Royal Assent

The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, or the Sovereign's representative in Commonwealth Realms, completes the process of the enactment of legislation by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. While the power to withhold Royal Assent was once exercised often, it is almost never exercised under modern constitutional conventions. The power remains as one of the reserve powers of the monarch.

Related Topics:
Sovereign - United Kingdom - Commonwealth Realm - Act of Parliament - Reserve power

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The granting of the Royal Assent is sometimes associated with elaborate ceremonies. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Sovereign appoints Lords Commissioners who in turn announce that Royal Assent has been granted at a ceremony at the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace or another royal residence. In other nations, such as Australia and Canada, the Governor-General merely signs the bill. In each case, the Parliament must be apprised of the granting of Assent. Two methods are available: the Lords Commissioners or the Sovereign's representatives may grant Assent in the presence of both Houses of Parliament; alternatively, each House may be notified separately, usually by the presiding officer.

Related Topics:
Lords Commissioners - Palace of Westminster - Buckingham Palace - Australia - Canada - Governor-General

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To signify that an Act has been given royal assent, the following phrase is used to introduce its sections:

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"BE IT ENACTED by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows"

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(Note: Acts passed under the Parliament Acts allow for assent to be obtained without the consent of the Lords and hence use a slighty different phrase)

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