30 Things King Charles III Has the Power to Do

30 things King Charles III has the power to do King Charles III has officially been proclaimed King after the longest reign in British history Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8 2022. now that King Charles has finally ascended to the throne what does he have the power to do watch to the end to find out the 30 things King Charles III has the power to do number one serve as king perhaps the most obvious thing King Charles III has the power to do is serve as king of England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland in addition King Charles III is also the monarch of the Commonwealth Realm the Commonwealth realm is comprised of 15 Nations where King Charles III is head of state these include Antigua and Barbuda Australia the Bahamas Belize Canada Grenada Jamaica New Zealand Papua New Guinea Saint Kitts and Nevis St Lucia St Vincent and the Grenadines Solomon Islands and tuvalu these nations are all part of the Commonwealth of Nations the Commonwealth of Nations includes 56 member states 15 of which are part of the aforementioned Commonwealth Realm 36 are now republics and the remaining five have different monarchs the vast majority of the members of the Commonwealth of nations were territories of the British Empire the 20th century brought significant change to the makeup of the Commonwealth of Nations most recently in 2021 Barbados transitioned into a republic within the Commonwealth it will celebrate its independence day on the 30th of November each year within the few remaining states that are governed by King Charles III there is growing sentiment that critiques the nature and usefulness of the British Monarchy King Charles III faces significant pressure to reaffirm the importance of the Commonwealth of Nations to States who are starting to dissent will King Charles III falter under the pressure or will he reignite the power of the Commonwealth only time will tell number two drive without a license in the unlikely event that King Charles III doesn't want to be driven by a posh chauffeur he can drive his own car without a license the king is the only person in the United Kingdom who doesn't need a dvla driver and vehicle licensing authority issue driver's license yep so technically King Charles III has never passed a driver's test either we want to see him parallel park number three drive without a license plate on top of not needing a driver's license King Charles III's car will be the only vehicle on the road without a valid license plate if you ever spot a super fancy car driving around London without a license plate you'll know it's the king number four decide the Royal dress code King Charles III has the power to decide what everyone wears as a general rule members of the royal family are not allowed to wear black unless they're in mourning and the women must always wear tights no bare legs allowed King Charles III also has the power to set guidelines based on personal preference alone he could ban a color a pattern or even a hairstyle the Monarch has the final say on all the fashion rules of his family number five sovereign immunity King Charles III has the power of sovereign immunity sovereign immunity is the doctrine that a sovereign cannot commit a legal wrong or a crime The Sovereign will always be immune from Criminal persecution and civil liability essentially King Charles III is immune from all laws and related punishments yep he can't go to prison this is because the Sovereign King Charles III retains an important symbolic role as the figure in which Justice is carried out and Law and Order are maintained if King Charles III were to face persecution for a legal wrong he would essentially be taking legal action against himself sovereign immunity arose out of the English common law the common law once dictated that The Sovereign was divinely appointed by God and could thus do no wrong this Doctrine is no longer applicable but the Sovereign is still regarded as above the law just because King Charles III is immune from all kinds of legal proceedings doesn't mean he won't keep his Affairs in order and completely lawful after all he is the representative of Justice in the United Kingdom and The Commonwealth that's an awfully big reputation to uphold number six approves Royal proposals have you ever had to ask your future father-in-law's permission to pop the question it's daunting right imagine if you were asking his majesty the king to accept a hand in marriage King Charles III has the power to approve or decline any Royal proposal King Charles must ensure the partners of the royal family are appropriate and dignified enough for the position there's always a lot of pressure on choosing the right life partner in the Royal Family number seven a point of prime minister King Charles III has a bunch of reserved powers known as the Royal prerogative the Royal prerogative is a body of customary Authority privilege and Immunity recognized in the common law the Royal prerogative is vested in The Sovereign but can also apply to the government sovereign immunity which we mentioned earlier is one example of the royal prerogative another is the ability to appoint a prime minister King Charles III doesn't pick a prime minister based on personal preference this would be unconstitutional instead he would appoint a prime minister after a rigorous Democratic process in which eligible citizens of the United Kingdom cast their votes the Prime Minister will always be the leader of the party that won a majority in the House of Commons after a general election prior to the appointment the old prime minister will travel to Buckingham Palace to be formally dismissed from their role shortly after the new prime minister is called up to meet King Charles the king will ask the new prime minister whether they wish to form a government the Prime Minister will answer in the affirmative and the appointment will be finalized the Court's circular will record that the Prime Minister kissed hands on appointment number eight dismiss a