Crown, The, in the United Kingdom, is a term used to describe the power and property of the monarch as head of state. The term refers only to the office that the monarch holds and not to the monarch as a person. For example, in the United Kingdom and in some countries that are members of the Commonwealth of Nations, lands belonging to the state are called Crown lands and are managed by a commissioner appointed by the government. The rents from Crown lands go into the nation’s treasury. But the monarch also has personal property, just as every other person has personal property. The monarch’s personal property does not belong to the Crown, and the monarch may dispose of it or add to it as he or she wishes. The Crown acts on the advice of officials and through officials. But the monarch has no personal knowledge of many of the acts which are done in the name of the Crown.
When a monarch dies or abdicates, people speak of a demise of the Crown (a passing on of the Crown). Monarchs succeed one another from reign to reign. But the Crown is a permanent institution. Diplomats, government ministers, judges, armed forces officers, and other officials appointed by the monarch are not affected by the accession of a new monarch, because they remain servants of the Crown.
The powers of the Crown
The powers of the Crown and of Parliament are often similar, and these powers are sometimes connected and used together. Today in the United Kingdom, Parliament and government ministers have many powers that once belonged to the Crown. But the Crown still has some powers, called the royal prerogative. The Crown can take any action necessary to carry out the nation’s laws and to defend the country.
The Crown can declare war, make treaties, and appoint diplomats. But the Crown must have Parliament’s consent to pay diplomats and to raise money to fight wars.
The Crown appoints officials to many posts. For example, the Crown appoints officers of the armed forces and bishops of the Church of England. The Crown also confers many honors, such as peerages and orders of knighthood. See Honors and awards in the United Kingdom ; Peer of the realm .
The Crown decides whether to prosecute people, and it has the power to pardon people who have broken the nation’s laws. It also has power to reduce their punishments and to prevent them from punishment.
In law, all Britain’s government departments are a part of the Crown. But today, only some crown services still carry the traditional title Royal. These services include the Royal Air Force, the Royal Mint, the Royal Navy, and some corps and regiments of the British Army. But not all bodies that use the title Royal are part of the Crown. At various times, monarchs have issued royal charters to independent societies and organizations to give them certain rights.
History
No distinction was made between the monarch as head of state and the monarch as a person until after the Middle Ages. People did not distinguish between the money and property of the state and that of the monarch. In theory, all the land belonged to the monarch. When a monarch died, people occupying all state posts, including appointments in the courts of law, left those posts. Each new monarch appointed people of his or her own choice.
In the early 1700’s, Parliament distinguished between money that was granted to the monarch for personal use and money granted for government use. In the early 1800’s, an effective professional civil service began to develop.
