Phrases

to fill (ministerial) positions

to request a dissolution of Parliament

to threaten the stability of the country

a burning issue

to look up to (the royal family)

to be exempt from (taxation)

to pay taxes on one's income

to raise money

to face danger with (equanimity)

to be intellectually ambitious and unconventional

to make sacrifices in the common good

to dig for victory

to be to one's enrichment

Lo remain in tune with (theге modem world)

to come under scrutiny

to survive ups and downs (in one's popularity)

to value (one's individualism) quite highly

to place great emphasis on (individual differences)

to tend to be trend-setters in life-styles

lo cook "from scratch"

to act on the advise (of the ministers)

to pay official visits overseas

to attach the highest priority to

to be consulted on (every aspect of national life)

Notions to be remembered

the "Way Ahead" committee

Accession Council

the Privy Council

the Privy Purse

the Civil List

the Royal Regalia

the Commonwealth

THE ROYAL FAMILY

Name	Birth	Marriage	Issue	Divorce
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales	14 Nov. 1948	29 Jul 1981	Lady Diana Spencer	Prince William of Wales Prince Henry of Wales	28 Aug 1996
9 Apr 2005	Camilla Parker-Bowles
Princess Anne, Princess Royal	15 Aug. 1950	14 Nov 1973	Mark Phillips	Peter Phillips Zara Phillips	28 Apr 1992
12 Dec 1992	Timothy Laurence
Prince Andrew, Duke of York	19 Feb. 1960	23 Jul 1986	Sarah Ferguson	Princess Beatrice of York Princess Eugenie of York	30 May 1996
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex	10 Mar.	19 Jun 1999	Sophie Rhys-Jones	Lady Louise Windsor Viscount Severn

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 UK) has been united under one sovereign, a continuity broken only after the Civil War, by the republic of 1649 to 1660. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to the sovereign's eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).

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

• opening and closing 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