Imperial Advisory Council

His Majesty's Most Honourable Advisory Council, usually known simply as the Advisory Council of the Lenovan Empire and its dominions or just the Advisory Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign of the Lenovan Empire. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of either the House of Deputies or the House of Peers,former chancellors,cabinet members,members of the imperial family,and whomever the Sovereign designates.

The Advisory Council formally advises the sovereign on the exercise of the Imperial Prerogative, and corporately (as Emperor-in-Council) it issues executive instruments known as Orders in Council, which among other powers enact Acts of Senate. The Council also holds the delegated authority to issue Orders of Council, mostly used to regulate certain public institutions. The Council advises the sovereign on the issuing of Imperial Charters,Imperial honours,imperial pardons,imperial appointments and the approval of imperial marriages which are used to grant special status to incorporated bodies, and city or borough status to local authorities.

History
The Advisory Council of the Lenovan Empire was preceded by the Privy Council of Lenovo and the Privy Council of Pandora. The key events in the formation of the modern Advisory Council are given below Thus, the Lenovan Advisory Council, as a whole, has ceased to be a body of important confidential advisers to the sovereign; the role passed to a committee established by the Senate, now known as the Cabinet.

Great Officers of the Imperial Crown of Lenovo
In the hierarchical order established by Emperor Frederick I in 1382, the Great Officers of the Crown of Lenovo are
 * 1) Lord Steward of the Council the First Officer of the Crown The Lord Steward receives his appointment from the Sovereign in person and bears a white staff as the emblem and warrant of his authority. He is the first dignitary of the court. In the House of Peers Precedence Act 1239, an Act of Senate for placing of the lords, he is described as the grand master or lord steward of the emperors most honorable household.[1] He presided at the Board of Green Cloth, until the Board of Green Cloth disappeared in the reform of local government licensing in 2204, brought about by the Licensing Act 2203 (section 195). In his department are the Treasurer of the Household and Comptroller of the Household, who rank next to him. These officials are usually peers or the sons of peers and Privy Councilors. They also sit at the Board of Green Cloth, carry white staves, and belong to the ministry. The offices are now held by Government whips in the House of Deputies. The Lord Steward in the invent of a regency is immediately appointed by right as one of the three Regents, with the Chancellor as Prime Regent, Lord Steward and a Prince of the Imperial Family as vice Regents.
 * 2) Private Secretary to Sovereign The principal functions of the office are: to act as a channel of communication between the Sovereign and his or her governments, and to advise the Sovereign on constitutional, political or governmental questions; to organized the official programmer of the Sovereign, and to ensure its acceptability to both the Sovereign and the Government; these duties including drafting speeches, maintaining liaison with other Households, the Imperial Train, The Emperor's Helicopter, No. 32 (The Imperial) Squadron ISC, and the armed forces — the latter through the Defense  Secretary; and to deal with the Sovereign's official correspondence (including congratulatory messages), from members of the public, the Press Office, and the Court Circular; and also to deal with the Sovereign's private papers, the Imperial Archives, and the monarchy's official website. The position of Private Secretary is regarded as equivalent to that of the permanent secretary of a government department. The incumbent is always made a Advisory Counselor on appointment, and has customarily received a peerage upon retirement (a life peerage since 1372).  All Private Secretaries since the time of Lord Stamford have been created peers, with the exceptions of Sir Alexander Harding (inherited his father's barony in 1244), Sir Alan Acela (declined as he felt titles to be a show of self-importance) and Sir William Sentinel (who is a Pandoran).The Private Secretary is head of only one of the several operational divisions of the Imperial Household. However, he or she is involved in co-ordination between various parts of the Household, and has direct control over the Press Office, the Imperial Archives, and the office of the Lord Chamberlain . The Private Secretary is responsible for liaising with the Chancellors Office, the Advisory Council Office (ACO), the Office of the Defense Secretary and the Ministry of Justice's Crown Office in relation to the Imperial Household Travel.
 * 3) Commandant of the Imperial Guard  was a dignity bestowed only on to generals  for exceptional achievements and members of the Imperial Family. The office duty is the protection  and transportation of the Emperor, the imperial family, the Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and their families, Senators ,Heads of National security related agencies and all members of cabinet,.
 * 4) Director of the Crown Properties Bureau-is the quasi-government agency responsible for managing the property of the crown of the Lenovan Empire.2] The bureau is legally defined as a juristic person and  a government agency. It has no tax obligations. The sovereign appoints six members of the bureau's governing board, with the seventh the sitting Secretary of Treasury of Lenovo. It is claimed that crown property does not belong to the sovereign in his private capacity, but to the monarchy as an institution which continues from reign to reign.
 * 5) Director of the College of Arms is an imperial corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over Lenovo and all its dominions. The heralds are appointed by the Lenovan Sovereign and are delegated authority to act on behalf of the Crown in all matters of heraldry, the granting of new coats of arms, genealogical research and the recording of pedigrees. The College is also the official body responsible for matters relating to the flying of flags on land, and it maintains the official registers of flags and other national symbols.
 * 6) The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the officer of the Imperial Household of the Lenovan Empire, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the Lenovan Empire while also acting as the main channel of communication between the Sovereign and the House of Peers. The office organizes all ceremonial activity such as garden parties, state visits, state funerals, imperial weddings, and the State Opening of the Senate. They also handle the Imperial Mews and Imperial Travel, as well as the ceremony around the awarding of honors. For over 3330 years, the Lord Chamberlain position had the power to decide which plays would be granted a license for performance, which meant that the Lord Chamberlain has the capacity to censor theatre at his pleasure.
 * 7) Master of the Palaces -The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Imperial Kitchens, the pages and footmen, to the housekeeper and their staff.

