The sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.

Walter Bagehot formulated this description of the monarch’s limited but real political role while analyzing the British constitution in the mid-Victorian era. Writing in The English Constitution (first published 1867), he sought to explain how Britain’s “dignified” institutions (notably the Crown) worked alongside the “efficient” institutions (Cabinet and Parliament). In an age when royal power was increasingly constrained by convention and responsible government, Bagehot argued that the sovereign still mattered through regular audiences with ministers—especially the prime minister—where experience, continuity, and discretion could influence policy indirectly without violating constitutional limits.

The quote defines a constitutional monarch’s influence as advisory rather than executive. “To be consulted” implies ministers must keep the sovereign informed; “to encourage” suggests the monarch can support and steady governments in moments of uncertainty; “to warn” grants a private, candid check on ministerial overconfidence or error. Bagehot’s triad captures how constitutional monarchy preserves continuity and accumulated statecraft while keeping democratic accountability with elected officials. It also implies a delicate bargain: the monarch’s counsel is effective only if it remains confidential and non-partisan, operating through persuasion and moral authority rather than command.

“The Queen has three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.”