The Queen's former piper says the monarch holds British politicians accountable, whereas in the US 'you're the president and that's it'

• The Queen's former piper Scott Methven says she holds politicians accountable.
• He compared the UK to the US system, saying "it's like, you're the president and that's it."
• The royals' involvement in politics has been debated in recent years.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sparked a debate on the royals' involvement in politics when they encouraged people to vote in the US presidential election.

As the UK's Head of State, the Queen is expected to remain politically neutral, which means she does not vote or share her political views publicly, according to the royal family website. However, she does partake in various ceremonial duties relating to the UK government, such as the State Opening of Parliament.

Scott Methven, who worked as the Queen's piper from 2015 to 2019, told Insider that Her Majesty is able to hold politicians accountable through her role as monarch.

"What surprised me is how much the Queen believes in something, how she would defend that cause," Methven told Insider.

"A lot of people slag our system, but one of the things that I think is good about our system is that the Queen has the ability to take people to task. And I mean politicians. Whereas if you think about the American system, it's like, you're the president and that's it," Methven added.

President Joe Biden is the US head of state, however, the British Prime Minister is not head of state — the Queen is.

The UK operates as a constitutional monarchy — with the Queen having ceremonial duties within government — while the US is a republic with a system of checks and balances, according to Study.com, meaning that no one part of government is more powerful than the other.

Methven didn't elaborate on which politicians the Queen would interact with during his time at the royal household. David Cameron was the Prime Minister until his resignation in 2016 (Methven said it was his job to call the royal press office and inform them of the resignation) before Theresa May took over the position until 2019.

The monarch has held weekly audiences with all 14 British prime ministers elected during her reign, the most recent being Boris Johnson. The royal website states that she has a "special relationship" with the prime minister, and retains the right "to appoint and also meeting with him or her on a regular basis."

The BBC reports that these meetings are "completely private," with no special advisors in attendance and no official record of what is said.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned in 2016, said he found the meetings "very valuable" and that the monarch was "always up to speed" with political events, the BBC added in its report.

It's worth noting that Queen also has a close relationship with the US, and often hosts presidents at Buckingham Palace. The Queen has met with 13 US presidents and has "helped facilitate diplomatic relations" with the US since 1951, Insider's Grace Panetta and Ellen Cranley previously reported.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met the Queen in the UK in June, with the president telling reporters that Her Majesty reminded him of his mother.

The US Department of State did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.