British monarchy

The British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, holding the now largely ceremonial position of head of state. The present monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since February 6, 1952. The heir apparent is her eldest son, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. Along with the Queen's husband and consort, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, they undertake various public duties in accordance with their positions.

The current monarchy has its beginnings among the petty kingdoms of early medieval Britain. By the year 1000, these had resolved into the kingdoms of England and Scotland. Beginning in 1603, when the Scottish king inherited the English throne, both kingdoms were ruled by a single monarch, and in 1707 the kingdoms were merged to create the Kingdom of Great Britain and, essentially, the monarchy of the United Kingdom today.

The British monarch is Head of the Commonwealth and, besides reigning in the United Kingdom, separately serves as head of state for each of fifteen other Commonwealth countries. This developed from the former colonial relationship of these countries to Britain, but they are now independent and the monarchy of each is legally distinct.