Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Officially the head of the state is the king or gueen.The power of the monarch is not absolute but constitutional. The monarch acts only on the advice of the ministers.

The hereditary principle upon which the monarchy is founded is strictly observed.The reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, is a descendant of the Saxon king Egbert.

The monarch is the head of the executive body, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judicial body, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the crown, the head of the Established Church of England and the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Power in GB is divided among three branches: the legislative, the executive and the the judicial. The legislative branch is represented by Parliament, which consists of two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king (gueen). According to tradition, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that has won the elections and has the majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister appoints the ministers to compose the government. The judicial branch interprets the laws. The highest judicial body is the Supreme Court of Judicature, which consists of two divisions: the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal.