Editing Monarchy of the United Kingdom (section)

====Appointment of the prime minister====
The sovereign has the power to appoint the prime minister. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the monarch appoints the individual who commands the support of the House of Commons, usually the leader of a party or coalition that has a majority in that House. The prime minister takes office by attending the monarch in a private audience, and after "[[kissing hands]]" that appointment is immediately effective without any other formality or instrument.{{Sfnp|Brazier|1997|p=312}} The sovereign also has the power to dismiss the prime minister, but the last time this power was exercised was in 1834, when [[William IV]] dismissed [[Lord Melbourne]];<ref>Brock, Michael (September 2004; online edition, January 2008). "William IV (1765–1837)". ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. [[Oxford University Press]]. Retrieved 10 October 2008 (subscription required)</ref> since then, prime ministers have only left office upon their resignation, which they are expected to offer to the monarch upon losing their majority in the House of Commons.

[[File:Charles III, Starmer & Rayner in Nansledan 2025-02-10-14-25-A.jpg|thumb|King Charles III with Prime Minister [[Sir Keir Starmer]] and Deputy Prime Minister [[Angela Rayner]], 2025]]

While the sovereign also appoints and may dismiss every other [[Minister of the Crown]], by convention they do so only on the recommendation of the prime minister. It is therefore the prime minister who controls the composition of the government. In practice, the prime minister will request a member of the government resign in preference to advising the monarch to dismiss them; such ministers are euphemistically described as "leaving the government".

In a [[hung parliament]] where no party or coalition holds a majority, the monarch has an increased degree of latitude in choosing the individual likely to command the most support, though it would usually be the leader of the largest party.<ref>{{Harvp|Waldron|1990|pp=59–60}}; {{Citation |title=Queen and Prime Minister |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrimeMinister.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414023100/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrimeMinister.aspx |publisher=Official website of the British Monarchy |access-date=18 June 2010 |archive-date=14 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 1945, there have only been three hung parliaments. The first followed the [[February 1974 United Kingdom general election|February 1974 general election]] when [[Harold Wilson]] was appointed prime minister after [[Edward Heath]] resigned following his failure to form a coalition. Although Wilson's [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] did not have a majority, they were the largest party. The second followed the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|May 2010 general election]], in which the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] (the largest party) and [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] (the third-largest party) agreed to form the first coalition government since World War II. The third occurred shortly thereafter, in [[2017 United Kingdom general election|June 2017]], when the Conservative Party lost its majority in a snap election, though the party remained in power as a [[minority government]].