The first dent in this stability came about in 1607 , with the Case of Prohibitions . James VI and I claimed that as monarch , he had a divine right to sit as a judge and interpret the common law as he saw fit . Led by Sir Edward Coke , the judiciary rejected this idea , stating that while the monarch was not subject to any individual , he was subject to the law . Until he had gained sufficient knowledge of the law , he had no right to interpret it ; Coke pointed out that such knowledge " demanded mastery of an artificial reason ... which require long study and experience , before that a man can attain to the cognizance of it " . Similarly , in the Case of Proclamations in 1611 , Coke held that the monarch could only exercise those prerogatives he already had , and not create new ones .