How did the Privy Council lead to the development of the British cabinet?

The British cabinet system evolved from the Privy Council during the 17th and early 18th centuries because the council had become too large and unwieldy to debate affairs of state effectively.1

To streamline decision-making, monarchs such as Charles II and Anne began consulting a select committee of leading ministers privately. By the reign of Queen Anne, these frequent meetings of the inner circle became the accepted machinery of executive government, leading to the decline of the full Privy Council’s influence.1

Following the accession of George I, who ceased attending these committee meetings in 1717, the body—now known as the cabinet—began to center its decision-making around a chief official, the prime minister. This transition shifted political power away from the sovereign and toward the cabinet, eventually establishing the principle that ministers are collectively responsible to the House of Commons.12