How have prerogative powers changed in modern times?

• A. Historic Crown powers now largely exercised by ministers; used for foreign policy and national security; increasingly subject to statute, ministerial accountability, and parliamentary oversight
• B. The monarch personally commands the army
• C. Parliament has no oversight over foreign policy
• D. Prerogative powers allow unlimited emergency decrees by the Crown

Answer: (A)

The important idea here is how prerogative powers function today. Historically these powers were the monarch’s, but in modern practice they’re exercised by the government ministers on behalf of the Crown. That means decisions about foreign policy and national security—things like treaties, recognition of states, and deployment of armed forces—are no longer made by the monarch in council, but by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet acting with ministerial responsibility.

These powers aren’t free-for-all authorities. They are increasingly shaped and constrained by statute and by Parliament’s oversight. Legislation can regulate how prerogatives operate, and ministers must justify their actions to Parliament and be answerable to it. This shift reflects the broader constitutional principle that the executive is accountable to elected representatives, not to the monarch in isolation.

That’s why other statements don’t fit: the monarch does not personally command the army in modern times, Parliament does have oversight over foreign policy, and prerogatives aren’t unlimited emergency decrees—they operate within constitutional and legal limits and under political accountability.