Wizards and the Queen

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 83662

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "meriaugust" <meriaugust at y...> 
wrote:

Meri:
> Hi all, 
> I have been following the posted discussions about wizarding  
> population and about religion in the WW pretty closely and this 
> morning while eating my breakfast a question popped into my brain: 
> How does the British WW relate to the British royal family? Now, 
> admitedly I am an American, so I am a little fuzzy on the details 
of 
> how a constitutional monarchy works (and I am only pretty sure that 
> that's even what the system is called). I am wondering because I 
also 
> feel that this question relates to religion in the WW, as they 
> (religion and the monarchy) are both authorities outside the MoM. 
So, 
> do witches and wizards owe any alleigence to the Queen? 

Geoff:
I hope the following notes might cast a bit more light on things:
A little brief history. Britain became effectively a constitutional 
monarchy in 1832 after the passage of the Reform Bill. The reigning 
monarch now is the head of state but with very little power. Walter 
Bagehot, the famous Victorian writer on the constitution, defines the 
constitutional monarch's rights as being – to be consulted, to 
encourage and to warn. Often, the king has remained in the background 
but, on occasion, as with George VI and Churchill during WWII, he 
contributed greatly to the smooth running of political matters. 
Occasionally, the monarch will be called in to solve a knotty 
constitutional problem as when the Australian Governor-General 
dismissed the Prime Minister several years ago. In terms of religion, 
Henry VIII made the Church of England the official church in the mid 
16th century when he broke with Rome and the monarch is always styled 
Head of the Church (of England) and Defender of the Faith. 

However, the average member of Joe Public does not take an oath of 
allegiance. whereas Members of the Armed Forces obviously do. 
Likewise, the monarch does not claim any authority over the Non-
conformist/Protestant churches such as Methodist, Baptist, 
Congregational, United Reformed etc. This begs the question whether 
the Queen knows of the existence of the Wizarding World (the Prime 
Minister does as we are told so in POA) and whether the incumbent 
Minister of Magic considers himself in any way to owe allegiance to 
the Queen. One assumes that wizards from a Muggle or half-blood 
background such as Hermione and Seamus or those who have had a lot of 
dealings with the Muggle world, such as Harry himself, would be aware 
of the structure and have their own position firmly in mind.

Geoff