In terms of legal theory, the king was regarded as God's representative on earth: he was responsible for promulgating just laws, he headed the judicial system (the writs and courts sessions operating in his name) and was held to be the fount of justice. At his coronation he undertook to uphold the laws and customs of the realm and do justice to all. This paper engages not simply with the monarch's theoretical duties and the restraints upon his executive power, but with his real life actions, his inaction, and the ‘virtual reality’ of kingship. Rather than focusing on the institutions of government and the operation of the legal system, therefore, it examines Edward's personal role in the administration of justice and the impact of the king's physical presence (or absence) in particular situations. At his deposition Edward was charged with a failure to do justice and there were allegations that he had been counselled to disregard the laws. Public perceptions of Edward's attitude towards the law are examined and the paper seeks to revise existing views on the extent to which he was involved in or even cared about judicial matters. In so doing, recourse has been made to both textual sources (the various chronicles of the reign and surviving legal records) and visual images (as found in chronicles, genealogies, treatises and statute books).