Oral Presentation: Michaela Scheid MONARCHY in BRITAIN TODAY 1. Members of the Royal Family
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Oral presentation: Michaela Scheid MONARCHY IN BRITAIN TODAY 1. Members of the Royal Family a) Queen Elizabeth : - born on 21 April 1926 - first child of The Duke and Duchess of York - christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary - 1936 becoming heir presumptive - 1944 first official tour throughout Scotland - 1945 joining auxiliary territorial service - 1947 first overseas visit and 20th birthday - 20 November 1947 married to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten - they have 4 children (Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward) - 1952 King George the sixth died while Princess Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh were in Kenya - on 2 June 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place in Westminster Abbey b) Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh: - born on 10 June 1921 - the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Princess Alice of Battenberg -> Prince of Greece and Denmark - marriage with Princess Elizabeth in 1947 - his full title is : Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich - he has Queen Victoria as great-great-grandmother, just like The Queen c) Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales: - born on 14 November 1948 - eldest son of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip - heir apparent to the throne - in 1958 he was created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester - he was educated at Cheam School in Scotland - read archaeology and anthropology and history at the University of Cambridge and graduated with honours - seat in the house of Lords - on 29 July 1981 he married Diana Spencer - they have two children ( Prince William and Prince Henry) - the marriage dissolved on 28 August in 1996 - The Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash on 31 August in Paris - on 9 April he married Camilla Parker-Bowles who is now the Duchess of Cornwall d) Prince William: - born on 21 June 1982 in London - christened as William Arthur Philip Louis - 1990-1995 studies at Ludgrove School - 1995 he attended Eton College in Windsor - finishing his studies at the University of St. Andrews with his Master of Arts in Geography with Honours - 2006 he entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst e) Prince Henry: - born on 15 September 1984 - christened Henry Charles Albert David (also known as Prince Harry) - 2003 Prince Harry left school with A levels in Art and Geography - 2005 Prince Harry entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst - 2006 he was commissioned as an army officer f) Prince Andrew, The Duke of York: - born on 19 February 1960 - second son and third child of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh - he married Sarah Ferguson and was created The Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh - they have two children (Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie) - The Duke and The Duchess were divorced in 1996 g) Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex: - born on 10 March 1964 - he is the third son and youngest child of The Queen and Prince Philip - Sophie Rhys – Jones, The Countess of Wessex was born on 20 January 1956 - they married in 1999 and have a baby daughter born in November 2003 h) Princess Anne, The Princess Royal: - born on 15 August 1950 - second child and only daughter of The Queen and Prince Philip - christened Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise - married Captain Mark Philips on 14 November 1973 - they had two children (Prince Peter and Princess Zara) - they were divorced in 1992 i) The Duke of Gloucester: - The Duke of Gloucester was born on 26 August 1944 - he is the second son of the late Duke of Gloucester and the late Princess Alice and was baptised Richard Alexander Walter George - he is a first cousin of The Queen - he married Brigitte Eva van Doers on 8 July 1972 - they have three children (Alexander, The Earl of Ulster, Lady Diana Windsor, Lady Rose Windsor) j) The Duke of Kent: - born on 9 September 1935 - son of Prince George and Princess Marina - he is a cousin to The Queen and to The Duke of Edinburgh - he married Katherine Worsley on 8 June 1961 - they have three children (George, Earl of St. Andrews, Lady Helen Taylor and Lord Nicholas Windsor) k) Prince Michael of Kent: - born on 4 July 1942 - cousin to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh - married Baroness Marie-Christine von Reibnitz - they have two children (Frederic and Gabriella) l) Princess Alexandra: - born on 24 December 1963 - married Angus Ogilvy in 1963 - they have two children (James and Marina) - Sir Angus died in December 2004 2. The Role of Monarchy in the Modern State - The British monarchs were – until the end of the 17th century – executive monarchs. That means, they were able to make and pass legislation. - The monarchy as we know it today developed at the beginning of the 18th century. Then the British monarchy became a constitutional monarchy, which means that the sovereign is bound by rules and conventions and remains politically impartial. The day-to-day power comes to be exercised by Ministers in Cabinet, deriving their authority from Parliaments which are elected by the people. 