Why King Charles and the Royal Family Won't Vote in the U.K. Election

Citizens of the United Kingdom are heading to the polls on July 4, but there won't be any ballots cast by the British royal family.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 22 that a general election would be held. U.K. citizens will choose all 650 members of the House of Commons, and the party that commands a majority will form the next government with its leader as the prime minister. While Sunak, who has been prime minister since October 2022, will remain in office if the Conservatives win, Keir Starmer will become the new premier if the Labour Party comes out on top.

While King Charles appoints new prime ministers (and British monarchs historically had the power to dismiss people from the position), he and other working members of the royal family don't have a vote in the race.

That's because the royals stay politically neutral on all matters. Regardless of the political party in charge, the British monarchy and Parliament must work together to keep things running smoothly. The monarch and other royals also must interact with leaders of foreign countries regardless of their political affiliations. Therefore, the royal family does not vote or publicly express their political views.

However, it's not illegal for the royals to vote.

Robert Blackburn, a professor of constitutional law at King’s College London, recently explained toTime, "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 furor of media speculation and violate the constitutional requirement today that they maintain a strict party political impartiality."

While working members of the royal family — including Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton — don't vote, those without a formal role can. However, it's unclear if many do.

Not all royal families approach politics in the same way. The four children of Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde (including Crown Princess Elisabeth, who is set to be the next sovereign after her father) recently voted in the country's June election. However, the monarch and queen consort abstained.

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Meghan Markle became the first person in the modern British royal family to vote in a U.S. presidential election in 2020. She and Prince Harry moved back to her home state of California earlier that year after stepping back as working royals, and Meghan has spoken out on several occasions about the importance of voting, including in a video with Gloria Steinem.

The Duchess of Sussex discussed voting rights at the "The 19th Represents" virtual summit in August 2020, noting that her husband has never been able to publicly express his political opinions.

"When I have these conversations about encouraging people to go out and vote, I think it's often challenging for men and women alike and certainly for people to remember just how hard it was to get the right to vote. And to be really aware and not taking that for granted," she said. "My husband for example — he's never been able to vote."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also appeared on primetime TV in Sept. 2020 to celebrate TIME magazine's annual list of the world’s most influential people, using their segment to speak about the importance of voting. As a U.K. citizen, Prince Harry noted that he couldn't vote in the upcoming election, adding, "Many of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the U.K. my entire life."

"As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity," he said.

Buckingham Palace told The Times, "The Duke is not a working member of the royal family, and any comments he makes are made in a personal capacity."

In a photo shared on the Archewell Foundation site on Election Day in November 2022, the Duchess of Sussex flashed a smile as she sported an "I Voted" sticker. The post encouraged Americans to "get out and vote" in the midterm elections, sharing a number to text to find polling locations.

If Starmer becomes the new prime minister after the July 4 election, it will mark the third person to hold the position since King Charles acceded to the throne less than two years ago upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth's final royal duty was appointing Liz Truss as the new prime minister on Sept 6, 2022, just two days before the history-making monarch died. However, Truss became the shortest-serving prime minister in U.K. history when she resigned 45 days into her premiership. Sunak was selected as her replacement by the Conservative Party and welcomed into the position by King Charles during an audience at Buckingham Palace on October 25, 2022.

The King holds a private weekly audience with the prime minister "to discuss government matters."

"Though the King remains politically neutral on all matters, he is able to 'advise and warn' his ministers — including his prime minister — when necessary," according to the royal family's website.