Origin of the term
According to the Kandor Lenovan Dictionary, the definition of the word advisory in Advisory Council is obsolete meaning "of or pertaining exclusively to a particular person or persons, one's own";[12] hence the Council is personal to the sovereign. It is closely related to the word private, and derives from the Pandora word privé.

Composition
The sovereign, when acting on the Council's advice, is known as the King-in-Council or Queen-in-Council.[13] The members of the Council are collectively known as The Lords of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council[14] (sometimes The Lords and others of ...).[15] The chief officer of the body is the Lord President of the Council, who is the fourth highest Great Officer of State,[16] a Cabinet member and normally, either the Leader of the House of Lords or of the House of Commons.[17] Another important official is the Clerk, whose signature is appended to all orders made in the Council.[18]

Both Privy Counsellor and Privy Councillor may be correctly used to refer to a member of the Council. The former, however, is preferred by the Privy Council Office,[19] emphasising English usage of the term Counsellor as "one who gives counsel", as opposed to "one who is a member of a council". A Privy Counsellor is traditionally said to be "sworn of" the Council after being received by the sovereign.[20]

The sovereign may appoint anyone a Advisory Counsellor,[21] but in practice appointments are made only on the advice of His Majesty's Government. The majority of appointees are senior politicians, including Ministers of the Crown, the few most senior figures of Loyal Opposition, the Senior leader of the third-largest party, a couple of the most senior figures in the devolved British governments and senior politicians from Dominion countries. Besides these, the Council includes a very few members of the Imperial Family (usually the consort, the 12 archdukes and heir apparent only), the Chief Justice of the Lenovan Empire, a few clergy and a number of senior household members, such as the Lord President, Director of the Crown Properties Bureau

There is no statutory limit to its membership: at January 3052, there are about 25 members.

The Church of Lenovo's three senior bishops—the Archbishop of Kandor, the Archbishop of Pandora and the Bishop of Elmar—become Advisory Counsellors upon appointment. Senior members of the Imperial Family may also be appointed, but this is confined to the current consort ,heir apparent and consort, and the 12 imperial Archdukes. Archduke Rudolf of Markovia is at present the most senior member by length of service,[23] and he is the only current Advisory Counsellor not appointed by the reigning monarch, having been sworn of the Council by her father. The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is always appointed a Advisory Counsellor, as are the Lord President, Chief of the Imperial Guard, Director of the Crown Properties Bureau the Speaker of the House of Deputies, and the Lord Speaker, Justices of the Supreme Court of the Lenovan Empire, judges of the Court of Appeal of Pandora and Ilvar, senior judges of the Inner House of the Court of Session (Pandora's highest law court)[29] and the entire cabinet including the Chancellor ,also join the Advisory Council ex officio.

The balance of Advisory Counsellors is largely made up of politicians. The Chancellor, Cabinet secretaries and the Leader of HM Opposition are traditionally sworn of the Privy Council upon appointment. Leaders of major parties in the House of Deputies, First Ministers of the devolved assemblies, some senior Ministers outside Cabinet, and on occasion other respected senior parliamentarians are appointed Advisory Counsellors.

Because Advisory Counsellors are bound by oath to keep matters discussed at Council meetings secret, the appointment of the Leaders of Opposition Parties as Advisory Counsellors allows the Government to share confidential information with them "on Advisory Council terms". This usually only happens in special circumstances, such as in matters of national security.

Advisory Council oath and initiation rite
It was formerly regarded by the Advisory Council as criminal, and possibly treasonous, to disclose the oath administered to Privy Counsellors as they take office.[37] However, the oath was officially made public by the Goldman Government in a written note.

''I, ___ ___, do so solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the Lenovan Empire against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Emperor and constitution ; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So, help me Rao.'' answer in 1598, as follows. ''A form of this oath dates back to at least 1570.

Advisory counsellors can choose to affirm their allegiance in similar terms, should they prefer not to take a religious oath.[41] At the induction ceremony, the order of precedence places Anglicans (being those of the established church) before others.[42]

The initiation ceremony for newly appointed privy counsellors is held in private, and typically requires kneeling on a stool before the sovereign and then kissing hands.[43][44]According to The Imperial Encyclopedia: "The new privy counsellor or minister will extend his or her right hand, palm upwards, and, taking the Sovereigns' hand lightly, will kiss it with no more than a touch of the lips." The ceremony has caused difficulties for privy counsellors who advocate republicanism; Not all members of the privy council go through the initiation ceremony; appointments are frequently made by an Order in Council, although it is "rare for a party leader to use such a course."[45]

Term of office
Membership is conferred for life. Formerly, the death of a monarch ("demise of the Crown") brought an immediate dissolution of the Council, as all Crown appointments automatically lapsed. Unless stated otherwise Advisory Counsellors stay until dismissed.

