The Queen 'now taking care of herself'

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The Queen is gearing up for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations which are set to take place over a four-day bank holiday beginning this Thursday. While the events are only just about to start, the exact date on which the Queen became the longest-serving monarch and the first to reach 70 years on the throne was back in February. This jubilee is a special one for the Queen not only because it puts her in the history books, but also because it marks her fourth such jubilee — she celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Many events are planned throughout the year to mark it, but the main occasions will be observed over the upcoming bank holiday weekend, which includes a special Trooping of the Colour appearance, a concert outside Buckingham Palace, and a pageant.

Elsewhere, thousands of street parties will be held by local communities, and pubs, bars and nightclubs are allowed to stay open until the early hours of the morning.

While Britons up and down the country and countless more around the Commonwealth prepare to celebrate the life and reign of their head of state, many may be asking themselves what role the Queen actually plays in their countries.

She is a constitutional monarch, meaning that while she is head of state, her powers are simply symbolic and ceremonial, and she remains politically neutral.

She also receives daily dispatches from the Government in a red leather box, with information on things like briefings ahead of important meetings or documents which need her formal signature.

But Her Majesty does play a vital role in the day-to-day workings of UK politics, even though she holds no sway over matters.

Her duties include opening each new session of Parliament, granting Royal Assent to legislation, and approving Orders and Proclamations through the Privy Council.

The Queen also has a special relationship with the Prime Minister — she has seen a total of 14 — and retains the right to appoint and also meet with him or her on a regular basis.

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These meetings are shrouded in secrecy, as no special advisers attend and there is no official record of what is said — they are completely private affairs.

In full detail, her duties are as follows:

Appointing a Government — the leader of the political party which wins a general election is later invited to Buckingham Palace where they are formally invited to form a new Government after she dissolves the existing Government just before the ballot.

State Opening and the Queen’s Speech — Her Majesty missed the State Opening of Parliament and speech for the first time in 60 years this year due to health issues, with Prince Charles, her son and heir, taking on the responsibility.

She usually begins the Parliamentary year with the opening ceremony in which she sets out the Government plans and intentions for the country, things like its policy plans, which are delivered in a speech at the House of Lords.

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Royal Assent — As previously mentioned, whenever a piece of legislation is passed through Parliament it must be formally approved by the Queen in order for it to become law.

Whenever such legislation is passed it is usually binding and the process is more or less ceremonial.

The last time a Royal Assent was refused was in 1708 when King William III refused to sign off the Scottish Militia Bill.

Apart from these responsibilities, the Queen has regular audiences with the Prime Minister and members of the Privy Council.

She also meets with visiting heads of states, as well as foreign ambassadors and high commissioners based in the UK.

Her Majesty leads the annual Remembrance event at the Cenotaph in London as well, which sees politicians from across the political spectrum pay their honours to fallen soldiers, and grand military parades in Central London.

She also plays specific roles with each of the devolved nations too, in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

While the Queen does have a position abroad as the head of the Commonwealth, this is mostly merely ceremonial and is nowhere near the power a Queen or King once had during the British Empire.

In technical terms, citizens of countries like Australia, Canada and many island nations are considered subjects of the Queen, with some of those even including her on their national currency.

But her presence abroad could slowly be diminishing, as seen in Barbados’ recent decision to become a republic, as well as other countries like Jamaica who have similarly voiced desires to break away.

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