THE MONARCHY
The monarchy of the United Kingdom (the British monarchy) is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories.
The first monarch was William the Conqueror (1028 - 1087). The present Queen is Elizabeth II whose reigns since 1952.
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion.
The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is the flag used by Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories.
The Royal Standard used in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and overseas.
The Royal Standard used in Scotland
God Save the Queen (or God Save the King) is the British national anthem, and the monarch appears on postage stamps, coins, and banknotes.
The Monarchy constitutional role:
o head of the executive
o part of legislative
o head of judiciary
o head of the Church in England
o head of the armed forces
o head of the Commonwealth
The seat of Monarchy of Great Britain:
o Buckingham Palace in London is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality.
o Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror.
o The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle. Holyrood Palace is the setting for state ceremonies and official entertaining.
o Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert. It remains the private property of the monarch, and is not part of the Crown Estate.
Queen’s duties:
o She opens and dissolves Parliament.
o Gives Royal Assent.
o Appoints: minister, diplomats, governors, judges, officers in the armed forces, senior clergy.
o Confers: peerages, knighthood and other honours.
o Recognize foreign states and governments.
o Opens the Commonwealth Games.
o Signs documents and treaties.
The orders the Queen gives:
o The Order of the Garter is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England.
o The Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland.
o The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys.
o The Order of British Empire is an order of chivalry. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions.
The customs:
o Queen’s Official Birthday is the day on which the birthday of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (currently Queen Elizabeth II) is officially celebrated. It has been celebrated in the United Kingdom since 1748. There, the Queen's Official Birthday is now celebrated on the first, second, or third Saturday in June.
o Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and the Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century.
o The Garter Ceremony - Every June, the Knights of the Garter gather at Windsor Castle, where new knights take the oath and are invested with the insignia. A lunch is given in the Waterloo Chamber, after which the knights process to a service in St George's Chapel, wearing their blue velvet robes and black velvet hats with white plumes. The Queen attends the service along with other members of the Royal family in the Order, including The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Queen's daughter, The Princess Royal.
o The Royal Maunday is a religious service in the Church of England held on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. At the service, the British Monarch or a royal official ceremonially distributes small silver coins known as "Maundy money" (legally, "the Queen's Maundy money") as symbolic alms to elderly recipients. The coins are legal tender but do not circulate because of their silver content and numismatic value.
HER MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
Her Majesty's Government is led by the Prime Minister, who selects all the remaining Ministers. The Prime Minister and the other most senior Ministers belong to the supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet.
Under the UK constitution, executive authority lies with the monarch. This authority is exercised only by, or on the advice of, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Cabinet members advise the monarch as members of the Privy Council. They also exercise power directly as leaders of the Government Departments.
The Government Ministers are usually all members of Parliament, and are accountable to it. The Government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation, which means that in practice a government must seek re-election at least every five years. The monarch selects the Prime Minister as the leader of the party most likely to command a majority in Parliament.
Ministers in Her Majesty’s Govenment:
o The Prime Minister - is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior ministers, who are government department heads) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. The current Prime Minister, David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, was appointed on 11 May 2010.
The Prime Minister functions:
o Inform the Queen about the work of the government
o Presides over Cabinet
o Give functions to ministers
o Recommend appointments (e.g. Lord Lieutenant)
o Represents nation in political matters
o Departmental Ministers:
o Secretary of State
o Minister of e.g. Foreign Affairs, Education
o the Chancellor of Exchequer
o Non-departmental Ministers:
o the lord President of the Council
o the Lord Privy Seal
o the Paymaster General
o ministers without portfolio
o Junior Ministers:
o minister of state
o parliamentary secretaries
o parliamentary under-secretaries
Privy Council is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom. Its membership is mostly made up of senior politicians who are (or have been) members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
The functions of Privy Council:
o Advises to approve others of the Council
o Advises to issue Royal Proclamations
o Committees of the Privy Council:
o Judicial, Legislative
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers.
Ministers of the Crown, and especially Cabinet Ministers, are selected primarily from the elected members of House of Commons, and also from the House of Lords, by the Prime Minister. Cabinet Ministers are heads of government departments, mostly with the office of "Secretary of State for [function, e.g. Defence]". The collective co-ordinating function of the Cabinet is reinforced by the statutory position that all the Secretaries of State jointly hold the same office, and can exercise the same powers.
The functions of Cabinet:
o Main decisions about policy
o Supreme control of the government
o Coordination of government departments
The Cabinet is the official residents of Prime Minister. They meet once a week at 10 Downing Street.
Dictionary
accountable – odpowiedzialny (za coś)
advice – rada, rady
advise – poradzić, doradzić
alms – jałmużna
appoint – mianować, wyznaczać (kogoś na jakieś stanowisko)
armed forces – siły zbrojne
associated – połączony, powiązany, stowarzyszony (z jakąś organizacją)
association – stowarzyszenie, powiązanie, zrzeszenie
capacity - stanowisko
chivalry - ryserskość
circulate – udostępniać, rozpowszechniać
clergy – duchowieństwo, kler
collective – spółdzielnia/ wspólny, zbiorowy
command – polecenie, komenda
committee – komitet, komisja
comprise – zawierać, obejmować, składać się z czegoś
confers – nadawać, przyznawać (tytuł, status). naradzać się
consist – składać się z czegoś
consort – małżonek panującego
content – zadowolony, rad
contents – zawartość, treść
current – obecny, bieżący
custom – zwyczaj, tracycja, prawo zwyczajowe
department – dział, wydział
directly – bezpośrednio, otwarcie, szcerze/ niebawem, wkrótce
dissolve - rozwiązywać
distinguished – dystyngowany, wytworny
distribute – rozdawać, rozprowadzać, rozdzielać
division – oddział (wojskowy)
either – albo/ też nie
electorate – elektorat, wyborcy
executive – władze, zarząd/ stanowisko kierownicze, komitet wykonawczy
exercise power...
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