Study of the evolution, ceremonial and protocol of the Houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom and the powers of the Crown

Abstract

The Parliament of the United Kingdom represents and constitutes the supreme legislative body of the nation, it is based in the Palace of Westminster and is made up of three fundamental pillars: the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is defined as a constitutional and parliamentary monarchy, which has been called the "mother of parliaments" due to its remote antiquity and being a parliamentary reference for other countries. In the present study we analyze: its origins and the main factors that have influenced its historical evolution up to its current configuration with its system of political parties; the configuration and operation of each of these institutions; the peculiarities and permanence of its ceremonial and protocol norms despite the social and political evolution of the country; the relationships and pre-eminence that exist between said institutions in the framework of legislative activity; and the meaning of the powers of the Crown within the parliamentary governmental sphere.