Monarchy of Kalmar Union

The Monarchy of The Kalmar Union is the constitutional monarchy of Kalmar Union. The present monarch, Christian III, has reigned since March 11, 1989. He and his immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties. The Monarch is head of state and holds the highest public office in The Kalmar Union and the highest military and social rank. The Act of Union of 1989 designates the House of Glücksburg as The Kalmar Union royal house.

Constitutional rights and privileges: Royal Prerogatives
Although the 1990 Act of Union grants important executive powers to the king, these are almost always exercised by the Council of State, the Union Storting and the Royal Courts of Justice of Kalmar Union in the name of the King. Parliamentary practice has replaced the direc appointment of the Government by the King, who use to accept what is proposed by the parliament. Nevertheless, the reserve powers vested in the Monarch by the Act of Union are very importants and this become very important the role of the Monarchy.

Inmunity
''The King's person is sacred; he cannot be censured or accused. The responsibility rests with his Council.''

This article applies to the king personally. The king has legal sovereign inmunity.

The Royal Princes and Princesses shall not personally be answerable to anyone other than the King, or whomever he decrees to sit in judgment on them.

This means that the Princes and Princesses also have immunity on the discretion of the king. He could decide to let them be judged by the regular courts or he could decide to judge them himself.

Council of State
The Council of State (Statsrådet) is formally convened by the reigning monarch. It consists of a Prime Minister and his cabinet, formally appointed by the King. Parliamentarism entails that the cabinet should not have the parliament against it, and that the appointment by the King is a formality. The council must have the confidence of Kalmar Union legislative body, known as the Union Storting. In practice, the monarch will ask the leader of a parliamentary block that has a majority in the Union Storting to form a government. After elections resulting in no clear majority to any party or coalition, the leader of the party most likely to be able to form a government is appointed Prime Minister. The Prime Minister designates the rest of the members of the Council of State who are then appointed by the King.

However, the King has the Royal Prerogative to appoint a Prime Minister of his own choosing and to dismiss a Prime Minister and his or her Government on the Monarch's own authority.

Union Storting
Under the Act of Union the Monarch has the Royal Prerogative to summon, prorogue and dissolve Union Storting. This prerogative is normally exercised at the request of the Storting and the Prime Minister but it could be exercised by the King himself.

Veto of laws
The King has to sign all laws in order for them to become valid. He can veto any law. However, if three differents Stortinger approves the law it becomes valid even without the King's consent. Every bill proposed to be debated in the Storting has to get the "King's Consent" before its first lecture in. If the King refuse his consent, the bill can not be proposed again during the same legislature.

If the King assents to the Bill, he appends his signature, whereby it becomes law.

''If he does not assent to it, he returns it to the Union Parliament with a statement that he does not for the time being find it expedient to sanction it. In that case the Bill must not again be submitted to the King by the Union Parliament then assembled.'' [...]

Pardoning criminals
The King shall have the right in the Council of State to pardon criminals after sentence has been passed.

A pardon is the forgiveness of a crime and the penalty associated with it. It may be given if new information on the crime or criminal has come to light after sentencing has begun. A pardon may entail a complete or partial withdrawal of punishment. The practical execution of this right has been delegated to the MInistry of Justice which may dismiss an application for a pardon.undefinedThe formal approval of a pardon has to be done by the King in Council.

Appointing senior officials
''The King shall choose and appoint, after consultation with his Council of State, all senior civil, ecclesiastical and military officials. ''

Under the Act of Union the appointment is made by the king, but is in practice up to the elected government.

Dismissing the government
The Prime Minister and the other Members of the Council of State, together with the State Secretaries, may be dismissed by the King without any prior court judgment, after he has heard the opinion of the Council of State on the subject.

Church of Kalmar Union
The Church of Kalmar Union, also known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kalmar Union, is the state church of Kalmar Union, to which 80% of inhabitants are members. The Church of Kalmar Union professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity.

The King is the supreme governor and protector of the Church of Kalmar Union. He formally decides who is to become bishops and oversees that the church conducts its business according to "the norms prescribed" for them.

War and Foreign Affairs
The King is Commander-in-Chief of the land, air and naval forces of the Realm.

The King has the right to call up troops, to engage in hostilities in defence of the Realm and to make peace, to conclude and denounce conventions, to send and to receive diplomatic envoys.

The King is revered in the armed forces as their highest commander. The King must have an extensive military training and to some extent pursued a career within the armed forces before ascending to the throne. The King has to ratify and sign any foreign treaty or agreement and has the right to send and to receive diplomats.

Chivalric orders
According with the Act of Union, "The King is fount of honour and may bestow orders upon whomever he pleases, as a reward for distinguished services[...]".

