The queen is continuing to be very much in charge. She has these powers t they're called royal prerogatives, and loads of them barely matter at all. But there are some royal duties that actually do matter. For example, the nation would mind quite a lot if the queen failed to appoint prime minister or dissolve parliament. So how is Charles living up to his mother's legacy? Well, not always that well. Think while the queen lives, it is really hard for charles to compete with her. It looks like we have a shadow regency.