The Monarchy

The United Kingdom is one of six constitutional monarchies within the European Community and this institution dates back in Britain to the Saxon king Egbert. Since the age of absolute monarchy there has been a gradual decline in the Sovereign’s power and, while formally still the head of the executive and the judiciary, commander-in-chief of all armed forces, and temporal governor of the Church of England, nowadays monarchs reign but they do not rule.

Although many people consider the monarchy to be somewhat anachronistic and undemocratic institution, the Queen continues to enjoy the support of the vast majority of Britons and she does have certain undeniably useful functions. Besides carrying out important ceremonial duties, she also acts as a ‘unifying force’ in both the Constitution and the nation, lying outside of the political debate. Moreover, her regular meetings with successive Prime Ministers and personal contacts with numerous foreign leaders mean that she is better informed than most ministers.

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Which of the Queen’s functions are formal? Which are real?

2. Which sentence in the passage summarizes the difference between her formal and real powers?

2. List and discuss the advantages of monarchies and republics.

3. Discussion.

1. Do British people tend to favour the Queen and the royal family?

2. Would you exchange lives with a member of the royal family? Why? Why not?

The Changing Tendencies of the monarchy

The monarchy has not always been popular in Britain. For many years there were growing republican sentiments. During the rein of Elizabeth II the royal family has undergone considerable changes. The public has become much more informed about the lives of the royal family due to in-depth press coverage. Two of the Queen’s sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, separated from their wives. These separations were surrounded by accusations of infidelity and along with the subsequent death of princess Diana damaged the reputation of the royal family. But the Queen seems to have succeeded in making up for all these bad moments.

In 1992 the Queen and Prince Charles decided to pay taxes on their personal income, the first time the monarchy has done so.

The Queen has always been a roving ambassador for Britain, and if we calculate the increase in trade after a royal visit abroad, the nation probably makes a profit from her activities, and that does not take into account the income from tourism in Britain generated by the monarchy and great state events such as royal weddings.

In the spring of 1997, Her Majesty Elizabeth II launched the first official royal Web site, with 150 pages of history, information and trivia. There is a ‘visitor’s page’ where both fans and critics of the Crown can voice their opinions about the Web site , comment on matters such as Prince Charles’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, and express their grief over Diana’s tragic death. The site includes colour pictures of royal residences, historical tidbits, and even details about royal finances. Buckingham Palace claims it’s the royal family’s way of “making the monarchy more accessible”.

1. Answer the questions:

1. Did people know much about the royal family before the rein of Elizabeth II?

2. What is the royal family doing to win its good reputation?

3. Why did Buckingham Palace launch the royal Web site?

2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases:

1. For many years there were growing republican sentiments.

2. The public has become more informed about the lives of the royal family due to in-depth press coverage.

3. The Queen seems to have succeeded in making up for all the bad moments.

4. The Queen has always been a roving ambassador for Britain.

3. Render the following article into English:

В наше время есть точка зрения, которая заключается в том, что институт монархии – анахронизм и более того, даже многие убежденные монархисты считают, что явно настало время перемен.

Что же необходимо изменить в королевской власти Британии? Некоторые говорят, что пора отделить английскую церковь, главой которой является королева, от государства. Есть люди, которые возмущаются тем, что королева платит только часть налогов. Они требуют, чтобы Елизавета II, как обычный гражданин страны, заплатила налог на наследство, причитающееся ей после смерти матери.

На протяжении пяти десятков лет Елизавете II удавалось сохранять любовь и уважение подданных, какая бы партия ни находилась у власти, и какой бы премьер ни возглавлял Кабинет Министров.

Британская монархия выжила потому, что старалась идти в ногу со временем. Скорее всего, семья Виндзоров и в будущем сохранит за собой британский трон, который ее представители занимают с 1714 года.

4. Now you are going to read the results of the BBC opinion poll on the subject of Monarchy. Say which point of view you side with or reject. Give your reasons for that.

1. Monarchy should be abolished totally, except in a museum. It is an insult to human collective intelligence. The idea of a chosen human being to be king or queen is absurd and demeaning. Its time has passed…let’s bury it once for all time.

2. Monarchy represents history, it is just like a time tunnel which takes you into the past. Although it does not have any political significance in this century but it has a historical importance.

3. There is nothing unmodern about a monarchy. Presidents live in palaces too. And they are no more scandal-free than monarchs- just more political.

4. Prime ministers come and go while the monarchy is supposed to hold its apolitical head high above the fry.