King Charles and royal family shock UK as election fever grips country

King Charles III, who could appoint a new British prime minister this week, is not in the race as Britons prepare to vote.

Members of the Royal Family, who have turned out in force to celebrate a very special occasion during Royal Week in Scotland, will not have a formal vote on the matter, as is royal tradition.

Britons will go to the polls on July 4, but no ballots will be cast by working members of the royal family. This is because the royal family remains politically neutral on all issues.

Meanwhile, regardless of which political party is in power, the British monarchy and Parliament must work together to make things run smoothly.

The monarch, who appoints the new prime minister, historically had the power to remove people from that position. However, the king and other serving members of the royal family do not have a vote in the race.

On May 22, Rishi Sunak announced that a general election would be held. The British will choose the 650 members of the House of Commons and the party with the majority will form the next government, with its leader appointed as prime minister.

While Sunak, who has been prime minister since October 2022, would remain in office if the Conservatives win, Keir Starmer would become the new prime minister if Labour wins.

“The King and serving members of the Royal Family can legally vote in general elections on the same basis as other eligible citizens, but in practice they do not do so for obvious reasons, including that it would provoke a furore of media speculation and violate the current constitutional requirement that they maintain strict partisan political impartiality,” he recently explained to Time.

Working members of the royal family, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate Middleton, do not vote, while those without official roles can vote. However, it is unclear whether many do.

On Wednesday, the King took the momentous step of honouring his wife and younger brother in a special ceremony. Queen Camilla and Prince Edward were officially installed into the Order.