Can members of the Royal Family Vote? Richard Eden tells PALACE CONFIDENTIAL what the monarchy’s ‘conventions’ are

As Britons head to the polls today to choose the next government, many royal fans may have wondered whether King Charles and Queen Camilla, along with other members of the royal family, will join them in casting their vote.

Speaking on Palace Confidential, the Mail+ weekly talk show, host Jo Elvin raised that specific point, turning to her panel of royal experts and asking, ‘Do they vote? Can they vote? Will they vote?’

Fortunately, Richard Eden, the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor and a royal expert, was on hand to provide the answer. 

Richard explained: ‘By convention, they don’t, obviously they have to be above politics, but it’s interesting who’s included in that.

‘I’m sure the senior royals don’t, probably none of the working royals would. I’m sure other members of the extended royal family can vote – whether they do, I don’t know.’

Richard Eden (pictured), the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor and a royal expert, explained that the royals do not vote because they must remain above politics

Indeed, while there is no law that restricts the royals from voting, convention has long prevented them from doing so.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Jeff King, a law professor at University College London, explained that ‘the rules relating to the power of members of the royal family to vote are regulated by constitutional convention and not by statute law.’ 

Fellow panelist Charlotte Griffiths, Editor-At-Large of the Mail on Sunday, pointed out that Prince Harry had previously urged Americans to vote in the 2020 presidential election. 

While he encouraged them to do so – he also admitted at the time that he had never been able to do so himself.

Speaking during a TV appearance in the run up to the 2020 US election, Prince Harry explained: ‘Many of you may not know that I haven’t been able to vote in the U.K. my entire life.’ 

Whether Prince Harry would be able to vote now as a non-working royal was up for discussion, with Rebecca English, Royal Editor for the Daily Mail, adding: ‘He wouldn’t have been allowed to when he was here before but could he now? I think he probably could.’

While Charlotte, who revealed she would be voting in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, joked that she would look out for any members of the royal family, it’s highly unlikely that she’ll come across any of them at the polling station. 

The King has, however, returned from Scotland where he has been taking part in Holyrood Week, the official visit by the Sovereign to Scotland every July to celebrate Scottish culture, community and achievement. 

Speaking on Palace Confidential, the Mail+ weekly talk show, host Jo Elvin raised that specific point, turning to her panel of royal experts and asking, ‘Do they vote? Can they vote? Will they vote?’

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty arrived to cast their vote at Kirby Sigston Village Hall in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, this morning

Sir Keir arrived with his wife Victoria to cast their votes this morning at a polling station in their Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London

On Friday, the leader of the winning party will visit Buckingham Palace and meet the King.

The King will then invite him to become the Prime Minister and form a government. 

Polls opened across the UK at 7am this morning after Rishi Sunak made an 11th-hour plea for voters to prevent a ‘socialist supermajority’.

From 7am until 10pm, millions of Britons will head to polling stations to cast their vote in the first Westminster contest since 2019.

A series of opinion polls in the run-up to today have shown Labour on course for a huge landslide win.

In his final campaign rally last night, the PM admitted he was the ‘underdog’ but vowed: ‘This underdog will fight to the final whistle.’

Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty were spotted voting early this morning at Kirby Sigston Village Hall in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency in Yorkshire.

Like all other voters, they will have had to ensure they had correct photo identification – such as a passport or driving licence – with them in order to vote.

This year is the first time in the UK that everybody wanting to vote in person at a general election will have to show ID before receiving a ballot paper.

Sir Keir voted later this morning as he attended a polling station together with his wife Victoria in their Holborn and St Pancras constituency in north London.

They arrived hand-in-hand at Willingham Close TRA Hall in Kentish Town.

You can watch Palace Confidential on the Daily Mail Royals YouTube channel.