The Royal Family

1. The Royal Family made by : Joanna Hołubowicz

2. The Royal Family • The Queen is supported in her work as Head of State by members of the Royal Family. Read their biographies in this section of the site. • Members of the Royal Family • The Queen's Golden Jubilee

3. Members of the Royal Family • In her role as Head of State The Queen is supported by members of the Royal Family, who carry out a wide range of public and official duties. The biographies in this section contain information about various members of the Royal Family, including early life and education, professional careers, official Royal work, involvement with charities and other organisations, personal interests and more.

4. The Queen's Golden Jubilee • The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002. In this section you can read all about her reign, find out about the history of Jubilees; and read about her Coronation. • Find out all about the Jubilee Weekend of 1-4 June and see pictures and reports. • From May to the beginning of August, The Queen carried out a programme of visits in every part of the UK. In the Jubilee Journal you can see pictures and reports on The Queen's regional visits in May, June, July and August.

5. History of Jubilees • Jubilees go back many thousands of years to ancient Egyptian and Hebrew times. In the Bible the Book of Leviticus prescribed that every fifty years there should be a jubilee when families should gather together, land should be restored to its original owners, debts should be remitted, slaves freed and the land left fallow. The word 'jubilee' actually comes from the Hebrew word for the ram's horn trumpet with which the jubilee year was announced - a 'yobel'. In the New Testament, Jesus presents himself as the One who brings the old Jubilee to completion, because he has come to "preach the year of the Lord's favour" (Isaiah 61: 1-2). In the Roman Catholic Church, jubilees began to be celebrated formally in 1300 AD and are years of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation. They are celebrated every 25 years. The most recent year of jubilee was 2000.Royal Jubilees celebrate significant periods in monarchs' reigns and the national life. Few British monarchs have achieved reigns of 50 years, and Golden Jubilees are very rare. There are few records of how - if at all - Henry III, Edward III and James VI and I celebrated their 50-year milestones. The first British monarch to mark 50 years on the throne in a significant way was George III, followed by Queen Victoria. The Queen had Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, when she marked 25 years on the Throne - her Silver Jubilee.Find out how jubilees historic and modern have been celebrated in this section.

6. The Queen's Coronation part 1 • THE QUEEN'S CORONATION • The Queen's Coronation took place on Tuesday, 2 June 1953 amid great public rejoicing. It was over a year since The Queen's Accession, but the ceremony required many months of planning. • The day - chosen as one likely to be sunny - proved very wet, but the enthusiasm of the crowds gathered in London was undiminished. Spirits were additionally buoyed by the news, announced to the crowds over loudspeakers, that a British expedition under Captain John Hunt had finally conquered Everest. Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, had been the first to set foot on the summit with his Sherpa, Tenzing Norkhay. Joining in with the crowds celebrating in London were many millions around the UK, Commonwealth and world, since the events were shown on BBC television. The crowds cheered the procession of guests who made their way to the Abbey in coaches, including visiting heads of state, representatives of Commonwealth countries and members of the Royal Family. Queen Salote of Tonga, braving the rain in an open landau, proved especially popular with the crowds. At just after half past ten, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh set out to Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, which was pulled by eight Windsor Greys.

7. The Queen's Coronation part 2 • The Queen was the last to arrive at the Abbey at eleven o'clock. She was wearing a diamond diadem, crimson velvet robes trimmed with ermine and bordered with gold lace, and a special Coronation gown incorporating all the floral symbols of the UK and Commonwealth. After The Queen had been acknowledged by all four corners of the Abbey, she made her Coronation Oath. • In the central act of the ceremony, The Queen's rich robes and jewels were lifted off by her Maids of Honour, leaving The Queen wearing a simple linen overdress. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, anointed The Queen with the holy oil, made to a formula originally devised by Charles I. • Then the golden robes of the Supertunica were placed upon The Queen, and she was seated on King Edward's chair, above the Stone of Scone. There The Queen was given the symbols of authority: the orb, the sceptre, the rod of mercy and the royal ring of sapphire and rubies. Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury held St. Edward's Crown high in the air and lowered it slowly on to her head. The shout rang out: 'God Save The Queen'; trumpets sounded; bells rang; and gun salutes were fired. Prince Philip was the first to pay homage to his wife, ahead of all the other peers of the realm. After taking Communion, The Queen went out of the Abbey to meet her people and to make a joyful return to Buckingham Palace. • On her return journey The Queen carried her Orb and Sceptre, warmly acknowledging the cheering that greeted her. At the Palace The Queen and her family made six appearances on the balcony to greet the cheering crowds and to watch the Royal Air Force fly past. The last appearance was at midnight, after which the crowds in the Mall and around the Palace began to disperse. • At nine o'clock in the evening The Queen made a radio broadcast, in which she thanked her people for their support that day, and declared, 'I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust'.

