Constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a written constitution declares the Head of State to be a monarch, or sovereign.
Constitutional monarchy separates the ceremonial duties of the head of State from the legislative powers of an elected parliament.
A constitutional monarchy differs from an absolute monarchy in that, under a constitutional monarchy, the monarch governs the nation in accordance with the constitution rather than by exercising his or her own free will.
The British monarchy, which can trace its origins to before the Norman conquest in 1066, is generally accepted to be the oldest of constitutional monarchies[1] although the unwritten form of its constitution is unique.
The Commonwealth of Australia came into existence in 1901 as a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Victoria as its Head of State.
See also
References
- ↑ Bogdanor, Vernon (1997). The Evolution of Constitutional Monarchy. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.