1. The Queen and the Parliament / Prime Minister - The title “Queen in Parliament” is just the formal name of the British legislature. It consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Commons has the dominant political power in the legislature. - The Queen is required to assent to the bills on the advice of her ministers. - She opens the Parliament every year with the famous Queen’s Speech. - The Queen has the power to appoint the Prime Minister. Normally, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party which has won the elections in Parliament. - The Queen meets the prime minister every week. The audiences between the Monarch and her Government are strictly confidential. - Only the Queen is able to summon, prorogue (i.e. discontinue without dissolving it) and to dissolve the Parliament. - There is one occasion for the Parliament to meet without the royal summons, and that is when the Sovereign has died. 2. The Queen and elections - As Head of State, the Queen must remain politically neutral, since her Government will be formed. - She is part of the legislature and so she cannot vote for members of another part of the legislature. But in fact, the Sovereign is not specifically prohibited from voting. - The royal family does not vote either, even if they are allowed to in local elections. 3. The Queen and the Privy Council - The Privy Council is the oldest form of legislative assembly which is still functioning. Until the 17th century, the King and the Council were the Government with Parliament’s role limited to voting funds. Today it has limited, formal executive functions, which retain some significance. On advice of the Privy Council, the Queen formally approves numerous Orders in Council and Proclamations. 4. The Queen and devolved administrations - Scotland: Under legislation of the Scottish Parliament, Members of this Parliament take the oath of allegiance to the Crown and the Queen receives a weekly report from the Parliament on its business, given its specific legislative role. The Queen appoints the Scottish First Minister and they have regular audiences so that the Queen can keep up to date with Scottish affairs. - Wales: The legislation which established the National Assembly makes clear that it is a Crown Body and elected members take the oath of allegiance. The Assembly staff are members of Her Majesty’s Home Civil Service. - Northern Ireland: The sitting of the Assembly is a matter for the UK Government to decide as part of the ongoing peace process. 5. The Queen and the Commonwealth - The Queen is also Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent countries which have progressed from British rule to independent self-government. The Commonwealth serves to foster international cooperation and trading links between people all over the world. - The Queen has a symbolic role without any constitutional functions. She reinforces the links by which the Commonwealth joins people together from all over the world. - The Queen also attends the Commonwealth Day Observance in London and broadcasts her annual Christmas and Commonwealth Day messages. Other members of the royal family also pay frequent visits to the Commonwealth. - Once every two years, there is a meeting of the “Commonwealth Heads of Government” at locations throughout the Commonwealth. The Queen is normally present in the host countries and has some private meetings with the Commonwealth countries’ leaders. 6. The Queen and law / judiciary The Sovereign as fount of justice: - The Sovereign today retains a symbolic role as the figure in whose name justice is carried out and law and order is maintained. - Judges can be removed by the Sovereign on the advice of Ministers. The Queen’s role in administration of justice: - Today, the administration of justice is carried out by others, who act in the Queen’s name. - The Courts are The Queen’s Courts, the judges are Her Majesty’s judges and derive their authority from the Crown, criminal prosecutions are brought in the name of the Crown against those charged, the prisons are Her Majesty’s prisons and prisoners were formerly detained ‘at Her Majesty’s pleasure’. - In the area of law the Queen only acts on the advice of her Ministers. The Queen’s position under UK law: - It is not possible to take civil and criminal proceedings against the Sovereign as a person. - Civil proceedings can be taken against the Crown in its public capacity. This means, that proceeding against the Crown is proceeding against government departments and agencies, as the elected government governs in The Queen’s name. 7. The Queen and The Church The Church of England and the Church of Scotland are both established Churches.