As the UK heads to the polls, around 49 million people are expected to cast their vote in the general elections. However, King Charles III and the British Royal Family will NOT be casting their votes.
In May 2022, Rishi Sunak announced a snap election for July 4 for all 650 seats in the House of Commons. With the "first past the post" system in the UK, the party which secures a majority will be declared the winner and form the next government.
As 49 million citizens head to the polling booths to cast their vote, the head of the Commonwealth and family will not be seen at the polling stations.
Despite being the one who appoints the prime ministers, King Charles, Prince William, Kate Middleton and other members of the royal family will not have a vote in the general elections.
Can Royals Not Vote?
The Royal Family has the right to vote and can actually cast their vote. However, due to their role in the British monarchy, they must maintain political impartiality.
Furthermore, working members of the royal family such as Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton do not vote. The members without a formal title can cast their vote but it remains unclear if they do.
"The King and active members of the royal family can legally cast a vote at general elections on the same basis as other eligible citizens, but in practice do not do so for obvious reasons, especially because it would cause a furore of media speculation and violate the constitutional requirement today that they maintain a strict party political impartiality,” Robert Blackburn, a professor of constitutional law at King's College told TIME magazine.
Rule Of Impartiality
In order to maintain its impartiality, the Royal Family does not cast their vote and accepts the result as the voice of the people.
While the parliament can change and does change every five years, the Monarchy does not. Hence, to keep things running smoothly, the Monarchy and Parliament must work hand in hand, for which impartiality is needed.
