Privy Council
The Privy Council is, historically, the British sovereign's private council and dates
back to the earliest days of the monarchy,
when the council consisted of people appointed directly by the King or Queen to advise on matters of the state.
The council descended from the “Curia Regis” which comprised the king's tenants in chief, household officials, and other advisers,
who formed all the functions of the government. In the early to mid-seventeenth century
the council system was swept away
but not formally abolished; Charles II reinstated/revived the system not long after.
In 1701, the “Act of Settlement” attempted to return the Privy Council to its former power,
by attempting to instate regulations whereby all resolutions shall be signed by the Privy Council;
however this attempt proved to be futile.
After the accession of George I in 1714, the council became a purely formal body, meeting to transact formal business.
It did, however, keep some of its power by continuing to aid the monarch and the
Governor General by providing advice. It also functioned from 1839 to 1949 as the highest court of appeal for Canada.