather than any single statute. Most of those powers have been transferred to ministers over the centuries.1House of Commons Library. The Royal Prerogative and Ministerial Advice Foreign policy, deployment of the armed forces, and public appointments are all conducted by ministers on the Crown’s behalf. The powers the sovereign still exercises personally are narrower: appointing the Prime Minister and granting Royal Assent to legislation are the two that matter most.
Royal Assent is the final step in making a bill law. Once both Houses of Parliament have passed it, the monarch formally approves it. In practice it is automatic. The last time a sovereign refused Royal Assent was in 1708, when Queen Anne blocked a Scottish militia bill.2UK Parliament. Royal Assent A modern refusal would trigger a constitutional crisis.
The power to dissolve Parliament was removed from the prerogative by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, then restored by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022. That Act explicitly revived the prerogative and made its exercise non-justiciable, so courts cannot review a dissolution.3Legislation.gov.uk. Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 In practice, the monarch dissolves Parliament when the Prime Minister asks.
The most visible parliamentary role is the State Opening. The sovereign reads the King’s Speech from the throne in the House of Lords, setting out the government’s legislative agenda for the session. The Prime Minister and Cabinet write it.4UK Parliament. State Opening of Parliament Away from public view, the monarch holds weekly private audiences with the Prime Minister. Those meetings are confidential.
Beyond Parliament, the sovereign is what the constitution calls the “fount of justice.” Courts sit in the monarch’s name, judges hold their commission from the Crown, and criminal prosecutions are styled “Rex v. Defendant” (or “Regina” under a queen).5UK in a Changing Europe. Monarchy and the Courts The King is also head of the armed forces. Soldiers joining the British Army swear allegiance not to the government but to the sovereign and their successors.6National Army Museum. The Sovereign’s Soldiers
How Succession Works
Succession is automatic. Under the Act of Settlement 1701, the moment a sovereign dies the heir inherits the throne.7UK Parliament. The Act of Settlement There is no vote, no appointment, and no gap. The office is never vacant.
What follows is confirmation, not creation. The Accession Council — all Privy Councillors together with Commonwealth realm High Commissioners and senior City of London officials — meets at St James’s Palace to proclaim the new sovereign. When Charles III acceded in September 2022, the Council approved the Accession Proclamation, and the new King made a personal declaration, took the oath to protect the Church of Scotland, and signed the instruments of accession.8The Privy Council Office. Accession Council of King Charles III The Garter King of Arms then read the Proclamation from the balcony of St James’s Palace, and it was repeated at sites across the UK.
The coronation comes later, weeks or months after accession. It is a religious ceremony rather than a legal one: the sovereign already holds full authority from the moment of accession. It takes place at Westminster Abbey and is conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The sovereign must also make the Accession Declaration, professing the Protestant faith, either at the coronation or at the first State Opening of Parliament, whichever comes first.
Who Is Next in Line
Two historic statutes still govern eligibility. The Bill of Rights 1689 barred Catholics and anyone married to a Catholic from succeeding. The Act of Settlement 1701 reinforced that and added the requirement that the sovereign be a Protestant descendant of Sophia of Hanover.7UK Parliament. The Act of Settlement The Protestant requirement remains because the sovereign is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England.
The Succession to the Crown Act 2013 was the first substantial modernisation in over three hundred years. For anyone born after 28 October 2011, younger brothers no longer take priority over older sisters.9Legislation.gov.uk. Succession to the Crown Act 2013 – Explanatory Notes The Act also removed the bar on marrying a Roman Catholic, although the sovereign personally must still be Protestant.
The current line begins with William, Prince of Wales, followed by his three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Fifth in line is Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.10The Royal Family. Succession
Working Royals and Counsellors of State
Members of the Royal Family who carry out official duties on the sovereign’s behalf are known as working royals. They attend state banquets, open buildings, and act as patrons of hundreds of charities and professional organisations. In 2025, King Charles carried out over 530 official engagements, with Princess Anne close behind at nearly 480.
When the monarch is ill or abroad, certain family members can act as Counsellors of State. Under the Regency Act 1937, the Counsellors are the sovereign’s spouse and the next four people in the line of succession who are at least 21 (or 18 for the heir).11Legislation.gov.uk. Regency Act 1937 – Section 6 They can sign routine documents and attend Privy Council meetings. They cannot dissolve Parliament without express instructions from the sovereign, and they cannot grant peerages.
