Royal prerogative

I mentioned that when Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II, the Scots were upset because she was the first Queen Elizabeth of Scotland.  One person even sued -- I'm not sure on what basis -- but the court threw it out, saying the ordinal number was a matter of Royal Prerogative.

I thought that was interesting, and looked into what else fell under 'Royal prerogative.'  Unfortunately, it's basically the powers of the executive branch of government.  The Queen has the right to veto a bill (or in English parlance, to not give her assent) but the last time that happened was in 1704!  She can unilaterally dissolve Parliament, but the last time that was done was 1835. She can grant pardons, commute sentences, or even drop legal proceedings against a person.  She recognises foreign states, issues declarations of war and peace, and forms international treaties.  She can annex land and cede territory, and can prevent someone from leaving the UK.

Twice a year, she grants honours (such as the Order of the British Empire), although that list is primarily drawn up by Parliament.  However, she has complete discretion over membership of the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of Merit. She is the Commander in Chief, and can appoint officers.  As head of the church, she also appoints bishops and archbishops for the Church of England.

As the Queen is a "constiitutional monarch," she is required to seek the advice of the Prime Minister or Cabinet, but not necessarily follow it.  However, Queen Elizabeth II meets with the Prime Minister every week, and has for most of her sixty-year rule. She has had a good working relationship with every PM except Margaret Thatcher.  Her other PMs have been Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home, Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, James Callaghan, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron.