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00:0030 Things King Charles III Has The Power To Do
00:05King Charles III has officially been proclaimed king.
00:09After the longest reign in British history, Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September
00:148, 2022.
00:16Now that King Charles has finally ascended to the throne, what does he have the power
00:21to do?
00:22Watch to the end to find out the 30 things King Charles III has the power to do.
00:28Number 1.
00:29Serve As King Perhaps the most obvious thing King Charles
00:33III has the power to do is serve as king of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
00:40In addition, King Charles III is also the monarch of the Commonwealth Realm.
00:46The Commonwealth Realm is comprised of 15 nations where King Charles III is head of
00:51state.
00:52These include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica,
01:01New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
01:09Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.
01:12These nations are all part of the Commonwealth of Nations.
01:16The Commonwealth of Nations includes 56 member states, 15 of which are part of the aforementioned
01:23Commonwealth Realm, 36 are now republics, and the remaining five have different monarchs.
01:29The vast majority of the members of the Commonwealth of Nations were territories of the British
01:34Empire.
01:35The 20th century brought significant change to the makeup of the Commonwealth of Nations.
01:41Most recently, in 2021, Barbados transitioned into a republic within the Commonwealth.
01:48It will celebrate its Independence Day on the 30th of November each year.
01:53Within the few remaining states that are governed by King Charles III, there is growing sentiment
01:59that critiques the nature and usefulness of the British monarchy.
02:03King Charles III faces significant pressure to reaffirm the importance of the Commonwealth
02:08of Nations to states who are starting to dissent.
02:12Will King Charles III falter under the pressure, or will he reignite the power of the Commonwealth?
02:18Only time will tell.
02:21Number 2.
02:22Drive Without A License In the unlikely event that King Charles III
02:27doesn't want to be driven by a posh chauffeur, he can drive his own car, without a license.
02:33The King is the only person in the United Kingdom who doesn't need a DVLA, Driver
02:39and Vehicle Licensing Authority-issued driver's license.
02:42Yep, so technically, King Charles III has never passed a driver's test either.
02:49We want to see him parallel park.
02:51Number 3.
02:53Drive Without A License Plate On top of not needing a driver's license,
02:58King Charles III's car will be the only vehicle on the road without a valid license
03:02plate.
03:03If you ever spot a super fancy car driving around London without a license plate, you'll
03:09know it's the King.
03:11Number 4.
03:13Decide The Royal Dress Code King Charles III has the power to decide what
03:18everyone wears.
03:20As a general rule, members of the royal family are not allowed to wear black, unless they're
03:25in mourning, and the women must always wear tights, no bare legs allowed.
03:31King Charles III also has the power to set guidelines based on personal preference alone.
03:37He could ban a color, a pattern, or even a hairstyle.
03:41The monarch has the final say on all the fashion rules of his family.
03:47Number 5.
03:49Sovereign Immunity King Charles III has the power of sovereign
03:52immunity.
03:54Sovereign immunity is the doctrine that a sovereign cannot commit a legal wrong or a
03:59crime.
04:00The sovereign will always be immune from criminal persecution and civil liability.
04:06Essentially, King Charles III is immune from all laws and related punishments.
04:12Yep, he can't go to prison.
04:16This is because the sovereign, King Charles III, retains an important symbolic role as
04:21the figure in which justice is carried out and law and order are maintained.
04:27If King Charles III were to face persecution for a legal wrong, he would essentially be
04:32taking legal action against himself.
04:35Sovereign immunity arose out of the English common law.
04:38The common law once dictated that the sovereign was divinely appointed by God and could thus
04:44do no wrong.
04:46This doctrine is no longer applicable, but the sovereign is still regarded as above the
04:51law.
04:53Just because King Charles III is immune from all kinds of legal proceedings, doesn't mean
04:58he won't keep his affairs in order and completely lawful.
05:02After all, he is the representative of justice in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
05:08That's an awfully big reputation to uphold.
05:12Number 6.
05:14Approves Royal Proposals
05:16Have you ever had to ask your future father-in-law's permission to pop the question?
05:21It's daunting, right?
05:22Imagine if you were asking His Majesty, the King, to accept a hand in marriage.
05:28King Charles III has the power to approve or decline any royal proposal.
05:34King Charles must ensure the partners of the royal family are appropriate and dignified
05:38enough for the position.
05:40There's always a lot of pressure on choosing the right life partner in the royal family.
05:46Number 7.
05:48Appoint a Prime Minister
05:50King Charles III has a bunch of reserved powers known as the royal prerogative.
05:55The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity recognized
06:01in the common law.
06:03The royal prerogative is vested in the sovereign, but can also apply to the government.
06:09Government immunity, which we mentioned earlier, is one example of the royal prerogative.
06:15Another is the ability to appoint a Prime Minister.
06:18King Charles III doesn't pick a Prime Minister based on personal preference.
06:23This would be unconstitutional.
06:25Instead, he would appoint a Prime Minister after a rigorous democratic process in which
06:32eligible citizens of the United Kingdom cast their votes.
06:36The Prime Minister will always be the leader of the party that won a majority in the House
06:40of Commons after a general election.
06:43Prior to the appointment, the old Prime Minister will travel to Buckingham Palace to be formally
06:48dismissed from their role.
06:50Shortly after, the new Prime Minister is called up to meet King Charles.
06:55The King will ask the new Prime Minister whether they wish to form a government.
06:59The Prime Minister will answer in the affirmative, and the appointment will be finalized.
07:05The court's circular will record that the Prime Minister kissed hands on appointment.
07:108.
07:11Dismiss a Prime Minister Along with the power to appoint a Prime Minister,
07:16King Charles III also has the power to dismiss one.
07:20However, it is highly unlikely this would ever happen.
07:24In government, the King's role is mostly ceremonial.
07:28He is to appear completely politically neutral and should not meddle in governmental affairs.
07:34King Charles III is not democratically elected.
07:38He should not intervene in the people's will unless it's a matter of national crisis.
07:43King Charles III does wield legal powers, though, but it would require extreme circumstances
07:49for him to actually use them.
07:52The only situation where it would be deemed appropriate for King Charles III to dismiss
07:56a Prime Minister is if they refuse to resign.
08:00The House of Commons can make a vote of no confidence if they no longer believe a Prime
08:05Minister is competent for office.
08:07Technically, a Prime Minister could refuse to leave Westminster.
08:12If so, King Charles III is able to evoke the prerogative power and dismiss the sitting
08:17Prime Minister.
08:19The last time a sovereign dismissed a Prime Minister was in 1834, when King William IV
08:25dismissed Lord Melbourne.
08:279.
08:29Open Parliament The King officially opens Parliament each
08:33year in a ceremony known as the State Opening.
08:37This event is the only occasion where the three branches of the legislature – judicial,
08:42executive, and legislative – are present in the same room.
08:46During the ceremony, the King travels to the Palace of Westminster in a state coach.
08:52Before the House of Commons can proceed, the King must officially open Parliament by addressing
08:56both Houses with the King's Speech.
08:59The King's Speech is not actually written by the King himself.
09:03In fact, it's written by the government.
09:06It includes the policies and legislation that will be focused on in the coming year.
09:1110.
09:12Appoint Members to the House of Lords The King has the power to appoint members
09:17to the House of Lords.
09:19The House of Lords is the second chamber of Parliament.
09:23The members of the House of Lords scrutinize and analyze bills that have been approved
09:27by the House of Commons.
09:30The House of Lords has the ability to review and amend any bill from the House of Commons.
09:36It is unusual for the House of Lords to reject any bills.
09:40King Charles III makes appointments to the House of Lords based on an individual's
09:45knowledge of UK business, culture, law, politics, and public service.
09:51There are 756 seats in the House of Lords.
09:55Each is occupied by people with varied professional and personal experiences.
10:0126 bishops of the Church of England sit in the House of Lords.
10:05These are known as Lords Spiritual.
10:08The rest of the members are known as Lords Temporal.
10:12Each member, and future member, has been appointed by the monarch.
10:1611.
10:18Appellate Supreme Court Justices The Supreme Court is the highest judicial
10:23body in the United Kingdom.
10:25In October of 2009, the Supreme Court replaced the House of Lords as the final appellate
10:31court in the land.
10:32The Supreme Court is comprised of 12 justices, all of which are appointed by the monarch.
10:39King Charles III now has the power to appoint all new justices to the Supreme Court.
10:44He does so based on recommendations from a range of legal experts.
10:49King Charles III must ensure the Supreme Court justices are fair, qualified, and diligent.
10:56It is no easy task to appoint members to the highest judicial body.
11:00They have a very important job.
11:0312.
11:04Declare War As the Commander-in-Chief and Head of the
11:08Armed Forces, King Charles III has the power to declare war.
11:14This means King Charles III exercises supreme control over the entire military branch of
11:19the United Kingdom.
11:21All military personnel swear an oath of allegiance to King Charles.
11:26They swear to be faithful to his orders, to lay down their life for him, and to go to
11:31war for him.
11:33A declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a sovereign, on behalf of the Parliament,
11:39that a state of war has arisen.
11:42Hopefully we won't see this power used by King Charles III any time soon.
11:4713.
11:49Skip Taxes Yep, you heard that right.
11:53King Charles III has the power to avoid paying taxes.
11:58As per the Sovereign Grant Act of 2011, the monarch is not liable to pay income tax, capital
12:04gains tax, or inheritance tax.
12:07This is because tax laws do not apply to the Crown.
12:11The official website of the Royal Family assures people that since 1992, Queen Elizabeth
12:17II has volunteered to pay income tax and capital gains tax.
12:22It also states that the Queen was subject to value-added tax and council rates, which
12:27she also regularly paid.
12:29Let's hope King Charles follows suit.
12:32However, what is a little more ambiguous is whether Queen Elizabeth and King Charles,
12:38along with the other members of the Royal Family, pay income tax on their exorbitant
12:42personal wealth.
12:44I guess we'll never know.
12:4614.
12:48Travel Without a Passport Have you ever forgotten your passport while
12:51you're on the way to the airport?
12:54Have you ever experienced that nauseating sensation of, my holiday is ruined?
12:59Well, it's not a situation the monarch ever has to worry about.
13:04King Charles III is able to travel without a passport internationally.
13:09This is because British passports are issued in the name of the monarch.
13:14It's a tad redundant having a passport issued to you by you.
13:1915.
13:20Grant a Pardon King Charles III has the power to grant a
13:24pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy.
13:27The Royal Prerogative of Mercy was originally intended to spare the life of a criminal that
13:32was about to be executed.
13:34This power is rarely used by the monarch.
13:38The last time it was used was in 2013.
13:41Queen Elizabeth granted a posthumous pardon to the scientist Alan Turing, who was convicted
13:46on charges of homosexuality in 1952.
13:5016.
13:52To Avoid Jury Duty King Charles and his immediate family have
13:56the power to avoid jury duty.
13:59For most people, evading jury duty would entail a nasty fine of £1,000.
14:05The royal family is the exception to this rule.
14:08They never have to attend jury duty.
14:1217.
14:14Legitimize Laws King Charles III must sign off of every single
14:18law that passes through Parliament.
14:20This is known as Royal Assent.
14:23It is essentially the process of legitimizing the law of the land.
14:27In theory, King Charles III can refuse to give Royal Assent to a bill.
14:32However, this hasn't happened since 1708.
14:3518.
14:37Speed King Charles will always be exempt from the
14:40speed limit.
14:41He has the power to go as fast as he likes, wherever he likes.
14:46This is because British speed limits don't apply to any police, ambulance, or fire and
14:51rescue vehicles.
14:53King Charles will usually be driven by a police escort, so he doesn't need to abide
14:58by the speed limit.
15:0019.
15:01Celebrate Double Birthdays King Charles III is one of the only people
15:05in the world to celebrate two birthdays.
15:08A monarch will have a double birthday if their real birthday falls in a colder month.
15:14It's a tradition in the United Kingdom for the monarch's birthday to be given a public
15:18holiday in the summer months, even if it means celebrating twice.
15:23Queen Elizabeth II's birthday was on April 21st, but celebrated on June 10th.
15:29King Charles III's birthday falls on November 14th.
15:32We're still waiting to find out what day his public holiday celebration will fall on.
15:3820.
15:39Keep Finances Private King Charles has the power to keep all of his
15:43finances private.
15:45The Freedom of Information Act of 2005 stipulates that the public has the right to access any
15:51information held by the government.
15:53However, the Act specifically states that the royal family is excluded from this law.
15:59They have no obligation to disclose any information about themselves or their finances if they
16:04wish.
