There are two active Privy Councils.

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council advises Her Majesty the Queen on exercises of executive governmental functions. By unwritten constitutional conventions, the only privy counsellors who may advise the Sovereign are those who are also a minister (and are therefore responsible to the elected House of Commons).

The British Privy Council also exercises some judicial functions, through its Judicial Committee. The Judicial Committee are the court of last appeal for some types of cases for the United Kingdom, and some other Commonwealth Realms. Appeals are actually made to the Queen-in-Council; decisions of the Privy Council are worded as "recommendations" or "advice" to the Queen.

Before the evolution of the prime minister and Parliament as the cores of decision-making, the monarch exercised much greater control over the executive government. The Sovereign depended on the advice of a closed group of advisors (the Privy Council). These privy counsellors held much more sway, as individuals, than privy counsellors of today.

Most of the Queen's executive functions in Canada are exercised by the Governor General on the advice of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (whose members are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the prime minister). By convention, only privy councillors who are minister may advise the Sovereign. The Privy Council very rarely meets as an entire body.

The Privy Council Office is the centre of the Canadian public service, responsible for giving non-partisan advice to the prime minister and the Government of the day. The Privy Council Office coordinates Government departments and agencies, and as the department of the prime minister, plays a hand in nearly all major decisions of departments.

Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a group of advisors to Her Majesty the Queen. Most of the Queen's executive functions are exercised on the advice of the Privy Council. By constitutional convention, the only privy counsellors who may advise the Sovereign are those who are also ministers (and are therefore responsible to the elected House of Commons). These exercises of the Queen's functions, on the advice of the Privy Council, is referred to as the Queen-in-Council.

The Privy Council also exercises judicial functions (through its Judicial Committee) as a court of last appeal for some types of cases. Appeals are actually made to the Queen-in-Council, and are referred to the Privy Council for advice. The Privy Council accepts appeals under certain circumstances from the United Kingdom, and from several realms of the Commonwealth.