It seems, therefore, that there is no reasonable criticism that can be made about the heir to the throne meeting ministers. In some ways it is his actual duty to do so and he would be more rightly attacked if he did not meet them. A constitutional monarchy requires the monarch to be above politics but to be fully informed about politics. The requirement upon the sovereign to “advise, encourage and warn” means that the Queen must be well informed. The weekly audience with the Prime Minister is not to discuss the weather but to talk about the most pressing problems facing the nation. An ill-informed monarch cannot do that and would fail in a key constitutional task. This applies whenever the power of the crown is exercised: there is the right of the head of state to ask “why”. This has to be based on understanding, not on intuition, if our system is to retain its value.