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<strong>The</strong> <strong>United</strong> <strong>Kingdom</strong><br />
<strong>Monarchy</strong><br />
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the united kingdom | monarchy<br />
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Chapter Text Skills Page<br />
British <strong>Monarchy</strong><br />
and the Role of<br />
the Queen<br />
Why the Queen Is Not Likely to Abdicate<br />
© 2021 Guardian News and Media Ltd<br />
Reading 4<br />
<strong>Monarchy</strong><br />
and the Media<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crown Has Slipped: How the Netflix Epic<br />
Captures Our Relationship with the Royals<br />
© 2020 Guardian News and Media Ltd<br />
Listening &<br />
Reading<br />
11<br />
Meghan and Harry’s<br />
Interview with<br />
Oprah Winfrey<br />
Like a ‘Hand Grenade’<br />
© 2021 Los Angeles Times<br />
Listening &<br />
Reading<br />
20<br />
British <strong>Monarchy</strong><br />
and the Western<br />
World<br />
Jamaican Campaigners Call for Colonialism<br />
Apology from Royal Family<br />
© 2022 Guardian News and Media Ltd<br />
Writing 28<br />
<strong>Monarchy</strong> and<br />
Commonwealth <strong>–</strong><br />
British Colonies<br />
Barbados Is Finally Cutting Ties with<br />
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II<br />
© 2021 Miami Herald<br />
Speaking 36<br />
Answer key 44<br />
3
itish monarchy and the role of the queen<br />
reading<br />
Why the Queen Is Not Likely<br />
to Abdicate<br />
ABDICATION Though she will<br />
probably find it hard without Prince Philip,<br />
the Queen is unlikely to step down.<br />
By Caroline Davies<br />
1 THE QUEEN,newly widowed, will find it “difficult”<br />
without the support she has leant on over 73 years of marriage<br />
to the Duke of Edinburgh, but royal observers have<br />
dismissed any speculation that she might consider stepping<br />
down.<br />
2 <strong>The</strong> former Prime Minister Sir John Major acknowledged<br />
that her position as monarch was “a very lonely position”.<br />
He told BBC One’s <strong>The</strong> Andrew Marr Show: “<strong>The</strong>re are<br />
a limited number of people to whom she can really open her<br />
heart, to whom she can really speak with total frankness, to<br />
whom she can say things that would be reported by other<br />
people and thought to be indelicate.”<br />
3 She could “unburden herself” on Philip. When facing<br />
“a sea of problems”, or when feeling overwhelmed and<br />
needing to share decision-making, one needed someone to<br />
understand, “someone who can metaphorically <strong>–</strong> or in the<br />
case of Prince Philip, I think, probably literally <strong>–</strong> put their<br />
arms around you and say: ‘It’s not as bad as you think,’” said<br />
Major, on whom the Queen bestowed the honour of Garter<br />
Knight.<br />
4 Speculation about Philip’s death precipitating an abdication<br />
is unlikely to bear out, say royal experts. “One main<br />
reason why the Queen will absolutely not abdicate is that<br />
unlike other European monarchs, she is an anointed queen,”<br />
the royal historian Hugo Vickers told the Guardian, referring<br />
to the pact she made with God during her coronation.<br />
“And if you are an anointed queen, you do not abdicate.”<br />
5 If she was unable to fulfil her constitutional duties, a regent<br />
could be appointed, as happened with George III. She<br />
also celebrates her Platinum Jubilee next year. “It would be<br />
completely illogical to abdicate just before that extraordinary<br />
anniversary,” he said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to<br />
celebrate. And I would hope she would be feeling up to that;<br />
a bit of time would have passed.<br />
6 “We need the Queen, with her vast experience. And she<br />
is still absolutely fine. She is still riding and very busily at<br />
the centre of everything; her office is still thriving. She can’t<br />
go out much at the moment, but she does occasionally. She<br />
looks wonderful, so no abdicating.”<br />
Royal observers<br />
have dismissed any<br />
speculation that Queen<br />
Elizabeth II might<br />
consider stepping down.<br />
| Photo: Picture<br />
Alliance<br />
7 <strong>The</strong> Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge have done<br />
much of the heavy lifting of royal engagements in recent<br />
years. Since Philip retired from public life in 2017, the Queen<br />
has leant on her son and grandson. “It’s lovely to think she<br />
does have a very supportive royal family, and that’s what<br />
they are there for,” said Vickers. “And they will help her now.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y will step up to the mark.”<br />
8 Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty Magazine,<br />
said: “I remain of the opinion that although the loss of<br />
Prince Philip is devastating for her personally, I don’t think<br />
it is going to impact on her role as monarch. I suspect that<br />
will continue pretty much as it has in the past few years.<br />
9 “Clearly, it’s a strange time at the moment because of<br />
COVID, and we’ve seen much less of her than we might have<br />
done otherwise. But I feel that despite the fact she is now<br />
