The British Royal family

—   Hello, our dear friends. My name is James.

—   And my name is Nathaniel. Martin couldn’t join us today, because he is ill.

—   We are glad to welcome you on our lesson.

Today in the lesson we will:

·        talk about the British Royal Family;

And

·        do the quiz.

The British Royal Family includes Queen Elizabeth II and her close relations.

There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of this family.

The Queen was born on the 21st of April in 1926. When this happened, her grandfather, King George V, was on the throne and her uncle was his heir.

The death of her grandfather and the abdication of her uncle brought her father to the throne as King George VI.

When she was a child, she studied constitutional history and law as well as art and music. The future Queen also learned how to ride as was really fond of horses.

As she grew older, she began to take part in public life, making her first broadcast at the age of 14.

In 1947 the young and beautiful Princess Elizabeth became engaged to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, whom she had first met at the age of 13. The couple were married the same year at Westminster Abbey and have four children together.

After the death of the Queen’s father in 1952 she came to the throne and was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1953.

The Queen is the symbol of her country, its history and traditions.

The woman is the official Head of State, but she has little political power.

Among Queen Elizabeth's many duties were the regular visits she made to foreign countries, and especially those of the Commonwealth, whose interests and welfare were very important to her.

The Queen has allowed the BBC to make a documentary film about the life of the Royal Family. The woman also started the tradition of the "walkabout". It’s an informal feature of an otherwise formal royal visit, when the Queen walks among the public crowds and stops to talk to some people.

Currently in her 90s, she is both the longest-reigning and the longest-living British monarch in history, having reigned for more than 66 years. Her great-grandmother Queen Victoria, the second longest-reigning monarch, reigned for 63 years.

The Queen's husband, Duke of Edinburgh, was born in 1926. He served in the Royal Navy. The man is interested in industry and in the achievements of young people. He founded Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme in 1956. The man also struggles with such issue as the extinction of wild animals.

Now in his 90s, Philip is not only the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch, but also the longest-living male British Royal in history.

The Queen's heir is Prince Charles.

He was born in 1948. In 1981 Charles married Diana Spencer, and the couple had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, before divorcing in 1996.

In 1997 Diana Spencer tragically died in a car accident in Paris on the 31^st of August. She won the affection of many people by her modesty, shyness and beauty.

Later Charles married his second wife Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.

The Queen's other children are Princess Anne (born in 1950), Prince Andrew (born in 1960) and Prince Edward (born in 1964).

Princess Anne has acquired a reputation for being arrogant, but in recent years has become quite popular with the general public. She is one of the hardest working members of the Royal Family.

The woman was the first British Royal to compete in the Olympic Games. In 1973 Anne married Captain Mark Phillips, and the couple had two children together before divorcing in 1992. Later that year, Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

Prince Andrew is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. He served as a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy. He married Sarah Ferguson in 1986, and the couple had two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, before divorcing in 1996.

The youngest child and third son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Edward attended Cambridge University and later joined the Royal Marines but dropped out after four months.

  In 1999 he married Sophie Rhys-Jones, and the couple have two children.

Prince Edward is passionate about the theatre. Now he is pursuing a career with a theatrical company.

—   Now you know more about the Queen’s four children, but the next in line to the throne is Charles.

—   That’s why we will talk closely about his family.

—   As we have already said, Prince Charles has two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry.

The younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Harry is currently sixth in the line of succession. After attending Eton College, Harry trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the British Army.

In May of 2018 Harry married American actress Megan Markle at Windsor Castle. In October of the same year, they announced that they were expecting their first child in the spring of 2019.

The Duchess of Sussex is biracial and grew up in California. Megan eventually became an actress. She acted in such films as “Horrible bosses”, “Remember me”, “Dater’s Handbook”, “When sparks fly”, etc.

In 2016 the woman was set up on a blind date with Harry. After that they made their first official public appearance together in September of 2017.

The elder son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, William is currently second in the British line of succession.

He attended Eton College and St. Andrew’s University. After that the man trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served in the Royal Air Force, eventually becoming a search-and-rescue pilot.

Some time later he had left the military. Now he is a full-time working royal. In 2011 he married his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Middleton, whom he met at St. Andrew’s in Scotland.

Their ceremony was attended by celebrities, dignitaries, and royals from across Europe. Now the couple have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

At this moment Catherine works as a full-time royal focusing on organizations which support young people and mothers, and that help to fight the stigma of mental health issues.

The first child and elder son of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, George was born on the 22nd of July in 2013. He is currently third in the line of succession.

The second child and only daughter Charlotte was born on the 2nd of May in 2015. She is currently fourth in the line of succession.

The third child and second son Louis was born on the 23rd of April in 2018. He is currently fifth in the line of succession.

According to the new law royal daughters will be able to inherit the throne before their younger brothers.

—   Now you know much more about the British Royal Family.

—   But we would like to check your knowledge.

Do the quiz “The British Royal Family”.

Question number 1.

When was the Queen born?

a)     On the 22^nd of April in 1926.

b)    On the 21^st of April in 1926.

c)     On the 21^st of May in 1926.

The right variant is b.

Question number 2.

What happened to Elizabeth II in 1953?

a)     She became engaged to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark.

b)    She met her future husband.

c)     She was crowned.

The right variant is c.

Question number 3.

Who is the Queen's heir?

a)     Prince Andrew.

b)    Prince Edward.

c)     Prince Charles.

d)    Princess Anne.

The right variant is c.

Question number 4.

In 1981 Charles married Diana Spencer, and the couple had two sons, before divorcing in 1996. What are their names?

a)     Prince William and Prince Harry.

b)    Prince William and Prince Henry.

c)     Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.

The right variant is a.

Question number 5.

In May of 2018 Harry married American actress. What is her name?

a)     Olivia Wilde.

b)    Megan Markle.

c)     Leighton Meester.

The right variant is b.

Question number 6.

How many children do William and Catherine have?

a)     Three.

b)    Two.

c)     One.

The right variant is a.

Question number 7.

Who is the third in the line of succession?

a)     Princess Charlotte.

b)    Prince Louis.

c)     Prince George.

The right variant is c.

—   That’s all for today, our dear friends.

—   We hope that our lesson was interesting and useful for you.

—   See you soon.