Royal brothers

Prince William and Prince Harry are members of the British Royal Family. Their grandmother is Queen Elizabeth II, and their father is Prince Charles. Princess Diana was their mother. She died in a car accident in 1997.

Prince William has got fair hair and blue-green eyes. William is a big football fan. He's also the President of the FA. the English Football Association.

Prince Harry has also got blue-green eyes, but his hair is short and red. Harry is a big rugby fan. He also likes motocross and listening to music.

The princes' nicknames are Wills and Harry, but their full names are William Arthur Philip Louis and Henry Charles Albert David. Their surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

Prince Williams's birthday is 21^st June 1982. Prince Harry's birthday is 15^th September 1984.

Level: Beginner

Book: Switch 1

Year: 2010

The Monarchy and Parliament in Great Britain

MONARCHY

Queen Elizabeth II's full title is "Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". She is also "Head of the Commonwealth", a group of independent countries, such as Australia, Pakistan, India and Canada. These countries were once part of the British Empire.

The Queen is Head of State, but her power is limited. She makes a speech at the beginning of each year when Parliament begins a new session, announcing what the government will do. However, she does not write this speech.

PARLIAMENT

The government in Britain sits in the Houses of Parliament in London. There are two parts to the British Parliament: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. There are 650 members of the House of Commons. They are called MPs (Members of Parliament). The British people elect them every five years. The political party with the largest number of MPs forms the government and its leader becomes prime minister.

The House of Lords has got approximately 500 members. Unlike the MPs, they have inherited their titles (Baron or Baroness) for their lifetime.

In a few years' time, the House of Lords might not exist. Some people in Britain believe the monarchy should be abolished and only elected representatives should govern the country.

Level: Beginner

Book: Changes for ESO 4

Year: 2002