Well, not always. There's really two situations where the power can be used in practice. Firstly, if the government supports the actions of the monarch (althoug

Well, not always. There's really two situations where the power can be used in practice. Firstly, if the government supports the actions of the monarch (although you could argue that this isn't much of a power). More importantly, if there's no government to remove them. The monarch could have the power to resolve a disputed government, or to appoint a government in the absence of one. It's also important to remember that monarchs are often rich, connected people, so even if they can't use their official powers, they may have influence in other ways.