ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Constitutional monarchy

Okay, so you know how you have a king or a queen in fairy tales and they wear fancy clothes and live in a big castle? Well, in some countries, they have a real-life king or queen too!

A constitutional monarchy is a type of government where there is still a king or queen, but they don't actually make all the decisions. Instead, they have to follow a set of rules called a constitution.

Think of it like playing a game with rules. If you're playing a game with your friends, you all have to follow the same rules to make it fair. In a constitutional monarchy, the king or queen has to follow the same rules as everyone else in the government.

The government is responsible for making important decisions, like laws and taxes. The king or queen is more like a symbol of their country, someone who represents them but doesn't have all the power.

For example, in the United Kingdom, they have a queen named Queen Elizabeth II. She has been the queen for a very long time, but she doesn't actually make laws or decide how things are run. Instead, she has to follow the laws that are made by the government.

In short, a constitutional monarchy is a type of government where there is still a king or queen, but they have to follow the same rules as everyone else in the government, and they don't have all the power.