Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II became heir presumptive when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated and her father became king as George VI. In 1947 she married her distant cousin Philip, duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021), with whom she had four children, including Charles, who succeeded her in 2022.
She became queen on her father’s death in 1952. Elizabeth was known to favour simplicity in court life and was also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties. Privately, she became a keen horsewoman; she kept racehorses, frequently attended races, and periodically visited the Kentucky stud farms in the United States.
The Queen’s famous red boxes carried the State papers which Her Majesty was presented with every day of her working life. Her duties included formally agreeing to make bills into Acts of Parliament, or laws.
She also had a special relationship with her Prime Ministers, meeting with them on a regular - usually weekly - basis. She was famously able to ‘encourage or warn’ whilst always remaining politically neutral. The Queen was served by 15 UK Prime Ministers during her reign, beginning with Winston Churchill in 1952, as well as many Prime Ministers across her Realms. As Head of State, she also acted as diplomat and hostess, welcoming over 110 Presidents and Prime Ministers to the UK on official visits.
The Queen saw public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work. Her Majesty had links - as Royal Patron or President - with over 500 charities, professional bodies and public service organisations.
As Head of the Armed Forces, Her Majesty had strong links to Naval ships, army regiments, and air squadrons both in the UK and throughout all her realms.
In June 2022 Britain celebrated Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne with the “Platinum Jubilee,” a four-day national holiday that included the Trooping theColour ceremony, a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a pop music concert at Buckingham Palace, and a pageant that employed street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival, and costume to honour the queen’s reign. Health issues limited Elizabeth’s involvement.
On September 8, Elizabeth’s death, at age 96, shocked Britain and the world. Prince Charles succeeded her on the throne as King Charles III. Ten days of national commemoration of her life and legacy followed. Notably, the queen lay in state for a day in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh and then for three days in Westminster Hall in London, outside of which mourners stood in a line that stretched for miles, in some cases waiting for more than 24 hours to view Elizabeth’s casket.
The Queen ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, becoming a much loved and respected figure across the globe. Over 70 years, Her Majesty was a dedicated Head of the Commonwealth, linking more than two billion people worldwide.
VOCABULARY
sdfghjkjrdsdfghjkhgfd
1. Match the words in left and right columns. Translate the final word combinations into Russian:
stretched ... a four-day... remaining... attended... the queen’s... Buckingham... Elizabeth’s... voluntary... 70 years... acted as... Prime... queen... a keen... a serious... mourners stood... relationship... |
2. Match the following phrases from the article:
3. Put the words back into the correct order.
VOCABULARYteacher’s copy
