Why It Matters  The Queen is sometimes thought of as merely a
figurehead, but she retains personal powers which are
controversial. As head of state, the Queen represents the nation
as a whole and a wide range of public servants pledge allegiance
to the Queen, instead of to a politically oriented Government.
The fact that Britain is a Constitutional Monarchy rather than a
Republic sets us apart from most other developed democracies and
has a significant influence on the way we think about national
identity, our history and our heritage.    The Essentials   The
Monarch – sometimes called the Sovereign – is the United
Kingdom’s non-executive head of state.  The Important Debates
Should the monarchy be abolished?  Arguments in favour of
abolition of the monarchy:    • The Monarchy is anachronistic
and not in keeping with a modern society – the concept of
monarchy is inherently class-ridden, encapsulating the now
unacceptable idea that some persons are of a higher social rank
than others by right of their birth.