Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer news, result and more

You may have noticed that King Charles III hasn't been out much over the past six weeks, and it's not the reason you think.

Indeed, shortly after Rishi Sunak called a general election, Buckingham Palace announced that the family would postpone engagements “that might appear to distract or divert attention from the election campaign”.

Although the palace does not usually specify this, it is a very common practice, as the royal family is supposed to remain neutral and above politics. As this is the first general election of Charles III’s reign, it is possible that they wanted to emphasize this from within the institution. So what role does the 75-year-old monarch have in the election and can he vote?

First, the prime minister informed King Charles of his decision to call a general election. That conversation took place on 22 May, and the king agreed to Sunak’s request to dissolve Parliament. In theory, Charles could have refused the request, but that would be unprecedented in modern times.

The monarch has spent the past few days in Scotland to attend Holyrood Week, an annual celebration of Scottish culture and society in the royal calendar. However, he will be required to return to London on Friday. The day after a general election, the monarch invites the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons to Buckingham Palace.

As head of state, appointing prime ministers is one of Charles's main duties as King of England.