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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II *HRH Prince Philip (Queen’s husband)Birth date 21st April 1926 Title: Duke of EdinburghQueen since 6th February 1952 Birth date: 10th June 1921HRH Princess Anne HRH Prince Andrew HRH Prince EdwardDiana Spencer (1st wife of Prince Charles)Princess of Wales (“The People’s Princess”)Birth date 1st July 1961Death date 31st August 1997HRH Prince Charles (Prince of Wales)Heir to the throne of the UKBirth date: 14th November 1948HRH Catherine “Kate” MiddletonDuchess of CambridgeBirth date: 9th January 1982Officially married to WilliamHRH Prince William HRH Prince HarryBirth date: 21st June 1982Birth date: 15th September 1984 Duke of Cambridge Prince of Wales*HRH: His Royal Highness, Her Royal HighnessInteresting facts:What is the surname of the British Royal Family?It’s Windsor. The original surname was Saxe-Coburg-Ghota, but in 1917 King George V renounced to the German titles and decided to adopt the name of one of its Castles, which is in Windsor. This was an act of respect towards the anti-German feelings that were increasing after the beginning of World War I.Why isn’t the Queens’ husband a King?In the British monarchy, the husband of a female monarch (or the wife of a male monarch) does not have any special status. For example, Prince Philip was a prince from birth; he was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece. His titles were Prince of Greece and Denmark. When he married Elizabeth of England in 1947, he gained the title “Duke of Edin burgh, Earl of Merio n, and Baron of Greenwich”. When Elizabeth becam e Queen in 1952, he was granted the title Prince Consort.Why is Prince Charles called “Prince of Wales”?This is the title granted to the heir to the throne. This tradition began in 1301, when King Edward I, having completed the conquest of Wales, gave the title to his elder son Prince Edward (later Edward II).Who will be the next King?The official heir to the throne of the UK is Prince Charles. This means that he will become king when his mother, Queen Elizabeth, dies or retires. However, as the Prince of Wales is not very popular among the people, he might abdicate and pass the throne to his elder son, Prince William.What are the duties of a Sovereign?The Monarch of the United Kingdom is Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces (the Queen’s the on ly person who can declare war on another country), Head of the Commonwealth and Head of the Church of England (the spiritual leader of the Church of England is the Archbishop of Canterbury). Every day Queen Elizabeth has to read and sign a box full of documents and reports written by the Ministers and by the Commonwealth Officials. She also receives important guests (foreign heads of State, religious leaders) and spends most of her time travelling around the country visiting schools, hospitals or factories.。
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British Monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasion and royal hospitality. It has been a rallying point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.This is the principle façade, the East Front of Buckingham palace. It contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside.The Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the annual Trooping the Colour in 2012The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom.Members of the Royal Family belong to, either by birth or marriage, the House of Windsor since 1917, when George V changed the name of the royal house.The House of Windsor has four sovereigns for now.Next, his son, Edward VIII became the King. But after 11 months, he abdicated. Some people think that he abdicated because he was in lovewith a married American woman, Mrs. Simpson. Obviously, the royal family didn’t want an American woman who got married twice to be the Queen. So Edward chose the woman he loved instead of the throne. Another way of saying is that Edward is pro-Nazi and he called Hitler the Great. Under great pressure, King Edward abdicated.The Queen and The Duke of EdinburghThe Prince of Wales and Camilla The Duchess of CornwallThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Kate MiddletonPrince Harry of WalesThe Princess Royal (The Queen's daughter)The Duke of York (The Queen's second son)The Earl and Countess of WessexViscount Severn The Lady Louise WindsorActually, he should be a Duke. But he is very low-key. He liked the title Earl of Wessex, so he asked his mother to give him the title instead of the Duke and the Queen permitted. What’s more, he didn’t want his children to be prince and princess. So his son is Viscount Severn and his daughter is The Lady Louise Windsor.And there are some other main members of the royal family. They are Queen’s four cousins and her late sister Princess Margaret.The royal family members have several hundred thousand pounds as their annual salary. With the increasing income of royal family, the Queen’s salary has reached up to 36 million pounds a year.Prince Philip of the Greece and Denmark was born on a Greek island in 1921. His father was the son of the King of Greece. His great-grandfather was the King of Denmark. His mother was British Queen Victoria’s maternal great-granddaughter. Actually he and Elizabeth are distant cousins.In 1922, the war went badly for Greece. Prince Philip and his family were exiled from Greece.In 1939, King George VI and his family toured the Royal Naval College where Philip studied in. During the visit, Philip was asked to escort the King's two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. Elizabeth fell in love with Philip and they began to exchange letters, when she was thirteen. Eventually, in the summer of 1946, Philip asked the King for his daughter's hand in marriage. The King granted his request. So Philip abandoned his Greek and Danish royal titles and married Elizabeth in 1947. Then Philip was made the Duke of Edinburgh.After 65 years of good marriage, they are still the apple of each other’s eyes.。
