Whitehall documents reveal Royals have real power

Those who claim that the Royal Family merely fulfills a symbolic or ceremonial role in Britain will feel ever so slightly embarrassed following the release of secret documents held by Parliament. The douments expose the real extent of the Royal Family’s influence in British politics.

Following a Freedom of Information request by legal scholar John Kirkhope, it was revealed that at least 39 bills have been subject to Royal approval or disproval on areas as broad as education, the Iraq war and civil rights.

The Whitehall documents show that senior Royals have greater influence on British politics than previously thought, obliging government ministers to consult the Queen and Prince Charles in the creation of new legislation. In 1999 the Queen vetoed the “Military Actions Against Iraq Bill” that sought to transfer the power of military authorisation from the monarch to parliament. Meanwhile, Prince Charles has been asked to consent to 20 pieces of legislation since 2005 ranging from the 2012 Olympics, to Housing and even Land Registration.

Following this revelation, the common view that the Royal family merely plays a ceremonial role seems to be untrue. John Kirkhope points out that, although there has been a past “implication that these powers are quaint and sweet”,  in reality the Royal Family wields “real influence and real power, albeit unaccountable”.

Amid rising concerns regarding the senior Royals’ influence in the democratic process, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “It is a long established convention that the Queen is asked by parliament to provide consent to those bills which parliament has decided would affect crown interests”.

Whitehall was visibly keen to keep the documents secret, however following a 15-month Freedom of Information dispute, Parliament was eventually ordered to release the documents by the Information Commissioner.

Image courtesy of england.net