Monarchy, the constitution & Parliament | Queen Elizabeth II Parliamentary Affairs special collection

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Parliamentary Affairs special collection: Monarchy, the constitution and Parliament

The Queen's Speech delivered by the then Prince of Wales during the May 2022 State Opening of Parliament. ©UK House of Lords

Monarchy and its constitutional role in the UK's parliamentary democracy has been the theme of a number of articles in our journal, Parliamentary Affairs, throughout the reign of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This special online collection from the archives draws together some of these articles, dating back to Her late Majesty's accession in 1952.

Articles

The Queen in Parliament

Sir Albert Napier (1953)

The British Constitution in 1953

Wilfrid Harrison (1953)

The Crown and Parliament

Graeme C. Moodie (1956)

The Monarchy and the Constitution

Vernon Bogdanor (1996)

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The Queen in Parliament

Sir Albert Napier (1953) | Download PDF

As Permanent Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Department – now the Ministry of Justice – and Clerk of the Crown in Chancery for the decade preceding Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, Sir Albert had a unique perspective on the relationship between the Palace, Government and Parliament. Here, the former barrister navigates the intricate procedures, ceremonies and issues leading up to and surrounding Elizabeth II's inaugural parliamentary session, including Prorogation, the State Opening and the role of the Privy Council.

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The British Constitution in 1953

Wilfrid Harrison (1953) | Download PDF

The passing of the Independence of India Act in 1947 – just five years before the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II – preceded a period of significant constitutional change for Britain. In this article, Wilfrid Harrison explores how these changes developed in the years leading up to and throughout the 1953 coronation year, and the effect they had on the Coronation Service itself. Wilfrid Harrison was Professor of Politics at Warwick University and founder of the University's Politics Department.

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The Crown and Parliament

Graeme C. Moodie (1956) | Download PDF

"[T]he monarchy does not govern, but must subordinate itself, in its public political activities, to those who do", writes Graeme Moodie in this article on the evolution of the relationship between Parliament and the Crown, published shortly after the Suez Crisis in 1956. Developments around the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden, Moodie explains, illustrate one of the "dangers" a monarch can face when tasked with appointing a new Prime Minister in the absence of an established alternative. Graeme Moodie was Professor and founding Head of the Politics Department at the University of York.

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The Monarchy and the Constitution

Vernon Bogdanor (1996) | Download PDF

Covering the cornerstones in British constitutional history – from William the Conqueror, through the signing of Magna Carta and the 1688 Revolution, up until the reported 1986 disagreements between the Palace and the Government over the latter's policy on apartheid – Professor Bogdanor analyses the development of the monarchy alongside parliamentary democracy, explaining how the relationship has shaped our modern system of government. Vernon Bogdanor is currently a Research Professor at the Centre for British Politics and Government at King's College London.

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About Parliamentary Affairs

Parliamentary Affairs is the quarterly journal of the Hansard Society, published by Oxford University Press, and covers all aspects of representation and politics connected to parliaments and legislatures in the UK and around the world.

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