Under the Constitution of Belgium, the king cannot act alone. While the monarch is vested with executive power, it is exercised through his ministers. Hence, while Royal Orders are issued with the king's signature, they must be countersigned by a minister to be valid. In turn, the countersigning minister assumes political responsibility for the order. Its implementation usually begins on the date that it is published in the Belgian Official Journal.
In Spain, a Royal order (Real orden in Spanish) was a legal document with the force of law issued by the Spanish sovereign. They were issued by sovereigns from Philip II in the 1550s to Alphonso XIII, who ruled from 1886 to 1931. With the advent of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, they ceased to be valid, and have been replaced by the decree-law.
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