Great Seal of the Realm

The Great Seal of the Realm is a British institution by which the monarch can authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mold or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official.

Edward the Confessor sometime before 1066 started using a Great Seal casting in wax of his own visage to signify that a document carried the force of his will. Each subsequent British monarch generally has chosen his or her own design for the Great Seal, but there are exceptions. Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne to marry Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson of the United States, did not find time to select the design for his own seal and continued to use the seal of his predecessor. On the other hand, the longer-lived British monarchs have had several Great Seals during their reigns. This is because there is only one mold in existence for the Great Seal, the metal mold or matrix for the Great Seal is of silver, and since the wax used for the Great Seal has a high melting point, the silver plates that cast the Seal wear out in time. Queen Victoria who reigned for over sixty-three years had to select four different Great Seal designs, as each prior official mold or matrix for the seal wore out in time.

Within today's constitutional monarchy, the British sovereign implements the advice of the Government. Hence, the Great Seal is attached to the official documents of state that require the authorisation of the British monarch. Under today's implementation of the Great Seal, seals of dark green wax are affixed to documents authorizing the promotion of individuals to the peerage, blue seals authorize actions relating to the royal family, and scarlet seals appoint bishops and implement various other affairs of state.

Today the Great Seal of the Realm is administered by the Lord Chancellor, an office currently held by Lord Falconer of Thoroton.

Sources

United Kingdom Website