Define: Constitutional Monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government where a monarch, such as a king or queen, serves as the ceremonial head of state, while political power is exercised by an elected parliament or other governing body. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch’s powers are limited by a constitution or set of laws, which outline the rights and responsibilities of the monarch, as well as the structure and functions of the government. While the monarch may retain certain ceremonial duties and symbolic roles, such as representing the nation and performing ceremonial functions, actual governance is carried out by elected officials. Constitutional monarchies are often characterised by stability, continuity, and a separation of powers between the monarchy and the elected government. Examples of constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Sweden.

A constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the guidelines of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified, or blended constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy, in which an absolute monarch serves as the source of power in the state, is not legally bound by any constitution, and has the powers to regulate his or her respective government.

Constitutional monarchies are sometimes referred to as limited monarchies, crowned republics or parliamentary monarchies.

Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch may have strictly ceremonial duties or may have reserve powers, depending on the constitution. Under most modern constitutional monarchies, there is also a prime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power. There are also several federal constitutional monarchies today. In these countries, each subdivision has a distinct government and head of government, but all subdivisions share a monarch who is the head of state of the federation as a whole.

Contemporary constitutional monarchies include Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bhutan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Grenada, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom.

As of June 2013, the latest country that was completely transformed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy was Bhutan.

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This glossary post was last updated: 11th April 2024.