A Royal Dilemma: The role of a constitutional monarch in the event of a hung parliament

H.M. The Queen at the State Opening of Parliament attended by H.R.H. Prince Phillip the Duke of Edinburgh, the royal pages, ladies in waiting and the Peers of the Realm in the House of Lords

She makes no speeches on the hustings; she remains aloof from the political fray. She admits no party affiliation and is not permitted to vote or stand for office. Yet, she addresses Parliament with bejeweled and regular fanfare; for more than half a century, she has held secret conversations with a cavalcade of 11 prime ministers; and, in a peculiarly British way, she could be cast in a central, yet largely powerless, role if Britain’s elections on Thursday stray into the gray zone known as a hung Parliament.

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