prime minister along with the power to appoint a prime minister King Charles III also has the power to dismiss one however it is highly unlikely this would ever happen in government the king's role is mostly ceremonial he is to appear completely politically neutral and should not meddle in governmental affairs King Charles III is not democratically elected he should not intervene in the people's will unless it's a matter of national crisis King Charles III does wield legal Powers though but it would require extreme circumstances for him to actually use them the only situation where it would be deemed appropriate for King Charles III to dismiss a prime minister is if they refuse to resign the House of Commons can make a vote of no confidence if they no longer believe a prime minister is competent for office technically a prime minister could refuse to leave Westminster if so King Charles III is able to evoke the prerogative power and dismiss the sitting prime minister the last time a sovereign dismissed a prime minister was in 1834 when King William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne number nine open Parliament the king officially opens Parliament each year in a ceremony known as the state opening this event is the only occasion where the three branches of the legislature judicial executive and legislative are present in the same room during the ceremony the king travels to the Palace of Westminster in a state coach before the House of Commons can proceed the king must officially open Parliament by addressing both houses with The King's Speech The King's Speech is not actually written by the king himself in fact it's written by the government it includes the policies and legislation that we'll be focused on in the coming year number 10. appoint members to the House of Lords the King has the power to appoint members to the House of Lords the House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament the members of the House of Lords scrutinize and analyze bills that have been approved by the House of Commons the House of Lords has the ability to review and amend any bill from the House of Commons it is unusual for the House of Lords to reject any bills King Charles III makes appointments to the House of Lords based on an individual's knowledge of UK business culture law politics and public service there are 756 seats in the House of Lords each is occupied by people with varied professional and personal experiences 26 Bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords these are known as Lord's spiritual the rest of the members are known as Lord's temporal each member and future member has been appointed by the monarch number 11. appoint Supreme Court Justices the Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the United Kingdom in October of 2009 the Supreme Court replaced the House of Lords as the final appellate court in the land the Supreme Court is comprised of 12 justices all of which are appointed by the monarch King Charles III now has the power to appoint all new justices to the Supreme Court he does so based on recommendations from a range of legal experts King Charles III must ensure the Supreme Court Justices are fair qualified and diligent it is no easy task to appoint members to the highest judicial body they have a very important job number 12 declare war as the commander-in-chief and head of the Armed Forces King Charles III has the power to declare war this means King Charles III exercises Supreme control over the entire military branch of the United Kingdom all military personnel swear an oath of allegiance to King Charles they swear to be faithful to his orders to lay down their life for him and to go to war for him a declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a sovereign on behalf of the parliament that a state of War has arisen hopefully we won't see this power used by King Charles III anytime soon number 13 skip taxes yep you heard that right King Charles III has the power to avoid paying taxes as per The Sovereign Grant Act of 2011 the Monarch is not liable to pay income tax capital gains tax or inheritance tax this is because tax laws do not apply to the crown the official website of the royal family assures people that since 1992 Queen Elizabeth II has volunteered to pay income tax and capital gains tax it also states that the queen was subject to value-added tax and Council rates which she also regularly paid let's hope King Charles follows suit however what is a little more ambiguous is whether Queen Elizabeth and King Charles along with the other members of the royal family pay income tax on their exorbitant personal wealth I guess we'll never know number 14 travel without a passport have you ever forgotten your passport while you're on the way to the airport have you ever experienced that nauseating sensation of my holiday is ruined well it's not a situation the Monarch ever has to worry about King Charles III is able to travel without a passport internationally this is because British passports are issued in the name of the monarch it's a tad redundant having a passport issued to you by you number 15 Grant a pardon King Charles III has the power to Grant a pardon under the Royal prerogative of Mercy the Royal prerogative of Mercy was originally intended to spare the life of a criminal that was about to be executed this power is rarely used by the monarch the last time it was used was in 2013. Queen Elizabeth granted a posthumous pardon to the scientist Alan Turing who was convicted on charges of homosexuality in 1952. number 16 to avoid jury duty King Charles and his immediate family have the power to avoid jury duty for most people evading jury duty would entail a nasty fine of one thousand pounds the royal family is the exception to this rule they never have to attend jury duty number 17 legitimize laws King Charles III must sign off of every single law that passes through Parliament this is known as Royal Ascent it is essentially the process of legitimizing the law of the land in theory King Charles III can