What Powers Does the Queen of England Actually Have?

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A short while ago we wrote about the fact Queen Elizabeth II needs neither a passport nor driving license thanks to a quirk of British law. But what other powers does the Queen of many titles have and what could she theoretically do if she decided to flex the full might of the authority she wields? As it turns out, thanks to the Royal Prerogative, a terrifying amount if she really felt like it, or, at least, assuming parliament went by the letter of the law and they and the people didn’t decide to stage a little revolt.

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[TodayIFoundOut]

Now that you know all about the Queen of England's actual powers check out this video and find out about That Time When the Elite of the Western World Rented Pineapples by the Hour:

[aethelwyrnblack]

She can move any distance forward, backwards, sideways, and diagonally.

[dancunningham]

Queen of Australia can also do that with our military as we swore allegiance to her. That's why we have Her Majesty's Australian Ships. Lotta people forget she's our Queen too.

[davidwootton]

I heard one story about the Queen popping out to buy some items the kitchen was short on. The lady behind the counter said to her, "I must say this but you do look so like our dear Queen". And she replied, "How very reassuring".

[nigelgordon]

To quote Richard Dimbleby, from longer ago than I care to remember: "The importance of the Queen is not in the power she has but the fact that by holding those powers she denies them to others". It is widely rumored that Magaret Thatcher wanted to declare war on Argentina when they invaded the Falklands but the Queen refused. So, forcing Thatcher to send an expeditionary force to relieve the islands. If it had been up to Thatcher, the army would have invaded Argentina.

[jasonw.m]

She can also call "checkmate" on the King.

[kittuc]

All this is just theory. Her real power is immortality.

[lazulin]

It sounds like her role is basically as a failsafe. If the government spirals completely out of control and the people are about to stage a revolution... she'll take action against the government on their behalf to preserve the country. As for her advisory role, it makes sense too - unlike most politicians whose terms are limited, she has an incentive to care about UK's very long term stability. That's the value of her perspective. I do find it scary how much theoretical power she has, but as the video made clear - if she just started using it, she'd lose it. The only way she can use all that power is if the people are completely behind her, which would be the sign of a real crisis.

[pacowacko]

“The Kingdom will be reorganized to the First Galactic Empire” -Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

[Drakeblood]

So the queen could literally stand in the middle of the road and shoot somebody, and no one would bat an eye.

[jimBobuu]

I thought all she could do was move forward, back, left, right, and the diagonals.

[MWaheduzzamanKhan]

Queen Elizabeth is the living proof of quantum mechanics. Her powers are simultaneously existant and non-existant. Hence, she has all the power and no power at the same time.

[naschy]

She’s not just the Queen of England, she’s the Queen of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and 12 other countries.

[AngryIcecube]

You left out her most significant power: She's dynamite with a laser beam.

[alansmithee]

3:20. Very slight correction (though I could be wrong):
The Queen is not above the law;
She *is* the law.
Being prosecuted is you against the crown.
This is why she can't be prosecuted:
That would be the crown vs the crown which doesn't make sense.
Though she could of course place herself in a jail if she wanted to.

[TheNukedNacho]

“The law will decide your fate.”

Queen: I AM the Law.

[Jesus fucking Christ dense people it’s a Star Wars reference]

[robert]

So, basically the queen is still actually in charge. There’s this public perception that her role is more ceremonial but turns out to just not be the case.

[elijahsackville-glucksburg]

The British monarchy knows how to play the game that's how and why they survived when Russia and France didn't.

[dansimmons]

Not only Commander and Chief of the British military but also of the Australian, Canadian and New Zealand militaries, and of any other Commonwealth realm!

[FreethinkerDave]

"She has first dibs on any whales that wash up onshore" made me laugh out loud!