Chapter 7: The monarchy
The appearance
position of the monarch
she has the ultimate power
she can choose anybody she likes to run the government
she picks the PM and the other ministers
she has a great power over the Parliament
= ‘servants of the Crown’
the royal assent: nothing that Parliament has decided can become a law until the
Queen has given her permission
Her Majesty’s prisons: legal authority of the monarch, when sb is found guilty, he
or she is sent to this kind of prison
the House of Windsor: family name of the British royal family it was “Coburg-
Gotha” before but it didn’t have a German sound
treason: the crime of plotting to overthrow the state; when you tried to change
the parliament, you had to change the monarch and if you did this, you we’re
considered ‘guilty of treason’
The reality
The Queen has almost no power at all
she cannot choose anyone to be PM
she can’t choose the ministers, the PM does that for her
royal assent: somebody else signs the document for her (law)
The royal family:
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: mother of Queen Elizabeth the 2 nd
Queen Elizabeth the 2nd: became Queen in 1952, still Queen right now
Prince Philip Mountbatten: married the Queen
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales: eldest son of the Queen, he is heir to
the throne
Princess Diana: wife of Charles, later divorced, died in a car accident
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: second wife of Charles, not very popular
Princess Anne: the Queen’s daughter
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York: the Queen’s second son
Prince Edward: the Queen’s youngest son
Prince William: eldest son of Charles and Diana, married Kate Middleton,
heir to the throne, son George
Prince Harry: youngest son of Charles and Diana
The appearance
position of the monarch
she has the ultimate power
she can choose anybody she likes to run the government
she picks the PM and the other ministers
she has a great power over the Parliament
= ‘servants of the Crown’
the royal assent: nothing that Parliament has decided can become a law until the
Queen has given her permission
Her Majesty’s prisons: legal authority of the monarch, when sb is found guilty, he
or she is sent to this kind of prison
the House of Windsor: family name of the British royal family it was “Coburg-
Gotha” before but it didn’t have a German sound
treason: the crime of plotting to overthrow the state; when you tried to change
the parliament, you had to change the monarch and if you did this, you we’re
considered ‘guilty of treason’
The reality
The Queen has almost no power at all
she cannot choose anyone to be PM
she can’t choose the ministers, the PM does that for her
royal assent: somebody else signs the document for her (law)
The royal family:
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother: mother of Queen Elizabeth the 2 nd
Queen Elizabeth the 2nd: became Queen in 1952, still Queen right now
Prince Philip Mountbatten: married the Queen
Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales: eldest son of the Queen, he is heir to
the throne
Princess Diana: wife of Charles, later divorced, died in a car accident
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall: second wife of Charles, not very popular
Princess Anne: the Queen’s daughter
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York: the Queen’s second son
Prince Edward: the Queen’s youngest son
Prince William: eldest son of Charles and Diana, married Kate Middleton,
heir to the throne, son George
Prince Harry: youngest son of Charles and Diana