16:06While the royal family is reasonably honest about their income tax and capital gains tax,
16:11the details of their familial wealth are kept very, very quiet.
16:16The details of Queen Elizabeth II's will and where her money's gone posthumously will
16:21never be public knowledge.
16:2421.
16:25Appoint Archbishops and Bishops to the Church of England
16:29Not only is King Charles III the monarch, but he's also defender of the faith.
16:34This means that King Charles is the head of the Church of England.
16:38He has the power to appoint archbishops and bishops to the Church of England.
16:43As head of the Church, the king appoints archbishops, bishops, and deans of the Church of England.
16:48However, he does so on the advice of the Prime Minister.
16:5222.
16:54Summon the Prime Minister
16:55King Charles III has the power to summon the Prime Minister for a private audience
17:00each week.
17:01The Prime Minister discusses the weekly affairs of the government and King Charles can voice
17:06his opinion in return.
17:08It is the monarch's responsibility to stay politically neutral.
17:11However, the monarch is allowed to voice their thoughts on the events and day-to-day happenings
17:16of Parliament.
17:17The audience between the monarch and the Prime Minister is strictly confidential.
17:2223.
17:24Own All the Swans
17:27Okay so this is a weird one.
17:30King Charles III has the power to own all the swans in the United Kingdom.
17:35The reigning monarch was given symbolic ownership of all unowned swans in the 12th century to
17:40protect them against poachers.
17:43The statute states that any unmarked mute swan swimming in open waters belong to the
17:48monarchy.
17:49King Charles III was officially named Swan Keeper on the day of his succession.
17:5524.
17:56Grant Knighthoods
17:58King Charles III has the power to bestow a knighthood on any citizen of the realm who
18:03has shown service, loyalty, or gallantry.
18:07Centuries ago, the recipients of a knighthood would be awarded money and prizes.
18:12Now, it's only the title of knight that's awarded, which is still a great honor.
18:17Anyone can be nominated for a knighthood, although the recipients are personally chosen
18:22by the monarchy.
18:24Those chosen for knighthood are announced on New Year's Day and on the monarch's
18:28official birthday.
18:3025.
18:31Issue Royal Warrants
18:33Royal warrants are official documents that appoint a company to the royal household.
18:38The warrant also allows the company to use royal arms in connection to their business.
18:43In order to get a royal warrant, the business must have supplied its goods and services
18:48to the royal household for a number of years.
18:51King Charles personally awards the royal warrants to businesses he deems worthy.
18:56Many brands use the royal warrant as a marketing tool.
19:00Bacardi, Aston Martin, and Cadbury have all received the royal warrant.
19:0526.
19:07Decide When Dinner Ends
19:09King Charles III has the power to end a dinner party, or any official engagement for that
19:14matter, whenever he likes.
19:16There's no need to be polite when you're the king.
19:2027.
19:22Appoint Members of the Privy Council
19:24The Privy Council is a formal body of advisors to the sovereign.
19:29Members of the Privy Council are appointed by King Charles III at the advice of the Prime
19:33Minister.
19:35The Privy Council has an interdepartmental function in which they grant royal charters,
19:40issue orders and proclamations, and advise the king on his duties.
19:4528.
19:47Approve Privy Council Orders and Proclamations
19:50King Charles has the power to approve Privy Council orders and proclamations.
19:55Privy Council meetings are held once a month.
19:58Members of the Privy Council must receive King Charles III's royal assent on things
20:02like the council's proclamations and formal notices.
20:06These include the dates of bank holidays or the summoning of a new parliament.
20:1129.
20:13Ignore the Prime Minister's Advice
20:15King Charles III has the power to exercise the royal prerogative against the advice of
20:20the Prime Minister.
20:22He can completely ignore the advice of the Prime Minister if he so wishes.
20:26However, to do this, it would need to be an unprecedented national emergency.
20:3230.
20:33Abdicate
20:34And finally, King Charles III has the power to abdicate.
20:39An abdication is the absolute and final renunciation of the crown.
20:44A royal abdication can only be effected by the Statute of Westminster, 1931.
20:50It must be agreed to by Parliament and all signatories of the Statute of Westminster.
20:55The last abdication was in 1936, when King Edward abdicated so he could marry his American
21:02divorcee Wallis Simpson.
21:06We've just covered the 30 things King Charles III has the power to do.
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