The Privy Council
One of the oldest and most obscure institutions in British governance, the Privy Council still plays a surprisingly important constitutional role.
Origins and Membership
The Privy Council is a formal advisory body to the monarch, with origins stretching back to the Norman kings. Today it has over 700 members, including all current and former Cabinet ministers, leaders of major opposition parties, senior judges, and distinguished public servants. Membership is for life and confers the title 'Right Honourable.'
The full Privy Council almost never meets. When it does, meetings are typically brief and formal. Members stand throughout (there are no chairs) and the monarch approves Orders in Council that have been prepared by government departments. The real business is done by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and through the mechanism of Orders in Council, which can have significant legal effect.
