What power does a monarch have?

Answer 1

A king possesses the powers that his subjects give him (or maybe tolerate in him).

Most extant kings are "Constitutional Monarchs" which means that an elected government passes laws which the monarch then signs. Generally this type of monarch does not have the veto power that is possessed by an American president. He is the head of state, but this is a purely symbolic thing.

In complete contrast, early kings were "Absolute Monarchs". Bluntly put, the king told people what to do. Those that didn't obey lost their property, and sometimes their heads as well.

Answer 2

Every sovereign state in the world (with the exceptions of Israel, the UK, New Zealand and Saudi Arabia) has a written constitution setting out the powers of government and the President or King/Queen/Emperor/Prince or Grand Duke. The powers granted to the head of state vary according to the country, for instance the dutch constitution gives wide de jure powers to the Queen.

Answer 3

There are three types of monarchies that depend on the power of the monarch (or king). The easiest to identify is a "limited monarchy" where the monarch is mostly ceremonial such as modern day Britain; the other two are "constitutional" and "absolue monarchies."

The king may have alot or very little power in either one (the amount of power is not what defines the difference between the two); the difference is whether a written document specifies the powers that are to be given to the monarch.

Sweden, for example, is a "constitutional monarchy" since its monarch has more than just a ceremonal role in goverenment and his powers are listed in Sweden's constitution. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is an "absolute monarchy" because their king is not bound to follow any such document.

So to answer your question: It varies. Royalty (or the king/monarch) has varied powers because a monarchs powers are different in each different constitutional monarchy. The monarch only receives whatever powers are granted to him but the constitution.

Answer 4

The balance of powers between the King and the Parliament in a Constitutional Monarchy depends entirely on the constitution in question. In countries like Morocco and Jordan, which are both constitutional monarchies, the monarch still retains a high level of political control. In countries like Britain and Spain, which are also both constitutional monarchies, the monarch has little power and is generally seen as a ceremonial figurehead.