The last 1,000 years may have been witness to extraordinary political, economic and social changes but Seals of the Realm remain fundamental and as much at the heart of government in the twenty-first century as they were in the eleventh. Their meaning virtually unchanged, impressions taken from them are appended to a variety of official documents to signify royal assent just as it was during the reigns of Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror.

Only one Great Seal should be in use at any given time therefore during a long reign, the silver matrices eventually wear out; Queen Victoria, for instance, had four different Great Seals during her 63-year reign. When a new Great Seal is prepared, the old one is ceremonially defaced and customarily presented by the monarch to the Lord Chancellor of the day.

Since the passing of The Crown Office Act of 1877, the use of the Great Seal proper has been restricted to documents of the highest importance, such as treaties with foreign governments.