a widow, and she’s soon going to be 95, it will still be very<br />
much business as usual.<br />
10 “<strong>The</strong>re has already been the handover of certain responsibilities,<br />
not least to the Prince of Wales in the last few<br />
years, and clearly that will continue. But as monarch, she<br />
will continue as long as she is physically and mentally able<br />
to do so.<br />
11 “I think it is in her DNA. It also goes back not only to her<br />
speech in 1947 in South Africa but more specifically to the<br />
oath she took at the time of the coronation. She is a committed<br />
Christian. That’s the contract she made with God, and I<br />
think it’s something she feels can’t be broken. It’s just how<br />
she is.”<br />
© 2021 Guardian News and Media Ltd<br />
0 <strong>–</strong> 2 TO ABDICATE“"œbdIkeIt‘ abdanken;<br />
abdication Abdankung — to step down<br />
zurücktreten; h.: abdanken — widowed<br />
“"wId´Ud‘ verwitwet; s.w.u. widow Witwe —<br />
to lean on s.th. s. auf etw. verlassen — duke<br />
“dZu…k‘ Herzog — observer Beobachter(in)<br />
— to dismiss zurückweisen — to acknowledge<br />
“´k"nÅlIdZ‘ einräumen — frankness Offenheit<br />
— indelicate “In"delIk´t‘ unsensibel;<br />
taktlos<br />
3 <strong>–</strong> 4 to unburden o.s. on s.o. “øn"b‰…<br />
d´n‘ jdm. sein Herz ausschütten — overwhelmed<br />
überfordert — decision-making<br />
Entscheidungsfindung — metaphorically<br />
“Æmet´"fÅrIk´li‘ bildlich gesprochen — to bestow<br />
s.th. on s.o. “bI"st´U‘ jdm. etw. zuteilwerden<br />
lassen — Garter Knight Mitglied<br />
des Hosenbandordens — to precipitate<br />
“prI"sIpIteIt‘ herbeiführen — to bear out s.<br />
bestätigen — to anoint “´"nOInt‘ salben — to<br />
refer to s.th. s. auf etw. beziehen — coronation<br />
Krönung<br />
5 <strong>–</strong> 7 to fulfil a duty e-e Pflicht erfüllen —<br />
constitutional “ÆkÅnstI"tSu…S´n´l‘ verfassungsmäßig<br />
— regent “"ri…dZ´nt‘ Regent(in) — to<br />
appoint “´"pOInt‘ ernennen — to feel up to<br />
s.th. s. etw. gewachsen fühlen — to thrive<br />
“TraIv‘ gedeihen — to do much of the heavy<br />
lifting (fig) e-n Großteil der Arbeit erledigen<br />
— engagement “In"geIdZm´nt‘ Verpflichtung<br />
— supportive “s´"pO…tIv‘ unterstützend — to<br />
step up to the mark (fig) s. der Herausforderung<br />
stellen<br />
8 <strong>–</strong> 11 managing editor Chefredakteur(in)<br />
— devastating “"dev´steItIN‘ verheerend;<br />
niederschmetternd — to impact on s.th. s.<br />
auf etw. auswirken — handover Übergabe<br />
— oath “´UT‘ Eid — committed Christian<br />
bekennende(r) Christ(in)<br />
4<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
Focus on Words<br />
1 Match the following words with the correct definitions.<br />
a) monarchy A the people allowed to vote in an election<br />
b) sovereign B to assign a role to someone<br />
c) electorate C a ruler or monarch who has supreme power or authority<br />
d) to inherit D the condition of being different<br />
e) to appoint E to receive a position or property from a predecessor<br />
f) distinction F a form of government that has a hereditary ruler<br />
a) b) c) d) e) f)<br />
2 Use some of the words from exercise 1 to complete the following sentences. If you use a<br />
verb, be sure to use the correct grammatical form.<br />
a) <strong>The</strong> UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson by the Queen.<br />
b) <strong>The</strong> monarch acts as head of state because he or she<br />
the position.<br />
c) <strong>The</strong> people in an typically do not vote for a<br />
.<br />
3 Use the link or QR code to watch a short video of the Queen’s<br />
address to the UK Parliament at a state opening ceremony:<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRInTdkb0R8.<br />
Take notes on the following questions.<br />
a) How is the Queen presented in the short video clip?<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. 5
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
b) What are the major topics of the Queen’s speech?<br />
c) How might Germany be affected by the new regulations laid out in the Queen’s address?<br />
4 Watch the video again, and decide if the following statements are true or false.<br />
Statement True False<br />
a) <strong>The</strong> Queen will support the UK’s departure from the EU.<br />
b) <strong>The</strong> UK intends to have new trade regulations with the EU.<br />
c) In her address, the Queen says that a new immigration bill will end free<br />
movement.<br />
d) Germans living in the UK will be asked to leave after 31 October.<br />
e) <strong>The</strong> Queen addresses only the House of Lords.<br />
Focus on Reading: Why the Queen Is Not Likely to Abdicate<br />
5 Mark the correct answers to the following questions and statements. <strong>The</strong>re is only one<br />
correct answer to each question and statement.<br />
a) How is the Queen’s life described according to the article?<br />
exciting<br />
lonely<br />
mainly consisting of problems<br />
6<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
b) According to former Prime Minister Sir John Major, the Queen …<br />
… could not discuss her major decisions with Prince Philip.<br />
… could be fully open with Prince Philip.<br />
… will abdicate soon.<br />
c) What is the major reason why the Queen is not likely to step down soon?<br />
She wants to wait until her grandchildren are old enough to take over.<br />
Her position was anointed by God.<br />
She loves to be celebrated.<br />
d) How has Prince Philip’s death affected the Queen?<br />
She is thinking about abdicating as soon as Prince Charles is ready.<br />
She cannot cope with her position as a monarch any longer.<br />
She feels very sad but keeps her head up for the UK.<br />
6 Read the newspaper article again before trying to find suitable definitions of the<br />
following terms.<br />
Term<br />
Definition<br />
a) royal observers (para. 1)<br />
b) abdication (para. 4)<br />
c) to be anointed (para. 4)<br />
d) handover (para. 10)<br />
7 Focus on the headline of the article “Why the Queen Is Not Likely to Abdicate”.<br />
Write a short text summarising the major reasons why the Queen will not step down.<br />
• Why has Queen Elizabeth II not abdicated (yet) after her husband’s death?<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. 7
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
8 Match the statements with the correct people according to the article.<br />
a) <strong>The</strong> Queen<br />
A<br />
It is good to see that the Queen is supported by the other<br />
members of the royal family.<br />
b) Sir John Major B For God, for her people, and for her country.<br />
c) Hugo Vickers C <strong>The</strong> Queen has only a limited number of people she can fully trust.<br />
d) Joe Little<br />
D<br />
<strong>The</strong> Queen will carry out her duties, even after her husband’s<br />
death.<br />
a) b) c) d)<br />
<strong>The</strong> UK without <strong>Monarchy</strong>?!<br />
9 Have a closer look at the following statements before you decide if they are in favour of or<br />
against the monarchy in Britain. Write the letters on the correct lines.<br />
a) <strong>The</strong> Queen symbolises British<br />
traditions and values.<br />
b) <strong>The</strong> British monarch<br />
does not really have any<br />
political power.<br />
c) <strong>The</strong> British monarchy costs a lot<br />
of money. It’s the most expensive<br />
monarchy in Europe.<br />
e) An elected head of state<br />
represents a true democratic<br />
process.<br />
d) <strong>The</strong> Queen is seen as someone<br />
who rises above politics because<br />
she is anointed by God.<br />
f) <strong>The</strong> Queen is too old to know what’s<br />
really going on in the world.<br />
Statements in favour of the British monarchy:<br />
Statements against the British monarchy:<br />
8<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
Focus on Describing and Analysing Visuals<br />
Britain’s <strong>Monarchy</strong>: More Popular Than Ever<br />
Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, and today marks her 90th birthday.<br />
Many observers predicted that Britain’s monarchy would eventually fall into decline, but polls have<br />
proved that it is actually flourishing. Ipsos Mori recently found that 76 per cent of Britons think<br />
their country should remain a monarchy, while 17 per cent think it should become a republic with<br />
an elected president. A large majority of people in the UK also believe that the monarchy has an<br />
important role to play in the country’s future.<br />
by Niall McCarthy, 21 April 2016, Statista<br />
| Infographic: Statista<br />
10 Have a closer look at the infographic, and try to “read” it. Use the phrases below<br />
to describe the infographic to a partner.<br />
Useful phrases<br />
Describing Visuals<br />
<strong>The</strong> title of the infographic is …<br />
<strong>The</strong> infographic was published in …<br />
<strong>The</strong> round diagram shows …<br />
<strong>The</strong> bar graph shows …<br />
<strong>The</strong> infographic clearly shows that …<br />
<strong>The</strong> bars shown rose/fell/stayed the same …<br />
<strong>The</strong> largest/smallest percentage of … clearly shows that …<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. 9
why the queen is not likely to abdicate<br />
reading<br />
11 Have a closer look at the infographic again, and decide if the following statements are<br />
true or false.<br />
Statement True False<br />
a) <strong>The</strong> majority of the British people want Britain to become a republic.<br />
b) One could conclude that most people are not happy with the Queen and what<br />
she does for Britain.<br />
c) According to the infographic, 66 per cent of the British people in 1998 agreed<br />
that the British monarchy had an important role.<br />
d) <strong>The</strong> number of people who want to have a different political system has<br />
increased in the last 20 years.<br />
e) <strong>The</strong> number of people who are undecided about the importance of<br />
the British monarchy has slightly decreased.<br />
12 Think of possible reasons why people in the UK would prefer to remain a monarchy rather<br />
than become a republic. Write down your arguments using keywords.<br />
13 Use your description from exercise 10, arguments from exercise 12 and your<br />
background knowledge to find arguments for and against ending the monarchy in<br />
Britain after Queen Elizabeth’s reign.<br />
For<br />
Against<br />
10<br />
© 2022 Carl Ed. Schünemann KG. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.