When and how did the British monarchy start losing its power?

The important thing to remember in all of this is that there is de jure (pronounce the 'e') power - what the monarch could legally do - and de facto power - what a monarch can actually do. read more

The monarchy basically started losing material power with King John of England signing the Magna Carta [1215], which led to the rule of constitutional law in England. Translation: the beginning of the end of absolutism in royal rule in England. read more

By the time Victoria's great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth II, took the throne in 1952, there had been a long established convention that the monarchy would abide by the actions of his or her government, and the idea of the Crown acting on its own accord, would be unconscionable to the public, regardless the actions of parliament. read more