Vocabulary Notes:

1. adoptive - приемный

2. provide income (зд.) – обеспечивать семью

3. household. – семья

4. cohabitation – совместное проживание

5. commit – брать на себя обязательство

6. joint/shared-custody – совместная опека

7. substitute – замена

8. court – суд

9. guardian –опекун

10. forge – постепенно выдвигать на первое место

Text 5 The Royal Family

When British people talk about the royal family they usually mean the present Queen and her family: her husband Prince Phillip, and their children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward together with their wives or husbands and their children, including Princes William and Henry. The Queen Mother, and the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret and her children used to be included. The wider family, who gather on ceremonial occasions, includes the Queen’s cousins and their children.

The present royal house is the House of Windsor, popularly known as the Windsors. Elizabeth II is descended from William I (1066-87), and before that from Egbert, King of Wessex 802-39. The ruling house has changed several times over the centuries.

The Queen was born on the 21st of April 1926. As a child she studied constitutional history and law as well as art and music. In addition she learned to ride and acquired her enthusiasm for horses. As she grew older she began to take part in public life, making her first broadcast at the age of 14. In 1947 she married Prince Phillip of Greece, who had just been made the Duke of Edinburgh, in Westminster Abbey. In February 1952 they were visiting Kenya when the news came of the death of her father. Elizabeth was crowned on 2 June 1953.

The main role of the Queen is as a representative of Britain and the British people. She is a symbol of the unity of the nation beyond party politics. She is also head of the Commonwealth and works to strengthen the links between member countries. Other members of the royal family assist the Queen in her duties, often in less formal way. They act as patrons of British cultural organizations and support the work of charities and good causes.

The Queen's husband, Duke of Edinburgh, was born in 1921. He was educated in Britan and was in the Royal Navy in World War II. Among his many interests are British industry, projects for young people (he founded Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme in 1956) saving wild animals from extinction and various sports.

The Queen's heir is Charles, Prince of Wales (born in 1948). In 1981 he married Lady Diana Spencer. They had two children, William and Henry, but the marriage failed and they separated in 1992. The Prince of Wales is well known for his interests in architecture and his concern for the environment. He is also a keen painter, and has written a successful children’s book, The Old Man of Lochnagar (1980). His wife Diana, Princess of Wales (often called in mass media Princess Di), won the affection of many people by her modesty, shyness and beauty. She was the most popular member of the royal family. Unfortunately, she died in a car accident in August, 1997.

Prince William (born in 1982), the first son of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather he was in the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. In September 2013 it was announced that his active service as an operational pilot of a search and rescue helicopter ended so that he can concentrate on his royal and public service duties in support of his grandmother the Queen. His interests include sport and he is president of England Football Association and Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. On 29 April 2011 he married Catherine (Kate) Middleton in Westminster Abbey. They are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. On 22 July 2013 their first child Prince George was born. He is now 3rd in Line of Succession to the thone after his father, Prince William, and his grandfather Prince Charles.

Prince Henry (born in 1984), commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles and his first wife Diana. Prince Harry is currently Patron of a number of charities and organisations and he holds two honorary military appointments (in the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force).

Princess Anne (born in 1950), is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. She has a strong interest in horse-riding and represented Britain at the 1976 Olympic Games. She is also known for her work as the President of the Save the Children Fund. She has two children, Peter (1977) and Zara (1981).

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, (born in 1960) is the third child of Queen Elizabeth II. He became a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy and took part in the Falklands War. In 1986 he married Miss Sarah Ferguson. The royal couple had two daughters, Beatrice (1988) and Eugenie (1990), but separated in 1992.

Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex (born in 1964) is the fourth child of Queen Elizabeth II. He was educated in Cambridge where he studied history. He joined the Royal Marines in 1986, but left the next year to begin a career producing plays for the theatre and films for television. In 1999 he married Sophie Rhys-Jones. They have a daughter Louise (2003).

The Queen Mother, the widow of the late King George VI, died in 2002 at the age of 102. The Queen's only sister, Princess Margaret (1930-2002), Countess of Snowdon, was well-known for her charity work. She had two children, David, Viscount Linley (1961) and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (1964).