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UK Royal Family: What does the King do? | |
(30 days later) | |
On Saturday 6 May, the King will become the 40th British monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. | |
He became king on the death of his mother, Elizabeth II, in September. | |
What does the King do? | What does the King do? |
The King is the UK head of state. However, his powers are symbolic and ceremonial, and he remains politically neutral. | |
He receives daily dispatches from the government in a red leather box, including briefings ahead of important meetings, or documents needing his signature. | He receives daily dispatches from the government in a red leather box, including briefings ahead of important meetings, or documents needing his signature. |
The prime minister normally meets the King on a Wednesday at Buckingham Palace, to keep him informed on government matters. | The prime minister normally meets the King on a Wednesday at Buckingham Palace, to keep him informed on government matters. |
These meetings are completely private and there is no official record of what is said. | These meetings are completely private and there is no official record of what is said. |
King Charles with Rishi Sunak, the second prime minister of his reign | King Charles with Rishi Sunak, the second prime minister of his reign |
The King also has a number of official parliamentary roles: | |
Appointing a government - the leader of the party that wins a general election is usually called to Buckingham Palace, where they are invited to form a government. The King also formally dissolves a government before a general election | |
State Opening and the King's Speech - the King begins the parliamentary year with the State Opening ceremony, where he sets out the government's plans, in a speech delivered from the throne in the House of Lords | State Opening and the King's Speech - the King begins the parliamentary year with the State Opening ceremony, where he sets out the government's plans, in a speech delivered from the throne in the House of Lords |
Royal Assent - when a piece of legislation is passed through Parliament, it must be formally approved by the King in order to become law. The last time Royal Assent was refused was in 1708 | Royal Assent - when a piece of legislation is passed through Parliament, it must be formally approved by the King in order to become law. The last time Royal Assent was refused was in 1708 |
In addition, the monarch leads the annual Remembrance event in November at the Cenotaph in London. | |
The King also hosts visiting heads of state - such as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa - and regularly meets foreign ambassadors and high commissioners based in the UK. | |
For his first state visit, Charles visited Germany, where he became the first British monarch to address the German parliament. | |
The King is also head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent countries spanning 2.5 billion people - and head of state for 14 of these, known as the Commonwealth realms. | |
The King and Camilla, the Queen Consort, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa | |
Camilla, the Queen Consort, supports the King in carrying out his work and undertakes her own public engagements on behalf of the 90 charities she supports. | |
Many of these focus on health and wellbeing and work with people who have been raped or sexually assaulted. | |
King Charles III, the new monarch | King Charles III, the new monarch |
Camilla, the new Queen Consort | |
What will happen at the coronation? | |
During the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, the King will be crowned alongside the Queen Consort. | |
The coronation is an Anglican religious service, carried out by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The monarch is anointed with "holy oil", and receives the orb and sceptre, symbols of royalty. | |
At the climax of the ceremony, the Archbishop will place St Edward's Crown on Charles's head - a solid gold crown, dating from 1661. | |
This is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and is only worn by the monarch at the moment of coronation itself. | This is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and is only worn by the monarch at the moment of coronation itself. |
Unlike royal weddings, the coronation is a state occasion - the government pays for it, and ultimately decides the guest list. | Unlike royal weddings, the coronation is a state occasion - the government pays for it, and ultimately decides the guest list. |
What we know about King Charles's coronation | What we know about King Charles's coronation |
Who is going to the coronation - and who isn't? | |
Your full guide to how Coronation day will unfold | |
Does King Charles need a coronation? | |
Who else is in the Royal Family? | Who else is in the Royal Family? |
Members of the Royal Family celebrated the Queen's official birthday at Buckingham Palace in 2019 | Members of the Royal Family celebrated the Queen's official birthday at Buckingham Palace in 2019 |
Prince William is the elder son of King Charles and his first wife, the late Princess Diana. After the death of the Queen, he became the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall while retaining his previous Duke of Cambridge title. He is married to Catherine, Princess of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. They have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis | |
The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) was the Queen's second child and only daughter. She is married to Vice Adm Timothy Laurence. She has two children with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall | The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) was the Queen's second child and only daughter. She is married to Vice Adm Timothy Laurence. She has two children with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall |
The Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Edward) was the Queen's youngest child. He is married to the Duchess of Edinburgh (Sophie Rhys-Jones). They have two children: Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex (James Mountbatten-Windsor) | The Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Edward) was the Queen's youngest child. He is married to the Duchess of Edinburgh (Sophie Rhys-Jones). They have two children: Lady Louise Windsor and the Earl of Wessex (James Mountbatten-Windsor) |
The Duke of York (Prince Andrew) was the Queen's second son. He has two daughters with his former wife, the Duchess of York (Sarah Ferguson): Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Prince Andrew stepped down as a "working Royal" in 2019 after a controversial BBC Newsnight interview about allegations that he had sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre. In February 2022, he paid an undisclosed sum to settle the civil sexual assault case Ms Guiffre had brought against him in the US | The Duke of York (Prince Andrew) was the Queen's second son. He has two daughters with his former wife, the Duchess of York (Sarah Ferguson): Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Prince Andrew stepped down as a "working Royal" in 2019 after a controversial BBC Newsnight interview about allegations that he had sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre. In February 2022, he paid an undisclosed sum to settle the civil sexual assault case Ms Guiffre had brought against him in the US |
The Duke of Sussex (Prince Harry) is William's younger brother. He is married to the Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle). They have two children: Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In 2020, they announced they were stepping back as senior royals and moved to California | |
How does succession work? | How does succession work? |
The order of succession sets out which member of the Royal Family takes over as monarch when the existing one dies or abdicates. First in line - the heir to the throne - is the monarch's eldest child. | The order of succession sets out which member of the Royal Family takes over as monarch when the existing one dies or abdicates. First in line - the heir to the throne - is the monarch's eldest child. |
Royal succession rules were amended in 2013 to ensure that sons would no longer take precedence over their older sisters. | |
King Charles's heir is his elder son, the Prince of Wales. | |
William's eldest child Prince George is second-in-line to the throne, and his daughter Princess Charlotte is third. Prince Louis is fourth and Prince Harry fifth. | |
Royal Family tree and line of succession | Royal Family tree and line of succession |
How popular is the Royal Family? | |
To gauge the public mood ahead of the coronation, Panorama commissioned a new YouGov opinion poll. | |
The results suggest broad support for keeping the monarchy, with 58% preferring it to an elected head of state - which was supported by 26%. | |
But, below the headline figures the poll highlights how attitudes differ across age groups. In particular, the monarchy seems to have a problem appealing to young people. | |
While over-65s were the most likely to be supportive of the monarchy at 78%, 18-24-year-olds were the least likely. Only 32% backed the monarchy. This younger group was more likely, at 38%, to prefer an elected head of state, although the remaining 30% didn't know. | |
Indifference could be an issue as much as opposition, with 78% of the younger age group saying they were "not interested" in the Royal Family. | |
How popular is the monarchy under King Charles? | |
Where do the Royal Family live? | Where do the Royal Family live? |
King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, live in Buckingham Palace. They previously split their time between Clarence House in London and Highgrove in Gloucestershire. | King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, live in Buckingham Palace. They previously split their time between Clarence House in London and Highgrove in Gloucestershire. |
Other Royal residences include Windsor Castle, Sandringham, in Norfolk, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, and Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire. | Other Royal residences include Windsor Castle, Sandringham, in Norfolk, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, and Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire. |
In August 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales moved from Kensington Palace in west London to live in Adelaide Cottage, on the Windsor Estate. | In August 2022, the Prince and Princess of Wales moved from Kensington Palace in west London to live in Adelaide Cottage, on the Windsor Estate. |
The Prince and Princess of Wales, with their children on their first day at Lambrook School in Berkshire. | The Prince and Princess of Wales, with their children on their first day at Lambrook School in Berkshire. |
Read the latest from our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - sign up here. | |
Related Topics | Related Topics |
Prince Andrew, Duke of York | Prince Andrew, Duke of York |
Prince Louis | Prince Louis |
UK Royal Family | UK Royal Family |
Coronation of King Charles III | Coronation of King Charles III |
Prince George | Prince George |
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Meghan, Duchess of Sussex |
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex | Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex |
UK Parliament | UK Parliament |
Prince William, Prince of Wales | Prince William, Prince of Wales |
Princess Charlotte | Princess Charlotte |
Catherine, Princess of Wales | Catherine, Princess of Wales |