A gap appeared when Charles III acceded, because the next four in line included Prince Harry, who had stepped back from royal duties and moved abroad, and Prince Andrew, who had withdrawn from public life. Parliament passed the Counsellors of State Act 2022, adding Princess Anne and Prince Edward as permanent additional Counsellors for their lifetimes.12Legislation.gov.uk. Counsellors of State Act 2022 Active, UK-based royals are now always available to step in.
How the Monarchy Is Funded
Royal finances run on three separate streams: the Sovereign Grant from public funds, private income from the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and the Crown Estate, which belongs to the nation rather than the King personally.
The Sovereign Grant
The Sovereign Grant pays for the monarch’s official duties, household staff, royal travel, and the upkeep of the occupied royal palaces. It is calculated as a percentage of the Crown Estate’s net profit from two years earlier. The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 originally set that percentage at 15%. It was raised to 25% from 2017-18 to fund a major renovation of Buckingham Palace, then reduced to 12% from 2024-25 onwards.13GOV.UK. Sovereign Grant Act 2011 – Guidance
Even at 12%, the grant jumped sharply because the Crown Estate reported a record £1.1 billion net profit in 2023-24, driven largely by option fees from offshore wind farm leasing.14The Crown Estate. The Crown Estate Delivers 1.1 Billion Net Revenue Profit for the UK The Sovereign Grant for 2025-26 is £132.1 million, up from £86.3 million the year before.15GOV.UK. Sovereign Grant Act 2011 – Report of the Royal Trustees on the Sovereign Grant 2025-26 That windfall is unlikely to repeat soon. Offshore wind income is expected to fall to around £25 million per year from January 2026 as projects move from licensing into construction.
A safeguard in the Act prevents the grant from falling below the prior year’s level, so the monarchy’s funding cannot drop suddenly if Crown Estate profits decline.16Legislation.gov.uk. Sovereign Grant Act 2011 If the royal household’s reserve fund grows beyond 50% of its annual expenditure, the Royal Trustees can reduce the grant.
The Duchy of Lancaster
The monarch’s private income comes mainly from the Duchy of Lancaster, a landed estate of roughly 18,500 hectares across England and Wales. Its revenue flows into the Privy Purse, which covers expenses the Sovereign Grant does not.17House of Commons Library. Finances of the Monarchy For the year ending March 2025, the Duchy reported an adjusted net surplus of £24.4 million.18Duchy of Lancaster. Duchy of Lancaster Annual Report and Accounts Year Ended 31st March 2025
The monarch has no legal obligation to pay income tax on Duchy earnings. Since 1993, the sovereign has voluntarily paid income tax at the standard rate on Duchy income and personal investment returns. The Sovereign Grant itself is exempt.17House of Commons Library. Finances of the Monarchy Under the same 1993 agreement, no inheritance tax applies to assets passed from one sovereign to the next.
The Duchy of Cornwall
The heir to the throne is funded separately by the Duchy of Cornwall, a private estate created by Edward III in 1337. The Duchy covers roughly 52,000 hectares, mostly in south-west England, with a total portfolio value exceeding £1 billion.19The Royal Family. The Duchy of Cornwall Its income supports the official and private expenses of the Prince of Wales and his family. As with the monarch, the Prince of Wales voluntarily pays income tax on Duchy earnings.
The Monarch Beyond the UK
The sovereign’s role extends well past Britain. As Head of the Commonwealth, the King leads a voluntary association of 56 independent nations linked by history, language, and shared values.20Commonwealth. Member Countries The position is symbolic. Most Commonwealth members are republics or have their own monarchies, and the Head of the Commonwealth has no governing authority over them.
A smaller group of 15 nations, the Commonwealth Realms, keep the British sovereign as their formal head of state. They include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, and ten others.21House of Commons Library. The King’s Style and Titles in the UK and the Commonwealth In each realm, the King’s role is strictly ceremonial and non-political, with daily duties performed by a locally appointed Governor-General. Barbados was the most recent realm to become a republic, doing so in 2021. Several other nations have discussed similar moves, though none had formally transitioned as of early 2026.