refuse to give Royal assent to a bill however this hasn't happened since 1708. number 18 speed King Charles will always be exempt from the speed limit he has the power to go as fast as he likes wherever he likes this is because British speed limits don't apply to any police ambulance or fire and rescue vehicles King Charles will usually be driven by a police escort so he doesn't need to abide by the speed limit number 19. celebrate double birthdays King Charles III is one of the only people in the world to celebrate two birthdays a monarch will have a double birthday if their real birthday falls in a colder month it's a tradition in the United Kingdom for the Monarch's birthday to be given a public holiday in the summer months even if it means celebrating twice Queen Elizabeth II's birthday was on April 21st but celebrated on June 10th King Charles III's birthday falls on November 14th we're still waiting to find out what day is public holiday celebration will fall on number 20. keep finances private King Charles has the power to keep all of his finances private the Freedom of Information Act of 2005 stipulates that the public has the right to access any information held by the government however the ACT specifically states that the royal family is excluded from this law they have no obligation to disclose any information about themselves or their finances if they wish while the royal family is reasonably honest about their income tax and capital gains tax the details of their familial wealth are kept very very quiet the details of Queen Elizabeth II's will and where her money's gone posthumously will never be public knowledge number 21 appoint archbishops and Bishops to the Church of England not only is King Charles III the Monarch but he's also defender of the faith this means that King Charles is the head of the Church of England he has the power to appoint archbishops and Bishops to the Church of England as head of the church the king appoints archbishops Bishops and deans of the Church of England however he does so on the advice of the Prime Minister number 22 summon the Prime Minister King Charles III has the power to summon the Prime Minister for a private audience each week the Prime Minister discusses the weekly Affairs of the government and King Charles can voice his opinion in return it is the Monarch's responsibility to stay politically neutral however the Monarch is allowed to voice their thoughts on the events and day-to-day happenings of Parliament the audience between the Monarch and the prime minister is strictly confidential number 23 own all the swans okay so this is a weird one King Charles III has the power to own all the Swans in the United Kingdom the reigning monarch was given symbolic ownership of all unowned Swans in the 12th century to protect them against poachers the statute states that any unmarked mute swans swimming in open Waters belong to the monarchy King Charles III was officially named Swan keeper on the day of his succession number 24 Grant knighthoods King Charles III has the power to bestow a Knighthood on any citizen of the realm who has shown service loyalty or gallantry centuries ago the recipients of a Knighthood would be awarded money and prizes now it's only the title of night that's awarded which is still a great honor anyone can be nominated for a Knighthood although the recipients are personally chosen by the monarchy those chosen for Knighthood are announced on New Year's Day and on the Monarch's official birthday number 25 issue Royal warrants Royal warrants are official documents that appoint a company to the Royal household the warrant also allows the company to use Royal Arms in connection to their business in order to get a royal warrant the business must have supplied its goods and services to the Royal household for a number of years King Charles personally Awards the Royal warrants to businesses he deems Worthy many brands use the Royal warrant as a marketing tool Bacardi Aston Martin and Cadbury have all received the Royal warrant number 26 decide when dinner ends King Charles III has the power to end a dinner party or any official engagement for that matter whenever he likes there's no need to be polite when you're the king number 27 appoint members of the privy Council the privy council is a formal body of advisors to the sovereign members of the privy Council are appointed by King Charles III at the advice of the Prime Minister the privy Council has an interdepartmental function in which they Grant Royal Charters issue orders and proclamations and advise the King on his duties number 28 approved privy Council orders and proclamations King Charles has the power to approve privy Council orders and proclamations privy Council meetings are held once a month members of the privy Council must receive King Charles III's Royal Ascent on things like the council's proclamations and formal notices these include the dates of bank holidays or the summoning of a new Parliament number 29 ignore the prime minister's advice King Charles III has the power to exercise the Royal prerogative against the advice of the Prime Minister he can completely ignore the advice of the Prime Minister if he so wishes however to do this it would need to be an unprecedented National Emergency number 30. abdicate and finally King Charles III has the power to abdicate an abdication is the absolute and final renunciation of the crown a royal abdication can only be affected by the statute of Westminster 1931. it must be agreed to by Parliament and all signatories of the statute of Westminster the last abdication was in 1936 when King Edward abdicated so he could marry his American divorcee Wallace Simpson thanks for watching we've just covered the 30 things King Charles III has the power to do like comment and subscribe for more videos on all the weird and wonderful facts about the Royal Family

Channel: Simplified Explanation

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Length: 21min 17sec (1277 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 06 2022