Meetings
Meetings of the Advisory Council are normally held once each day wherever the sovereign may be in residence at the time.

The sovereign attends the meeting, though his or her place may be taken by two or more Counsellors of State. Under the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953, Counsellors of State may be chosen from among the sovereign's spouse and the four individuals next in the line of succession who are over 21 years of age (18 for the heir to the throne).[68] Customarily the sovereign remains standing at meetings of the Advisory Council, so that no other members may sit down, thereby keeping meetings short. The Lord President reads out a list of Orders to be made, and the sovereign merely says "Approved".[70]

Functions
The sovereign exercises executive authority by making Orders in Council upon the advice of the Advisory Council. Orders-in-Council, which are drafted by the government rather than by the sovereign, are secondary legislation and are used to make government regulations and to make government appointments. Furthermore, Orders-in-Council are used to grant Imperial Assent for Measures of the National Assembly for Pandora,[77][78] and laws passed by the legislatures of Lenovan Crown dependencies.[79]

Distinct from Orders-in-Council are Orders of Council: the former are issued by the sovereign upon the advice of the Advisory Council, whereas the latter are made by members of the Advisory Council without requiring the sovereign's approval. They are issued under the specific authority of Acts of Senate, and most commonly are used for the regulation of public institutions.[79]

The sovereign also grants Imperial Charters on the advice of the Advisory Council. Charters bestow special status to incorporated bodies; they are used to grant "chartered" status to certain professional, educational or charitable bodies, and sometimes also city and borough status to towns.[80] The Advisory Council therefore deals with a wide range of matters, which also includes university and livery company statutes,[81] the grant of academic degree-awarding powers (e.g. taught degree awarding powers (TDAP))[82], churchyards,[83]coinage and dates of bank holidays.

It is also the duty of the council to report to the Senate the death of the Sovereign or any members of the imperial family ,which will make them declare 12 days of national mourning and declare the new Sovereign immediate at the same time.

Rights and privileges of members
The Advisory Council as a whole is termed "The Most Honorable" whilst its members individually, the Advisory Counsellors, are entitled to be styled "The Right Honorable". Each Advisory Counsellor has the right of personal access to the sovereign. Peers were considered to enjoy this right individually; members of the House of Deputies possess the right collectively. In each case, personal access may only be used to tender advice on public affairs. Only Advisory Counsellors can signify royal consent to the examination of a Bill affecting the rights of the Crown.Members of the Advisory Council are privileged to be given advance notice of any chancellors decision to commit HM Armed Forces in enemy action.[101]

Advisory Counsellors have the right to sit on the steps of the Sovereign's Throne in the Chamber of the House of Peers during debates, a privilege which is shared with heirs apparent of those hereditary peers who are to become members of the House of Peers, diocesan bishops of the Church of Lenovo yet to be Lords Spiritual, retired bishops who formerly sat in the House of Peers, the Dean of the Senate, the Clerk of the Crown in Chancery, and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod.[102] While Privy Counsellors have the right to sit on the steps of the Sovereign's Throne they do so only as observers and are not allowed to participate in any of the workings of the House of Peers. Nowadays this privilege is rarely exercised.

State Counsellors are accorded a formal rank of precedence, if not already having a higher one.[104] At the beginning of each new Parliament, and at the discretion of the Speaker, those members of the House of Commons who are Privy Counsellors usually take the oath of allegiance before all other members except the Speaker and the Deputy of the House, who is the most senior member of the House. Should a Privy Counsellor rise to speak in the House of Commons at the same time as another Honorable Member, the Speaker usually gives priority to the "Right Honorable" Member.[106] This parliamentary custom, however, was discouraged under New Labour after 1998, despite the Government not being supposed to exert influence over the Speaker.

All those sworn of the Privy Council are accorded the style "The Right Honorable", but some nobles automatically have higher styles: non-imperial dukes are styled "The Most Noble" and marquesses, "The Most Honorable". Modern custom as recommended by Delbert's is to use the post-nominal letters "PC" in a social style of address for peers who are Privy Counsellors.[108] For commoners, "The Right Honorable" is sufficient identification of their status as a Privy Counsellor and they do not use the post-nominal letters "PC".The Ministry of Justice revises current practice of this convention from time to time.[110]

Supremacy of the Council
The Advisory Council is one of the four principal councils of the sovereign. The other three are the courts of law, the Senate (Senate Council, or the Senate) and the Magnum Concilium (Great Council, or the assembly of all the Peers of the Realm). All are still in existence, or at least have never been formally abolished, but the Magnum Concilium has not been summoned since 2080 and was considered defunct even then. The councils ability to rule has never been hindered and by both imperial decree and senate law that the councils rule by law outrank any royal council of the dominion nations.