The Sovereign
sovereign, a continuity broken only after the
Civil War, by the republic of 1649 to I860. The
Crown is passed to the sovereign's eldest son,
although in future it will pass to the eldest
child, whether son or daughter.
The Queen has a central role in state affairs,
not only through her ceremonial functions,
such as opening Parliament, but also because
she meets the Prime Minister every week and
receives copies of all Cabinet papers.
However, she is expected to be impartial or
"above polities', and any advice she may offer
the Prime Minister is kept secret.
Functions of the Sovereign
'Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by
the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms
and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth,
Defender of the Faith.'
The Queen is the official Head of State and, for
many people, a symbol of the unity of the nation.
For a thousand years England (and later the whole of
the United Kingdom) has been united under one
• opening Parliament
• approving the appointment of the Prime
Minister
• giving her Royal Assent to bills
• giving honours such as peerages,
knighthoods and medals
• Head of the Commonwealth
• Head of the Church of England
• Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
The Royal Family
Many members of the Royal Family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various
responsibilities reflect tradition, their own personal interests and Britain's former imperial status. For
example, among- her many titles the Princess Royal (Princess Anne) is Chancellor of the University of
London, Colonel-in-Chief of eleven Army regiments, including the 8th Canadian Hussars and the Royal New
Zealand Nursing Corps, and president of the Save the Children Fund, for whom she has travelled widely.
The Royal Family's money comes from two sources: government funds and their own personal wealth,
which is considerable. On the one hand the Queen is certainly one of the richest women in the world, while
on the other her power is limited by the fact that so many of tier expenses are paid for by government
money. Parliament has had effective control of the monarch's finances since the seventeenth century
A survey in 1089 found that 71 per cent of people in Britain thought that tin; Royal Family offered value for
money - this was fewer than in previous surveys. As many as 74 percent thought the younger Royals should
'get proper jobs’.
Comprehension
Use the information to answer the questions.
Discussion Work in pairs.
1 Who is next in line to the British crown after Prince 1 Which members of the British Royal Family are
best known in your own country? Why?
Charles?
2 How can Parliament control the Royal Family?
2 What powers does the Queen have in
3 What connections can you find between the Royal
government?
Family and the world outside Britain?
3 Do you think being a member of the Royal family is
4 Which member of the Royal Family has the highest
a 'proper job"? What sort of work do they do?
number of public engagements?
1 Work in pairs. Talk about the British royal family.
Who are the most famous members? What do you
know about them?
2 Work in pairs.
This passage describes the early childhood of
Elizabeth II and her younger sister, Margaret.
Elizabeth was born in 1926 and Margaret in 1930.
Read the passage and answer the questions below.
The Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth grew up in a
warm, loving home. The family lived in a large house
on Piccadilly, a famous street in the centre of
London. It wasn't a palace, but it was big enough. It
had twenty-five bedrooms, a library and a room for
dances and parties!
The girls had their own private teacher, Miss
Crawford, a Scottish woman. 'Crawfie' gave them at
home every morning their lessons, and in the
afternoons Margaret and Elizabeth also studied
dancing, art and music. The girls had a happy life, but
they didn't know much about the lives of ordinary
people. Once they went on the underground train in
London, and this was a great adventure!
Elizabeth was always a serious little girl. She liked to
be tidy. She tried to put each night very tidily her
clothes and her shoes by her bed; then she
sometimes got out of bed in the night and made
them even tidier. Margaret was wilder and funnier
than her sister. Both girls loved from an early age
horses, and they played with 'horses' every night in
their bedrooms - not real ones, of course!
The girls were popular in public even before their
father was king. Little Elizabeth knew that she
already had an important job.
a There are three sentences in the passage where
the word order is wrong. Underline these
sentences. What are the mistakes?
b Write 'true', 'false' or 'don't know' beside these
sentences. Correct the false ones.
1 The two children were loved by their parents.
2 The family lived in a palace.
3 Miss Crawford taught the children in the
afternoons.
4 The girls only once travelled on the
Underground.
5 Elizabeth and Margaret used to play with real
horses before bedtime.
6 Margaret wasn't as tidy or serious as her sister.
с How is the sisters' upbringing different from
ordinary children of that time?
d Would you like to have that kind of
upbringing? Say why/why not.
3 Work in pairs. Look at these word order rules.
A Example: I like the royal family very much.
WE DO NOT USUALLY SEPARATE THE VERB AND THE
OBJECT.
В Example: I went to work yesterday.
First PLACE (to work), then TIME (yesterday).
С Example: We had a big lunch in the garden on
Sunday. VERB - OBJECT - PLACE - TIME.
D Example: I often swim in the morning.
WORDS LIKE OFTEN USUALLY CO BEFORE THE VERB.
Put these sentences in the right order. It will help
if you look for the verb first.
1 walked yesterday work he to
2 train read this the the book morning on I
3 very the dogs Queen likes much
4 week she letter sister to wrote last a long her
5 summer a we France holiday this had in
6 a usually lunch Sundays family my has on big
4 Read this passage.
In 1992 a very funny novel called The Queen
and I was published, written by Sue Townsend.
In this story, a new government decides that
there will be no more kings or queens in
Britain. The royal family has to move out of
Buckingham Palace and live in an ordinary
house in a poor part of the country. The Queen
has to learn how to cook. Charles gets into
trouble with the police ... They all learn that it
is very difficult to live in Britain without much
money.
5 What do you think? Do you think that Britain should
have a royal family?
Or do you think that Sue Townsend's novel is right?
There should be no royal family and the Queen and
her family should live ordinary lives as ordinary
people.