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A privy council is a body that advises a head of state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The term "privy" (from French privé) signifies private or secret. Consequently, a privy council, more common in the past, existed as a group of a ruling monarch's most trusted court advisors. Its purpose was to consistently provide confidential advice on matters of state. Despite the abolition of monarchy, some privy councils remained operational, while others were individually disbanded, allowing the monarchical system to continue to exist without a secret crown council.
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Functioning privy councils
Former or dormant privy councils
| Monarchy | Privy Council | Notes |
|---|---|---|
 Austrian Empire/Austria-Hungary |
Geheimrat | Abolished 1919 |
 Bermuda |
Privy Council of Bermuda | Split in 1888 |
 Empire of Brazil |
His Imperial Majesty's Council | Honorific title, some were part of the Council of Ministers or the Council of State; abolished by a coup in 1889[1] |
 Konbaung dynasty (Burma) |
Byedaik | Abolished 1885 |
 Qing dynasty (China) |
Grand Council | Abolished 1898 |
 Kingdom of England |
Privy Council of England | Replaced by the Privy Council of Great Britain on 1 May 1708[2][3] |
 Ethiopian Empire |
Crown Council of Ethiopia | Abolished 1974, revived in pretence 1987[citation needed] |
 Kingdom of France |
Conseil du Roi | Abolished 1791 and replaced by the Conseil d'État |
 German Empire |
Geheimrat | Abolished 1918 |
 Kingdom of Greece |
Council of State | Established in 1835; abolished in 1865, re-established in 1929 as the senior administrative court of Greece |
 Electorate of Hanover |
Privy Council of Hanover | Abolished 1866 |
 Kingdom of Hawaiʻi |
Privy Council of the Hawaiian Kingdom | Abolished after the Hawaiʻi became a republic in 1893 |
 Kingdom of Ireland |
Privy Council of Ireland | Retained following the coming into effect of the Act of Union 1800, but became dormant from 1922 |
 Empire of Japan |
Privy Council of Japan | Abolished 1947 |
 Kingdom of Laos |
King's Council | Abolished 1975 |
 Kingdom of Nepal |
Rajsabha | Monarchy abolished on 28 May 2008 |
 Habsburg Netherlands |
Geheime Raad or Conseil Privé | Established in 1531. Abolished for the final time in 1794 |
 Nguyễn dynasty (Vietnam) |
Viện cơ mật | Abolished in 1945 with the abolition of the monarchy |
 Northern Ireland |
Privy Council of Northern Ireland | Made dormant 1972 |
 Ottoman Empire |
Divan | Monarchy abolished in 1922 |
 Kingdom of Portugal |
His Most Faithful Majesty's Council | Monarchy abolished in 1910 |
 Russian Empire |
Supreme Privy Council | Abolished 1730 |
 Electorate of Saxony |
Privy Council of Saxony | Established in 1697 to administer jurisdiction over Lutheran institutions on behalf of the Elector who had converted to Catholicism[citation needed] |
 Kingdom of Scotland |
Privy Council of Scotland | Abolished on 1 May 1708, replaced by the Privy Council of Great Britain[2][3][4] |
 Sweden |
Privy Council of Sweden | Abolished 1789 |
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
Privy Council of Yugoslavia | Abolished 1945, revived in pretence 1990 and replaced by the Privy Council of Serbia in 2006.[5] |
 Sultanate of Sulu |
Ruma Bichara (State Council) | Abolished after Spanish colonization of the Philippines |
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