The Sovereign
The Sovereign is the Head of State and Head of Government of the Harrowlands. Vested in the Crown is the executive authority of the realm, exercised by the monarch. Sovereignty is in fact vested in the Crown-in-Parliament, with the monarch considered the “third arm of Parliament”. The monarch wields the government of the realm and actively heads the government and exercises executive power.
However the monarchy of the Harrowlands is a constitutional monarchy and as such the monarch is constitutionally limited by Parliament, by law and by constitutional convention. The monarch of the Harrowlands is said to rule through Parliament, and thus with Parliament, and not over it. A Parliament that refuses to be ruled through simply won’t be. The monarch has the royal prerogative (most notably in the area of foreign policy) of the executive government but generally appoints a Lord High Treasurer and other ministers to advise on such matters. The monarch is in no way legally obliged to act on either the advice of the ministers or Parliament in exercise of the royal prerogative but Parliament’s control over the raising and appropriating of supply for use of the Crown (the power of the purse) effectively means that, in any conflict between the Crown and Parliament, the monarch can ultimately be forced to bow to the will of Parliament (the principle of grievance before supply).
The royal prerogative of the Sovereign is not codified, but, in practice, includes at least the following powers:
- The power to appoint and dismiss the Lord High Treasurer and other ministers
- The power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament
- The power to enact legislation presented in bill by Parliament
- The power to make war and peace and decide foreign policy
- The power to command the armed forces of the kingdom
- The power to appoint Privy Counsellors
- The power to regulate the Civil Service
- The power to declare a state of emergency
- The power to expel foreign nationals
- The power to create common law courts
- The power to found new universities
- The power to appoint bishops and archbishops of the Church of Harrow
- The power to elevate individuals to the Peerage
- The power to appoint members of the orders of chivalry, grant knighthoods, and award other honours, styles and titles
- The power to establish Royal Commissions
- The power to appoint and dismiss the Lord High Treasurer and other ministers
- The power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament
- The power to enact legislation presented in bill by Parliament
- The power to make war and peace and decide foreign policy
- The power to command the armed forces of the kingdom
- The power to appoint Privy Counsellors
- The power to regulate the Civil Service
- The power to declare a state of emergency
- The power to expel foreign nationals
- The power to create common law courts
- The power to found new universities
- The power to appoint bishops and archbishops of the Church of Harrow
- The power to elevate individuals to the Peerage
- The power to appoint members of the orders of chivalry, grant knighthoods, and award other honours, styles and titles
- The power to establish Royal Commissions