Kensington Palace

In 1689 William III bought the Jacobean mansion originally known as Nottingham House from his Secretary of State, the Earl of Nottingham, and commissioned Christopher Wren to extend and improve the house. This included the construction of Royal Apartments for the King and Queen, a council chamber, the Chapel Royal and the Great Stairs. A private road was laid out from the Palace to Hyde Park Corner, wide enough for three or four carriages to travel abreast down it, part of which survives today as Rotten Row. Until the death of George II in 1760, Kensington Palace was the favourite residence of successive sovereigns.
Queen Victoria was born and brought up in the Palace and news of her accession in 1837 was brought to her there by the Lord Chamberlain and the Archbishop of Canterbury. It had been expected that Victoria would reign from either Kensington or St James's Palace but almost immediately she moved to Buckingham Palace and never again stayed at Kensington.
Today Kensington contains the offices and London residences of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke and Duchess of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales used to live in Kensington Palace and have their offices there. Historic parts of Kensington Palace are open to the public. Kensington Palace is also home to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, with items of Royal, ceremonial and court dress dating from the 18th century to the present day.

Some of the other most celebrated Royal residences used by former kings and queens can still be visited today.

The Tower of London, begun by William I, is a fascinating complex constructed over several centuries. It provided historic Royal families with a residence for more than five centuries, and was a prison for other Royal figures, including Lady Jane Grey. The Tower housed the Royal Mint until 1810. There were also armouries and workshops in which weapons were designed and manufactured; items including armour worn by Henry VIII remain there today. The Tower remains the storehouse of the Crown Jewels and regalia, as it has done for nearly 700 years. Today the Tower is under the management of the Historic Royal Palaces Trust.

Hampton Court Palace is also managed by Historic Royal Palaces Trust. Given by Cardinal Wolsey to Henry VIII c.1526, the palace was a residence for figures including Mary I and Elizabeth I, Charles I, William III and Mary II, and retains many furnishings and objects from their times. It houses some important works of art and furnishings in the Royal Collection.

The Banqueting House in Whitehall is the only remaining part of London's old Palace of Whitehall. It was created by Inigo Jones for James I. Charles I commissioned Rubens to paint the vast ceiling panels, which celebrate kingship in general and the Stuart reign in particular. It was from the Banqueting House that Charles I stepped on to the scaffold on 30 January 1649 and was executed. In 1689 the Prince and Princess of Orange went to the Banqueting House to accept the crown, becoming joint Sovereigns William III and Mary II. Today the Banqueting House is managed by Historic Royal Palaces Trust.

Other historic Royal residences which can be visited include Osborne House, the beloved home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on the Isle of Wight, and the Brighton Pavilion, former residence of George IV when he was Prince Regent.

 

Task 3.Check yourself questions:

1. What is the Privy Council?

2. What is the Civil List?

3. Can you speak about any members of the Royal family?

4. Do you know about any hobbies of the Royal family members?

5. One of the institutions associated with the monarch is the Order of the Garter. What is it? How many people can be knights of the order of the Garter. Where do they meet?

6. What ceremonies are connected with the monarch?

7. What are the powers of Monarch now, and how have they changed in the course of history?

8. What was the name of Elisabeth II’s father before the Coronation?

9. The symbols of which parts of the UK are present in the Royal Coat of Arms?

10. How is Monarchy in Britain connected with the Church of England?

11. What are the sources of the Royal Family’s income?

12. Describe some of the Royal palaces.

13. What is the present family name of the ruling dynasty?

14. What is the real name of the present Royal Family?

15. What does the phrase ‘Constitutional monarchy’ mean?

16. Was there a period in English history,when there was no monarchy?

 

 

Task 4. Match up the names of Royal Palaces and certain events and facts:

1. Kensington Palace a) It was damaged by fire in 1992.

2. Buckingham Palace b) There is the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.

3. Balmoral c) Queen Victoria left from it for Coronation.

4. Sandringham d) The Crown Jewels are kept there.

5. St James e) It is associated with Mary Queen of Scots.

6. The Tower f) King George VI died there.

7. Holyroodhouse g) Henry Purcell and Frederick Handel worked here.

8. Windsor Castle h) There is much work for the preservation of nature.

 

Task 5. Read the text and find the words meaning the following:1) a ceremony to accept someone into office, to give them certain powers; 2) a soldier of the lowest rank; 3) specially made coins given each year to poor people by the British monarch before Easter; 4) the favourite breed of dogs of Elisabeth II.