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British Royal Family. Political System of the UK.
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Political System of the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy in which the Monarch is head of state and the Prime Minister is the head of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch and David Cameron is the Prime Minister.
Queen Elizabeth II She was born on 21st April, 1926 in London. Elizabeth, from British Windsor dynasty, is the daughter of king George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. On 20th November 1947 she married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. She has four children: prince Charles (her successor), princess Ann, prince Andrew and prince Edward. She represents the United Kingdom on the international stage, she’s also the highest state organ and the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Privately Queen Elizabeth is known as brave, fair and playful person. She loves horses, actually Elizabeth has a private breeding. The Man of the Year according to “The Time” magazine in 1952. In London’s Madame Tussaud’s Museum there’s her wax-figure. She’s one of the richest women in the world, she also participated – as first British ruler – in the Congress deliberations. Beside the Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II is constitutional monarch of fifteen more countries, for example Canada, Australia or Jamaica.
Queen's roles Although the Queen is no longer responsible for the management of the country, she performs many important tasks on behalf of the nation. As head of state, the Queen participates in the official state visits overseas. She also invites other world leaders to visit the UK. The Queen also acts as head of the armed forces. She is the person who decides to declare war and its end, although she must use the advice of her government in the first place. She is also the head of the Church of England. The Queen appoints the bishops and archbishops at the request of the Prime Minister. The Queen represents the nation in times of great celebration and sorrow as well. Despite many duties she spends a lot of time travelling around the country, visiting hospitals, schools, factories and other places.
A day in Queen's life At 7:30 in the morning, a chambermaid wakes up the queen and brings Her tea with milk. The queen eats breakfast with her husband, often reading the Racing Post newspaper at the time. At 9:30 a.m., she meets her private secretary, who has already gone through the day’s correspondence. Together, they go through the day’s programme – receiving a new ambassador, visits to hospitals, inaugurations. Sometimes she invites a handful of famous people – artist or business executives to lunch. Sometimes, other royals join her at the palace. Every afternoon at 2:30, the queen goes for a walk in the palace grounds and the rule is that if anybody is in the garden, they must leave. Nobody is allowed to talk to her unless she speak first. She likes to be left on her own because it’s her thinking time. The rest of the afternoon is devoted to the queen’s social duties. She is patron of more than 620 organisations and charities. Queen Elizabeth spends her evenings in her privates quarters – she fills in a crossword, often watches television with supper on a tray and retires to bed at around 11 p.m..
Diana, Princess of Wales Lady Diana Spencer was born in 1961. She came from a rich and famous family but her parents divorced when she was young so she didn’t have a happy childhood. When she left school, she got a job in London as a nanny. Her quiet life suddenly changed, however, when she met Prince Charles, the Queen’s son. Diana and Charles got married in 1981 and they had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Diana became an international superstar. Photographers and reporters followed her everywhere. She used her fame to help a lot of charities, particularly those for children and victims of AIDS. Her marriage wasn’t happy and in 1996 she got divorced. A year later, in August 1997, Diana died in a car crash in Paris. Hundreds of millions of people around the world watched her funeral on TV.
Royal palaces and castles Queen Elizabeth II has many possessions which include: Windsor Castle - an official residence of the Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. Buckingham Palace - the Queen's official and main royal London home. Balmoral Castle - the private residence of The Queen. It has remained a favourite residence for The Queen and her family during the summer holiday period in August and September. The Castle is located on the large Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The Palace of Holyroodhouse - founded as a monastery in 1128, the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh is the Queen's official residence in Scotland. Sandringham House - The Royal family's private country retreat in Norfolk. Every Christmas is spent at Sandringham House, which has been the private home of four generations of sovereigns since 1862. Kensington Palace - it was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns until the death of George II in 1760. It was the London residence of the late Princess Diana.
St. James's Palace - it was built between 1531 and 1536 and it was home of kings and queens of England for over 300 years. Clarence House - stands beside St James's Palace. It is The Prince of Wales's current official London residence and former London residence of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Past Royal homes Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster) - Edward the Confessor made the Palace of Westminster the first official London residence. Now it is the seat of British democracy. The Banqueting House (Whitehall Palace) - in 1529, Henry Vlll got fed up with Westminster Palace and built himself another one which he called Whitehall Palace. It burned down in 1698. It was rebuilt as government offices.
Hampton Court Palace- residence of King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey. Lambeth Palace- residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Tower of London - the palace was a residence for Mary I and Elizabeth I, Charles I, William III and Mary II.
Royal Guards Grenadier Guards are Great Britain's pride and it is an honour to be at her Majesty's service. Royal Guards are one of the oldest units of the British infantry which was established in 1656. Its soldiers fought against Napoleon's armed forces and they became famous in the battle of Waterloo in 1815. They also took part in supression of Mahdi's uprising in Sudan, in opium war in China and in Boer Wars in South Africa. They also fought in the First and Second World Wars.
Today the soldiers of Grenadier Guards perform representative functions. Together with the soldiers of the Welsh Guards they change the guard in front of Buckingham Palace. They are sometimes sent to mercy missions. The change of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace takes place at 11 a.m. The soldiers of the Grenadier Guards wear red and black uniforms and bearskin – a tall black fur cap.
Royal ceremonies State Opening of Parliament It is a very colorful and the most important event, because it gathers all the members of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and The Queen. The Queen officially opens new session of Parliament. This ceremony takes place in October, November or December. Before The Queen visits the Parliament The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard searches the cellars of the Houses of Parliament. The State Crown travels in its own carriage, ahead of The Queen, escorted by Members of the Royal Household. On arrival, The Queen puts on the Imperial State Crown and her parliamentary robe ready for the ceremony itself. About 250 members of the House of Commons are present at the ceremony. Spectators can view the procession to Parliament in The Mall and Whitehall. The ceremony is also broadcast live on BBC television.
Royal Maundy Service Every year at Easter The Queen presents special 'Maundy money' to local pensioners in a UK cathedral or abbey. The presentation takes place on Maundy Thursday in recognition of the service of elderly people to their community and their church. Since the fifteenth century, the number of Maundy coins handed out, and the number of people receiving the coins, has been related to the Sovereign’s age; in 2011, there were 85 male and 85 female recipients at Westminster Abbey for the Royal Maundy service attended by Her Majesty. In 2011 two purses of 'Maundy money' were given to 85 men and 85 women – a white purse containing 85p in Maundy coins and a red purse containing £5 coin and 50p piece. Maundy coins are struck in sterling silver. Maundy Thursday commemorates the day of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.
The tradition of Trooping the Colour The Sovereign's birthday is officially celebrated by the ceremony of Trooping the Colour on a Saturday in June.Although The Queen was born on 21 April, it has long been the tradition to celebrate the Sovereign's birthday publicly on a day in the summer, when good weather is more likely.Trooping the Colour is carried out by fully trained and operational troops from the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, watched by members of the Royal Family, invited guests and members of the public.During the ceremony, The Queen is greeted by a Royal salute and carries out an inspection of the troops.After the massed bands have performed a musical 'troop', the escorted Regimental Colour is carried down the ranks.The Foot Guards and the Household Cavalry then march past Her Majesty, and The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, rank past.The Queen rides in a carriage back to Buckingham Palace at the head of her Guards, before taking the salute at the Palace from a dais. The troops then return to barracks.Her Majesty then joins other members of the Royal Family on the palace balcony for a fly-past by the Royal Air Force.
