The monarchy is so extraordinarily useful. When Britain wins a battle she shouts, God save the Queen; when she loses, she votes down the prime minister.

Monarchy is one of the oldest forms of political organisation in recorded history. Kingship developed independently in many parts of the world, including ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

There has never been a single model of monarchy. Some monarchs have exercised extensive personal authority; others have ruled alongside councils, assemblies, courts, religious authorities or customary institutions. Elective as well as hereditary monarchies have existed, and the powers of monarchs have continually changed in response to political, social and constitutional development.

The word monarchy derives ultimately from Greek words meaning “one” and “rule”. In modern usage, however, describing a country as a monarchy does not mean that one person necessarily governs it. In many contemporary monarchies the Sovereign reigns while elected ministers govern.

One recurring feature in the history of monarchy is the idea that legitimate authority carries obligations as well as privileges.

In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, for example, the description of kingship in Deuteronomy XVII places the king himself beneath a higher law and warns against the excessive accumulation of military power, wealth and personal privilege. Christian political thought subsequently developed strong traditions concerning the duties of rulers, justice and the common good.

Comparable ideas of responsible or restrained rulership developed in many other cultures.

The constitutional monarchy of the modern age can therefore be understood not as the abandonment of monarchy, but as one stage in a very long process by which the powers and duties of rulers have been defined and regulated.

The British constitutional monarchy did not emerge at a single moment.

Magna Carta was an important landmark. Following conflict between King John and a group of rebel barons, agreement was reached at Runnymede in June 1215. Magna Carta was not “signed” by King John; medieval charters were authenticated by seals. The surviving 1215 charters are dated 15 June 1215.

Much of Magna Carta dealt with the immediate grievances of the barons, but its enduring importance lies particularly in the principle that the ruler is subject to law.

The original settlement rapidly failed and was annulled, but revised versions were issued in 1216, 1217 and 1225. Magna Carta was confirmed again in 1297 and became an enduring symbol of government according to law.

Further constitutional development followed over many centuries: the growth of Parliament, the conflicts between Crown and Parliament in the seventeenth century, the Civil Wars, the Restoration of 1660, the Revolution of 1688–89, the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the development of Cabinet government, responsible ministerial government and an expanding parliamentary franchise further transformed the relationship between Crown, Parliament and people.

The result was not the abolition of the Crown but its adaptation.

The United Kingdom does not possess a single codified constitutional document. Its constitution is formed from statute law, judicial decisions, constitutional conventions, historic documents and established practice.

The King remains Head of State and many governmental acts continue formally to be undertaken in the name of the Crown. In practice, however, governmental authority is generally exercised by ministers who are accountable to Parliament.

The Sovereign remains politically impartial.

The Monarch appoints the Prime Minister, summons and opens Parliament, gives Royal Assent to legislation, receives ambassadors, undertakes State Visits, formally makes numerous appointments and maintains a regular confidential relationship with the Prime Minister.

These functions combine continuity with democratic government. Ministers come and go; the Crown remains.

Constitutional monarchy is not a single formula. The monarchies of Britain, Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Spain, Japan and other nations have developed in different ways and operate according to their own constitutions and traditions.

What they demonstrate is that hereditary monarchy and parliamentary democracy are not inherently contradictory.

For The Crown Society, the strength of constitutional monarchy lies precisely in this combination: a politically impartial Head of State embodying continuity and national identity, existing alongside government which remains answerable to the democratic institutions of the nation.