The Crown
At the head of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the King, or, as at present, the Queen. But her power is very symbolic. Everything is done in Queen's name. But her power is not absolute; it is limited in many various ways.

It is said that the Queen (King) reigns but does not rule. She personally does not decide what action the state shall take.

The ruling of the country is carried out by government departments which are directed by Secretaries of State or Ministers. As head of the state the Queen is often the centre of colourful pomp and ceremony. Every year sitting in a gilded state coach, with attendants in special uniforms and an escort, she drives through cheering crowds from Buckingham Palace to the House of Lords. Here the Queen reads the Speech from the Throne with which a new Parliamentary session is opened. On coronation day there is even more pomp. In the Coronation oath the Queen undertakes to govern according to law.

The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cornwell
The Prince of Wales is the title which is given to the king's (queen's) eldest son when he becomes 18. The origin of this title goes back to the time of Edward I. When Edward I destroyed Welsh independence in the war of 1282-1283, he created an unwritten law making the eldest son of an English king the Prince of Wales. The king's son inherits the title of Prince of Wales at a spe¬cial ceremony and automatically is pronounced king when the old king dies. Hence we have the saying "The king is dead, long live the king!"

Since 1337 the king's eldest son has been born the Duke of Cornwell. Cornwell was a Celtic territory created by Edward III who gave his eldest son the Black Prince that title.

Thus the eldest king's son has been born the Duke of Cornwell and at the age of 18 receives the title of Prince of Wales. If the king dies before the Duke of Cornwell becomes the Prince of Wales, a Regent is appointed to rule the country until the Duke reaches the age of 18.

This tradition still lives though it is not quite popular in Wales.

Parliament
Even before William the Conqueror's invasion in 1066 the Saxon and Danish kings had a council of wise men or elders. It was then called Witan, from it we have the English word "wit". This body of men was very much like the feudal King's Council. The Norman kings called their council Parliament from the French word "parler" which means "to speak". After the death of Richard the Lion Hearted in 1199 his brother known in English history as John Lackland (landless), a cruel and despotic king – this was in the times of Robin Hood – was forced to sign the Magna Carta (Great Charter) on June 10, 1215 in Runnymede now a part of London. A table was set in the meadow and John signed the document in which he agreed to consult the Parliament from that time on.

The Magna Carta (Charter) is celebrated on every possible occasion and is greatly and traditionally propogandized as the Charter of English liberties. In reality it was the Church and baronial classes way of restricting the power of the King. The great English lexicographer Brewer writes: "It gained a new but historically inaccurate importance in the constitutional quarrels of the 17 century as a charter of English liberty".

Another tradition is to build and rebuild the Palace of Westminster where Parliament is held in exactly the game place as it was for over 1,000 years.

It would be wrong to say that the Magna Charta did not help to alter and develop the Parliamentary Government of Great Britain but it came only several centuries later when the merchants and squires (landowners) joined in the House of Commons and became a parliamentary power. As feudalism declined the power of the Commons grew together with the new merchant and nonfeudal class.

Parliamentary Chambers
People outside Great Britain believe that if a man is elected to sit in Parliament, he ought to have a seat. Indeed, most Parliaments provide each member not only with a seat, but with a reserved seat, often a desk in which papers can be kept.

Why, then, when the opportunity came after the war to rebuild the bombed House of Commons, did its members decide that their own Chamber should, like the prewar Chamber, be too small to provide seats for all of them? The decision was a deliberate one, made after a debate in the House. Members rejected the idea that there should be seats for all.

The new House of Commons has many improvements, Including air-conditioning and the provision of microphones. It has, however, seats for only about two-thirds of its 630 members. No change has been made in its shape. It is still an oblong, with seats for Government supporters on the Speaker's right and seats for the Opposition on his left. There are, facing the Speaker, cross benches for independent members, those who do not belong to either of the two great political parties.

There are obvious disadvantages in this arrangement. If, after an election, the two parties are about equal in number, there is not much difficulty. If, however, the Government has a large majority, seating will certainly be a problem. If one party has 400 members and the other 230, it becomes difficult to have Government and Opposition facing one another across the house except when the attendance is small.

In the House of Commons there are benches. From this we get the terms "front benches", "back benches" and "cross benches". The term "front benches" stands for the two benches, one on each side of the House, as far as the centre gangway. The front bench on the Speaker's right is for the Prime Minister and the leading members of the Government. That on the Speaker's left is for the Leader of the Opposition and those members of the Opposition who have formed, or who are likely to form, an alternative government.

The back benches are those seats occupied by members who have no right to front benches seats. The cross benches may be used by those Independent members who do not vote regularly with the Government or with official Opposition.

Only four members of the House of Commons have reserved seats. One, of course, is the Speaker. Another is the member who has sat in the House for the longest unbroken period, the member who is known as "the Father of the House of Commons". The other two reserved seats are on each side of the Clerk's table, and are for the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Ministers sit on the Front Bench, but have no right to any particular seat there.

When speaking a member of the House of Commons is facing and addressing the Speaker (not the whole House). When a member ends his speech, other members stand up and face the Speaker. They try to catch his eye, for the order of speakers is not arranged in advance. The Speaker decides who is to speak next. The member who Is named remains standing, and speaks from his place where he has been sitting. The only members who speak from the Clerk's table are the Government and Opposition Leaders.

For voting in the House of Commons members have to leave their benches and walk out into two corridors (called the Lobbies). As they pass out they are counted by four persons – two for each side – and it may take ten or fifteen minutes before the figures are announced.

It is interesting to know that the seat of office in the House of Lords of the Lord Chancellor of England is called Woolsack because it is a large bag of wool covered with red cloth. The story of it goes back to Queen Elizabeth's I days when a law was passed stopping the export of wool. To ensure that the judges should keep in mind the importance of woolen manufacture in England (it was the source of wealth in those days) seats were filled with wool and placed for the judges in the House of Lords.

Е. Р. Ліндер, "Чи знаєте ви?"