Cabinet and Prime Minister

In the time of William and Mary, the king was still the head of the Government. William had ministers to help him, of course. But he chose them, and he could sack them. The king made the big decisions, such as when to go to war.

Queen Anne, George I and George II still had a lot of power. They picked their own ministers, and discussed Government business with them. But they learned that they could not do just as they pleased.

After 1688, the ministers had to ask Parliament each year to agree to taxes and the army bill. And if Parliament did not like the king's ministers or what they did, it might not pass these bills. So the king or queen had to pay attention to Parliament, and to the great lords who controlled it.

The king or queen and the chief ministers met once a week in the Cabinet. William attended the Cabinet when he was in England (he was often away at war). Queen Anne was always there. So was George I, for the first three years of his reign.

After 1717, the Cabinet usually met without the king. When it did so, one of the ministers was chairman. After the meeting, he went to the king and told him what the Cabinet advised. Sir Robert Walpole did this job from 1722 to 1742. He was the head of the king´s government - Britain´s first Prime Minister.

Walter Robson: Crown, Parliament and People; Oxford University Press, 1992/2002, page 56 f.