Constitutional Monarchy

The Constitutional Monarchy, started at the end of the 17^th century, is different from absolute monarchy in which an absolute monarch completely controls every aspect of government and is not legally bound by any constitution. The British Constitution prescribes that the head of state must be the Monarch (君主，the King orthe Queen), in the name of whom the British government administers the country. In fact, the sovereign reigns, but does not rule（君王统而不治）. The country is governed in the name of the sovereign （君主） by His or Her Majesty’s Government（国王/女王陛下的政府，即英国政府）. The King or the Queen undertakes the function of the propriety（礼节，礼仪）, performing the formal rights in the light of the decisions made by the government. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to theirpolitical party and ultimately to the electorate（选民）.