Monarchy of Sierra

The monarchy of Sierra is the foundation of the Sierran government (also referred to as the Crown) and functions as the kingdom's. Limited by the constitution, in reality, the monarch exercises little political power as his/her duties are fulfilled by the Prime Minister who is the actual of. The current monarch, Smith II, ascended the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Angelina I in 2005. Smith's great-grandfather, Smith I, was the first king of Sierra and one of the nation's founding fathers.

The monarch and his/her immediate family constitute the royal family while extended family and honorary guests constitute the much larger Royal Household. As sovereign, the monarch undertakes various ceremonial, diplomatic, and representational duties to advance the interests of the Sierran people. While not outlined in the constitution, it has been a de facto tradition of the monarch to officially abstain from partaking in. Being sovereign, the monarch is also graced with the position as of the Sierran Crowned Armed Forces, directing all combat operations with close cooperation with the prime minister and Parliament during times of war and emergency.

Constitutional role
The Constitution of Sierra declares that the monarch is the sovereign head of Sierra and therefore, the highest-ranking official in the Sierran government and the of the Sierran. Whenever there is a king, he is styled,  (abbreviated HRH) while in the case of a queen, she is styled, Her Royal Highness. All are made to the monarch and his/her successors.

As a non-partisan member of the government, the monarch enjoys limited power and relies most of his/her duties to be executed by the prime minister, officers of the Cabinet, Parliament, or other legal bodies which have been authorized to work under the monarch's name. Legally, the power of the state, is referred to as the "Crown" which by its own right, simultaneously the embodiment of Sierra itself. In this sense, the monarch's possession of the Crown signifies that he/she is the foundation of all power of the Sierran government. Any actions performed by authorized government officials are done so in the name of not the monarch proper but rather, the Crown, which in itself, serves as a separate legal entity. For matters of simplicity and formality however, the Crown is often normally understood to refer to the monarch and is treated so in practice.

Among the few exclusive rights conferred onto the monarch is the, the act of , and the issuance of. The monarch usually executes these rights with the advice of the prime minister and the Privy Council, the Cabinet, and Parliament. Rarely has a monarch acted out independently from the civil government and any laws passed by the monarch without the consent of Parliament would easily be rendered null and void by the Supreme Court. The royal prerogative includes the right to appoint and dismiss officials,, make peace, negotiate and ratify foreign agreements including treaties, issue passports, and create or dissolve government offices.

Royal assent is the act of the monarch formally approving a bill passed in Parliament and therefore, making it a law. The monarch has the power to either by refusing to give assent (After two weeks of no response, the withheld bill automatically becomes law however.) or by explicitly rejecting it. If the monarch were to veto the bill, Parliament may override the veto provided two-thirds of both houses vote in favor of the bill.

Edicts are issued by the monarch at his/her discretion and treated as full-binding law. Edicts are usually reserved for and enacted during. Edicts also include the power to invoke and the suspension of  which entail the monarch's assumption of more direct and rigorous control in relation to the civil government. There are several legal safeguards to protect and circumvent against an abuse of the edict. The Supreme Court could declare the edict unconstitutional, the Parliament could pass a law to repeal the edict (they would not need an assent in such cases), or the executive civil branch (under the prime minister) could simply choose to ignore the edict and fail to execute it.

History
The Sierran monarchy was established in 1858 by the Constitution of Sierra with Smith I as Sierra's first king. The idea of a monarchy was inspired by the royalist faction of the Californian Constitutional Convention who advocated for a monarchy mirroring that of the Albion-Gaul's. A great number of these royalists were settlers from Albion-Gaul itself and some even proposed creating a political union with the Kingdom. Members of the federalist faction vehemently opposed incorporating a monarchy and delayed any significant development for well over a year. The convention's head, Smith C. Miller, was one such opponent but when his views changed, he championed a compromise between American federalism and British monarchism which would appeal to both factions. Miller proposed that the new government would indeed be a monarchy but which would be limited by a constitution, an electable civil government, and a legislature heavily inspired by the.

