Chapter 2 The Constitutional Monarchy in Great BritainContemporary British Culture and Society 英国社会与文化 教学课件.ppt

Chapter 2 The Constitutional Monarchy in Great Britain September, 2009 Li Xue Key points: 1. the main political roles of the sovereign in the UK. 2. the roles of the Royal family in the UK Discussion: Give examples of the Royal family member’s functions in the UK. Defining constitutional monarchy Monarchy: a king or queen serves as the head of state. Constitutional monarchy: a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written or unwritten constitution. Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch is the ceremonial head of state and a directly- or indirectly-elected prime minister is the head of government and exercises effective political power. Contemporary constitutional monarchies include Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The Monarch Queen Elizabeth II Real name: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor Birth: 21 April 1926 in London Children: 3 sons, 1 daughter The role of the Sovereign The British Sovereign can be seen as having two roles: Head of State, and Head of the Nation. As Head of State, The Queen undertakes political duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. There are inward duties: To appoint a new Prime Minister; To summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament; To sign acts of Parliament,; To hold meetings with the Prime Minister. To serve as the commander-in-chief of the Armed forces and the Supreme governor the Church of England. There are also outward duties of State, when The Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world: To receive foreign ambassadors and high commissioners; To entertains visiting Heads of State, To make State visits overseas to other countries. As Head of Nation, The Queens role is less formal, but no less important for the social and cultural functions it fulfils. These include: providing a focus f