46595 a typical day in the life of the queen of england

A typical day in the life of the Queen of England…In the morning… The Queen begins her day like many other people - with paperwork at her desk.. Of course the Queen can’t read them all,

A typical day in the life of the Queen of England…

In the morning…

The Queen begins her day like many other people - with paperwork

at her desk After reading the daily British newspapers, The Queen

examines her correspondence: 200-300 letters or more per day! Of course

the Queen can’t read them all, so with the help of members of her staff

she selects some letters to answer

The Queen then sees, separately, two of her Private Secretaries

who bring her the official papers and documents for her to read, approve

and sign and information from all over the world All of these papers are

sent in the famous ‘red boxes’

After this it’s time for the audiences: when the Queen receives a number of

important people (ambassadors, bishops, judges, etc.) Each meeting lasts 10 to 20

minutes

Usually the Queen has lunch privately

In the afternoon…

In the afternoons, The Queen often goes out on public engagements (about 430 per year) If the engagement is outside London, the Queen travels by air using a helicopter or an RAF plane In these engagements the Queen visits schools, hospitals, factories, military units, art galleries, shelters for elderly people, hostels for the homeless and other organisations

The Queen may end the afternoon seeing Government ministers

in a meeting of the Privy Council

In the evening…

The Queen's working day does not stop at the end of the afternoon Once a week (usually on Wednesdays), in the early evening she has a meeting with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair

At about 7.30 pm the Queen reads a report of the day's parliamentary actions

On some evenings, The Queen attends a film première, a concert performance for

a charitable cause, or a reception linked to organisations of which she is

Patron The Queen also regularly organises official receptions at

Buckingham Palace (usually with other members of the Royal Family)

The Queen has many private interests to complete her working

day For example, she owns and breeds racehorses so she often sees

her horses run at famous races like the Derby and the Summer Race

Meeting

Do you still think the Queen has an easy life? Often, one of the

last lights on in the Palace at night is The Queen finishing her 'red box' of official papers

For more information visit: http://www.royal.gov.uk

Glossary

staff – (n) equipa

bishops – (n) bispos

judges – (n) juízes

meeting – (n) reunião

lasts – (v) dura

engagement – (n)

compromisso

outside – (prep) fora de factories – (n) fábricas shelters – (n) abrigos, asilos

hostels – (n) abrigos, pensões

early – (adj) cedo

report – (n) relatório attends – (v) assiste première – (n) estreia charitable – (adj) de caridade

linked – (v) relacionada owns – (v) possui breeds – (v) faz criação

lights on – luzes acesas

A Now that you have read the text, order the Queen’s actions chronologically:

1 The queen reads the newspapers

2 She reads and answers some letters.

3 She reads, approves and signs important papers and documents.

4 She has audiences with many important people.

5 After lunch she visits schools, hospitals and other places (‘engagements’)

6 She sees Government Ministers.

7 She meets with the Prime Minister (usually on Wednesdays).

8 The Queen reads a report of the day’s parliamentary actions.

9 Sometimes she goes out to a film première, a concert or a reception.

10 To complete the day she may see her horses race.

11 She may end her day reading more official paper in her ‘red box’

B Decide if the following sentences are true or false Justify quoting from the text.

1 The Queen receives many letters per day

2 The important papers and documents for the Queen to read, approve and sign come

inside a ‘blue box’

3 The Queen has lunch with many important people.

4 All of the Queen’s engagements are inside London so she always travels by car.

5 The name of the Prime Minister is Tony Blair.

6 The Queen likes to organise receptions at Buckingham Palace.

7 The Queen likes to own and breed dogs.

8 The Queen is often the last person to go to bed at night

C Now that you have read the text answer the questions:

1 How many letters does the Queen receive every day?

2 Does she read them all?

3 What is the ‘red box’?

4 Who does Queen see before her lunch?

5 What does the Queen do in the ‘engagements’?

6 When does the Queen meet with the Prime Minister?

7 Does she go to the cinema or to a concert?

8 Name one of the Queen’s private interests.

9 Would you like to be the Queen of a country? Why/why not?

The Royal Family Tree

Look at the Royal Family Tree and complete the next sentences Use the words

in the box.

aunt brothers cousins daughter father granddaughters

grandfather grandmother grandsons mother nephew niece sister

sons uncles

Portuguese George V was Queen Elizabeth’s _1

Princess Mary was is Queen Elizabeth’s _2

George VI was Queen Elizabeth’s _3

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon is her _4

Edward VIII, Henry, George and Prince John were her

_5

The Queen had one _6: Mary, Princess Royal

Princess Margaret was the Queen’s _7

The queen hasn’t got any 1 _8

Richard (Duke of Gloucester), Edward (Duke of Kent), Princess

Alexandra and Prince Michael are the Queen’s _9

The Queen has got three _10 (Charles, Andrew and

Edward) and one _11 (Anne)

David (Viscount Linley) is the Queen’s _12

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is the Queen’s _13

So far, the Queen has got three _14 (William, Henry

and Peter Phillips) and three _15 (Zara, Beatrice and

Eugenie)

1 _

2 _

3 _

4 _

5 _

6 _

7 _

8 _

9 _

10

11

12

13

14

15

Full name Christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor

Date & Place of

Birth 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, London

Starsign Taurus

Height 5 ft 4in

Parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

Brothers and sisters One younger sister, Princess Margaret, who died on 9

February 2002

Education Educated at home

Homes Buckingham Palace (official London residence) The Palace

of Holyroodhouse (official Scottish residence), Windsor Castle, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are also used at different times of the year

Family Married HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on

20 November 1947 Four children: Prince Charles (The Prince of Wales), Princess Anne (The Princess Royal), Prince Andrew (The Duke of York) and Prince Edward (The Earl of Wessex) Seven grandchildren: Prince William, Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips, Zara Phillips, Lady Louise Windsor

Working life Head of State in the UK Meets the Prime Minister and

other Ministers and reads Cabinet and Foreign Office papers Receives visiting Heads of State and pays official visits to overseas countries Head of the Church of England, the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, and the

Commonwealth

Skills Passed vehicle mechanics exams and qualified as a driver

in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) during World War II Speaks good French

Acted in charades and family plays as a teenager

Hobbies Riding, walking in the countryside, horse racing, working

her dogs, Scottish country dancing

four 'dorgis' (corgis crossed with a dachshund) called Cider, Berry, Vulcan and Candy; five cocker spaniels called Bisto, Oxo, Flash, Spick and Span