BRIEFING WHAT IS CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY, AND WHAT IS ITS ROLE IN THE UK?

The monarch as embodiment of the state • The Crown is the embodiment of the permanent state. [...] • The monarch is also Head of the Church of England, and must swear to maintain the Protestant religion and the Church as part of the Coronation Oath. [...] The monarch and parliament • The prerogative powers of the Crown have their roots in the medieval powers of the monarch. [...] In the case of the Prime Minister, the monarch will appoint the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons. [...] Impact of the monarchy The nineteenth-century writer Walter Bagehot characterised the monarchy as the ‘dignified’ part of the UK constitution (as opposed to the ‘efficient’ part played by government), whose key role was to foster a sense of affinity to the established constitutional order among the public.