Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
s to describe a
minister of the reigning sovereign or
viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
. The term indicates that the minister serves
at His Majesty's pleasure
At His Majesty's pleasure (sometimes abbreviated to King's pleasure or, when the reigning monarch is female, at Her Majesty's pleasure or Queen's pleasure) is a legal term of art referring to the indeterminate or undetermined length of service of ...
, and
advises the sovereign or viceroy on how to exercise the
Crown prerogatives relating to the minister's department or
ministry.
Ministries
In Commonwealth realms, the sovereign or viceroy is formally advised by a larger body known as a
privy council or
executive council, though, in practice, they are advised by a subset of such councils: the collective body of ministers of the Crown called the
ministry. The ministry should not be confused with the cabinet, as ministers of the Crown may be outside a cabinet. In the
UK,
ministers are the
MPs and members of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...
who are in the government.
History
Ministers of the Crown in Commonwealth realms have their roots in
early modern England, where monarchs sometimes employed "
cabinet councils" consisting of Ministers to advise the monarch and implemented his decisions. The term ''Minister'' came into being as the sovereign's advisors "ministered to", or served, the king. Over time, former ministers and other distinguished persons were retained as peripheral advisers with designated ministers having the direct ear of the king. This led to the creation of the larger Privy Council, with the Cabinet becoming a committee within that body, made up of currently serving Ministers, who also were heads of departments.
During a period between the accession of King
James VI of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
to the throne of England in 1603 and
the unification of Scotland and England in 1707, the two entities were separate "countries" in
personal union
A personal union is the combination of two or more states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, would involve the constituent states being to some extent interli ...
through the one monarch who was advised by a separate set of Ministers of the Crown for each country.
As the
English overseas possessions and later
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
expanded, the colonial governments remained subordinate to the
imperial government at Westminster, and thus the Crown was still ministered to only by the
Imperial Privy Council
The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...
, made up of British Ministers of the Crown. When Canada became a
Dominion
The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
"Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
in 1867, however, a separate
Canadian Privy Council was established to advise the
Canadian Governor General on the exercise of the Crown prerogative in Canada, although constitutionally the viceroy remained an agent of the British government at
Whitehall. After that date, other colonies of the empire attained Dominion status and similar arrangements were made.
Following the passage of the
Statute of Westminster in 1931, however, the dominions became effectively autonomous kingdoms under one sovereign, thus returning the monarch to a position similar to that which existed pre-1707, where he or she was ministered to by a separate ministry for each realm. Thus, today, no Minister of the Crown in any
Commonwealth realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealt ...
can advise the monarch to exercise any powers pertaining to any of the other dominions.
Uses in other countries
In
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, during the "
Restauración" period (1874–1931) the term Minister of the Crown ''(
Spanish: Ministro de la Corona)'' was used for a person who was in charge of a
ministerial department of His Majesty's Government. For example, during the reign of
King Alfonso XIII, when Carlos María Cortezo y Prieto de Orche was appointed as "Ministro de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes" (minister of education), in the royal decree it was noted that he was a minister of the Crown.
See also
*
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...
*
Monarchy of Antigua and Barbuda
*
Monarchy of Australia
*
Monarchy of The Bahamas
*
Monarchy of Barbados
*
Monarchy of Canada
The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the f ...
*
Monarchy of the Cook Islands
*
Monarchy of Jamaica
*
Monarchy of New Zealand
*
Monarchy of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 J ...
*
Monarchy of the Solomon Islands
The monarchy of Solomon Islands is a system of government in which a constitutional monarch is the head of state of Solomon Islands. The present monarch and head of state, since 8 September 2022, is King Charles III, who is also the head of st ...
*
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Baili ...
*
Secretary of State
References
{{Reflist
Commonwealth realms
Government in Canada
Government of the United Kingdom