In addition to maintaining some of the orders and decorations inherited from the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden various orders of knighthood have been specifically created in Kalmar Union as well as awards for military service, bravery, merit, and achievement which take the form of decorations or medals. Some medals are graded and each one recognises specific service and as such there are normally set criteria which must be met. These criteria may include a period of time and will often delimit a particular geographic region.

Candidates are identified by public or private bodies, by government departments, or are nominated by members of the public. Depending on their roles, those people selected by the honours committee are submitted either to the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or Ministry of Defence for their approval before being sent to the King for final approval. Medals are not normally presented by the Monarch.

Certain great honours are awarded solely at the King's discretion, such as.... The awards are then presented by the Monarch or his designated representative.

Coronation
The King is invested with powers both from the people and from the church. The People when he takes the oath of allegiance to the Act of Union in the Union Storting and the Church when he is coronated in the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. The coronations also symbolised that the King would hold the Kingdom in fief to St. Olav, the eternal King of Kalmar Union.

Succession
The line of succession to The Kalmar Union throne is determined by the Act of Union with equal primogeniture, meaning that the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, takes precedence in the line of succession. Only people descended from the reigning monarch and the reigning monarch's siblings and their descendants through approved marriages are entitled to succeed to the throne and have the title of "Prince or Princess of Kalmar Union". Heir Dynasts lose their right to the throne if they marry without the permission of the Monarch given trhough the Council of State. Individuals born to unmarried dynasts or to former dynasts that married without royal permission, and their descendants, are excluded from the throne. Further, when approving a marriage, the Monarch can impose conditions that must be met in order for any resulting offspring to have succession rights.

Heir apparent of Kalmar Union wear the titles of Kalmar Union Crown Prince (Kalmar Union Kronprins) or Kalmar Union Crown Pricess (Kalmar Union Kronprinsesse) and Duke or Duchess of Skåne (Hertug og hertuginne av Skåne).

Royal Family
In Kalmar Union all members of the ruling dynasty that hold the title Prince or Princess of Kalmar Union are said to be members of the Kalmar Union Royal Family. The King and her siblings belong to the House of Glücksburg, a branch of the House of Oldenburg.

The Kalmar Union Royal Family is, according to the Royal Court, currently categorized into three groups;


 * First, those with royal titles and style (manner of address) who perform official and unofficial engagements for the nation, are the members of the Royal Family (currently this category only includes the King, Queen and their descendants, including spouses)
 * Second, those with royal titles and style (manner of address) who performs no official engagements
 * Third, the extended family of the King which is other close relatives who are not dynasts and thus do not represent the country officially

Finances
The King, Queen, Crown Prince and Crown Princess are exempt from paying any taxes and their personal finances are not revealed to the public. Other members of the royal family have lost that privilege upon marriage. The Royal Farms, Royal Forests and Royal Companies generate revenues that are part of the Monarch's income.

The national budget allocates annually an amount for the King and another for the Crown Prince as appanage. In addition, other amounts are allocated for the maintenance of the King's Office and the maintenance of Royal Residences.

Residences
The Royal Palace in Stockholm functions as the main official residence of the Monarch. The offices of the King, other members of the Kalmar Union Royal Family, and the offices of the Royal Court are located in the Palace. The Royal Palace is used for representative purposes and State occasions by the King, while Drottningholm Palace is the private residence of the Kalmar Union Royal Family. In addition to the Royal Palace and Drottningholm Palace there are a number of palaces along the realm that are at the disposal of the Monarch and form the Royal Residences. All the Royal Residences are property of the Union state, managed by the National Property Board.

List of Royal Residences in Denmark

 * Amalienborg Palace
 * Christiansborg Palace
 * Fredensborg Palace - Residence of former Queen Margrethe II of Denmark
 * Marselisborg Palace
 * Gråsten Palace
 * Hermitage Hunting Lodge
 * Sorgenfri Palace
 * Schackenborg Castle

List of Royal Residences in Norway

 * Oslo Royal Palace
 * Bygdøy Royal Estate - Residence of former King Harald V of Norway
 * Oscarshall
 * Akershus Fortress - Army Regional Headquarters Scandinavia (ArmyHQ-SC)
 * Gamlehaugen
 * Kongsseteren
 * Ledaal
 * Stiftsgården
 * Skaugum
 * Oscarshall

List of Royal Residences in Sweden

 * the Royal Palace - Official Royal Palace
 * Drottningholm Palace - Private residence of the Royal Family
 * Gripsholm Castle
 * Gustav_III Pavilion
 * Haga Palace
 * The Chinese Pavilion
 * Rosendal Palace - Residence of former King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
 * Rosersberg Palace
 * Strömsholm Palace - Armed Forces Headquarters (KUAFH)
 * Tullgarn Palace
 * Ulriksdal Palace
 * Kalmar Castle

List of Royal Residences in Iceland

 * Bessastaðir

Royal Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms of The Baltic Union serves both as the coat of arms of the nation and of the Royal House.