Text 5 Monarchs of the 20-th century (Part II)

Vocabulary

abandon [ ә‘bændәn] — покидать, оставлять

accession to the throne [ әk’se∫n tu: ðә Өrәun] — вступление на престол

Her Majesty [hз: ‘mædзәsti] — Ее Величество

regnant [‘regnәnt] — царствующий

splendour [‘splendә] — величие, слава, великолепие

realm [relm] — королевство, государство, область

In 1952, King George 6’s illness forced him to abandon his proposed visit to Australia and New Zealand. The Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his place. On 6 February, during the first state of this journey, in Kenya, she received the news of her father’s death and her own accession to the throne.

‘By the sudden death of my dear father I am called upon to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty’ – these were the words of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in her Accession Speech of 8 February 1952. So, at the age 25, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the first child of Prince Albert and Elizabeth, Duke and Duchess of York (Later King George 6 and Queen Elizabeth) became the forty-second sovereign of England since William the Conqueror, yet only its sixth Queen Regnant.

Her Majesty’s coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. Representatives of the peers, the Commons and all the great public interests in Britain, the Prime Ministers and leading citizens of the other Commonwealth countries, and representatives of foreign states were present. The ceremony was broadcast on radio around the world and, at the Queen’s request, on television. It was television, then in its relative infancy, that brought home the splendour and the deep significance of the coronation to many hundreds of thousands of people in a way never before possible. The coronation was followed by drives through every part of London, a review of the fleet at Spithead, and visits to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Elizabeth 2 is now the longest-reigning British monarch since Queen Victoria (the last Queen Regnant), who occupied the throne for over 63 years, while their ancestor Elizabeth 1 reigned for 44 years. Born on 21 April 1926, she is also the first female sovereign to bear the family name of Windsor, adopted by her grandfather King George 5 in 1917 for himself and his descendants. Since 1960, the name Mountbatten has also been incorporated into the royal surname.

At her coronation, Her Majesty’s full titles were revealed as: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

Task 1. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What is characteristic for King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth as members of the Royal Family and patriots?

2. What is the role of their daughter Elizabeth II in enhancing the image of Royalty in Britain in the mid-20th century and later on?

Task 2. Translate from Russian into English:

Покидать, оставлять; принцесса; в сопровождении кого-либо; быть призванным принять обязанности и ответственность правления; герцогиня графства Йорк; Вильгельм-Завоеватель; шестая царствующая королева; коронация Ее Величества; происходить в Вестминстерском аббатстве; представители пэров; палата общин; церемония; транслироваться по радио, телевидению; по просьбе Королевы; великолепие и чрезвычайная значимость коронации; самый долгоправящий монарх; предок; первая женщина-монарх; полный титул; королевство, область, государство; глава сообщества; защитник веры.

Task 3. What new information did you learn from the text? Tell about Elizabeth II.