Succession
Upon the death of the king or queen, the immediately succeeds the throne along with its privileges, rights, and honors. The phrase, "! The king/queen is dead, glory, glory to the king/queen!" must be uttered by the prime minister who is the first to officially deliver the news of the deceased monarch. After an official is conducted by a state-sanctioned, the same phrase is appended to the end of all federal and provincial  for 7 days. In addition, an official mourning is declared which in effect, stipulates that all national flags at official buildings be flown at. The successor's may only be commemorated after the former monarch's  ceremony has been held.

is used to determine the next successor and his/her would automatically take precedence in the line of succession over their uncles, aunts, and their issues. Succession is based on favoring the eldest living child first when determining the order of precedence within the monarch's issue.

Finances
The monarch's finances, expenses, and most of his/her assets are held and managed by the Keeper of the Privy Purse who is appointed and dismissed by the monarch's discretion. The position is one of the few posts in which the monarch may change according to their suiting without prior consent and approval by Parliament and the prime minister. For the monarch's residences, an annual is used to cover maintenance and upkeep costs. The monarch must personally pay taxes including the annual directly from their personal revenue.

The wealth of the monarch has been estimated to be around $200 million to $500 million (in 2014 ) and according to independent sources, the monarchy generates $5 million in revenue each year for the state when taking personal tax into account alone.

As with civil officials, the monarch and his/her family receives the protection of the Secret Service whose members are entrusted the sole task of providing personal security for the royal family. In addition to the Secret Service, the Occidental Palace and other complexes are continuously patrolled and protected by the special division of the Secret Service, the Royal Guardsmen, who don ceremonial attire and sabers. Like the Royal Guardsmen, officers are equipped with firearms although carry the additional responsibility of functioning as the and upkeep of the royal grounds. The Royal Guardsmen almost never leave their posts, even when the monarch or another royal member leaves the premises provided that said monarch or member left accompanied with adequate number of other security-cleared official or servicemen. At royal ceremonies including coronations and weddings, all available Royal Guardsmen attend the events.

Residences
The monarch and his/her family primarily resides at the Occidental Palace, a  located in the  neighborhood at Los Angeles, the capital city of Sierra (and the province of the Gold Coast). Here, the majority of state banquets, visits, and formal ceremonies are held on the palace grounds. The palace features over 123 rooms, several amenities including a tennis court, a bowling alley, a bar, and two pools (one indoors, the other outdoors), a 1.5 acre garden, a home theater system, and several guest houses.

The royal family has several secondary residences and retreats throughout Sierra including in, Tahoe, and the  in San Diego, Laguna. There exists two buildings owned outside Sierra in two separate locations including: the and,. In both cases, the buildings are privately owned by the current monarch, Smith II, himself. King Smith acquired the properties during his service as Crown Prince and bought it through the private profits he earned as and founder of telecommunications company Cabrillo Technologies.

Style
Officially, the monarch is given the . It is the highest-ranking style in Sierra whereas in most European monarchies, the style is used for or  and the style,  instead, is used for the monarch. Since the creation of the Sierran monarchy, all monarchs have been styled in the following manner: His/Her Royal Highness, (Name),, King/Queen of Sierra and Protector of the Sierrans, Sovereign of Los Pacifícos, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Rapa Nui, the Hawaiian and Midwayan Islands, the Sierran Samoa, and All Other Loyal Lands and Islands. Deceased monarchs receive the same style but omit King/Queen of Sierra as in the case for Smith I where he remains referred to as His Royal Highness, Smith I, by the Grace of God, Protector of the Sierrans.

Coat of arms
The royal coat of arms are identical to the national arms used by the civil government. They are ", , and a   fixed in a  . A double-headed eagle  rests upon the shield and is supported by a   proper on the  side and a  also rampant proper on the Sinister side. A tricolor band on the bottom of the seal assigned by our royal King Smith I that is to say 'Libertas sine sacrifico'."