8. Facts and figures • Over the period from 1952 to 2002 The Queen fulfilled an astonishing number of duties, was involved with the work of hundreds of organisations, and met more people in the UK, Commonwealth and overseas than any other monarch. In this work The Duke of Edinburgh fully supported Her Majesty, and fulfilled many Royal duties of his own. • In 50 years The Queen conferred 380,630 honours and awards; received around 3 million items of correspondence; and sent almost 100,000 telegrams to centenarians in the UK and the Commonwealth. • In the same period The Duke of Edinburgh fulfilled over 18,567 official engagements (not including those accompanying The Queen); chaired over 1,454 meetings; and made 4,632 speeches at meetings, conferences and receptions. • Find out more with these lists of 50 facts about The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. The facts were taken from records held at Buckingham Palace.You can also read 50 facts about the Golden Jubilee celebrations which took place in the UK from April to August 2002. Discover how many places The Queen and Prince Philip visited, how many miles they travelled - and how many fireworks went up in smoke.

9. Celebrations in 2002 • An exciting calendar of events took place in 2002 to celebrate fifty years of The Queen's reign. Six key Jubilee themes shaped the programme: Celebration, Community, Service, Past and future, Giving thanks and Commonwealth.As well as a programme of regional and Commonwealth visits by The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in the summer months, many other national and local events or projects were co-ordinated by the Golden Jubilee Office, part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

10. Members of The Family • The Queen • Prince Philip • The Prince of Wales • The Duke of York • The Earl of Wessex • The Princess Royal

11. The Queen • The Queen was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at Buckingham Palace. • The Princess's early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, the London house taken by her parents shortly after her birth; at White Lodge in Richmond Park; and at the country homes of her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, and the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. When she was six years old, her parents took over Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their own country home.

12. Prince Philip • Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich, was born Prince of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921; the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His paternal family is of Danish descent - Prince Andrew was the grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark. His mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, the eldest child of Prince Louis of Battenberg and sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Prince Louis became a naturalised British subject in 1868, joined the Royal Navy and rose to become an Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord in 1914. During the First World War he changed the family name to Mountbatten and was created Marquess of Milford Haven. Prince Philip adopted the family name of Mountbatten when he became a naturalised British subject and renounced his Royal title in 1947.

13. The Prince of Wales • The Prince of Wales, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is heir apparent to the throne. • The Prince was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948, and was christened Charles Philip Arthur George. • When, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1952, he became heir apparent, Prince Charles automatically became Duke of Cornwall under a charter of King Edward III dating back to 1337, which gave that title to the Sovereign's eldest son. He also became, in the Scottish Peerage, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew, Lord of the Isles, and Prince and Great Steward of Scotland. • The Prince was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester in 1958. In 1968, The Prince of Wales was installed as a Knight of the Garter. The Duke of Rothesay (as he is known in Scotland) was appointed a Knight of the Thistle in 1977. In June 2002 The Prince of Wales was appointed to the Order of Merit.

14. The Duke of York • The Duke of York was born on 19 February 1960 at Buckingham Palace. He is the second son and the third child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. He was the first child to be born to a reigning monarch for 103 years. Named Andrew Albert Christian Edward, he was known as Prince Andrew until his marriage, when he was created The Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh.

15. The Earl of Wessex • The Earl of Wessex is the third son and youngest child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh. He was born on 10 March 1964 and christened Edward Antony Richard Louis at Buckingham Palace. Upon his marriage to Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999, he was created The Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn; at the same time it was announced that His Royal Highness will eventually succeed to the title of The Duke of Edinburgh.The Earl and Countess of Wessex both carry out many engagements in support of The Queen, and on behalf of a number of organisations with which they are associated.Their Royal Highnesses have a baby daughter, born on 8 November 2003.

16. The Princess Royal • The Princess Royal, the second child and only daughter of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, was born at Clarence House, London, on 15 August 1950, when her mother was Princess Elizabeth, heir presumptive to the throne. She was baptised Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise at Buckingham Palace on 21 October 1950. She received the title Princess Royal from The Queen in June 1987; she was previously known as Princess Anne. Her Royal Highness is the seventh holder of the title. • In 1994 The Queen appointed The Princess a Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. In 2000, to mark her 50th birthday, The Princess Royal was appointed to the Order of the Thistle, in recognition of her work for charities.

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