In this lesson we will be exploring the role of The Queen.

In a speech broadcast on her twenty first birthday, 21 April 1947, Princess Elizabeth dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. More info

I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

When Princess Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926 it wasnt expected that she would ever be Queen.

However her quiet family life came to an end in 1936 when, shortly after the death of her grandfather George V, the new King (her uncle Edward VIII) gave up his right to be king so that he could marry Wallis Simpson.

Princess Elizabeth's father then became King George VI and, as his oldest child, she became heir to the throne at the age of 10.

In 1952 Princess Elizabeth and her new husband Prince Philip were staying at Treetops during a tour of Kenya when they heard of the death of her father.

She returned home immediately and acceded to the throne. After months of preparation, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. For the first time the coronation was broadcast on TV.

The Queen is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror took the crown of England. Her majesty is the second longest serving monarch. Only Queen Victoria reigned for longer 63 years.

The Queen as Head of StateQueen Elizabeth II undertakes duties which have developed over one thousand years of history.The Queen is a constitutional monarch'. This means that although she is our official head of state, the country is run by the government, led by the Prime Minister, with whom she has a weekly audience. The Prime Minister is able to draw on her experience of reading state papers over 60 years.

The Queen opens parliament on the first day of a new parliamentary session or just after a general election.

She signs the acts of parliament which introduce new laws or change existing laws.

The Queen also represents Britain to the rest of the world. She receives foreign ambassadors, entertains visiting Heads of State, and makes State visits overseas to other countries.The Queen and Prince Philip with President and Michelle Obama

Her majesty has received some interesting gifts on her travels. These include: two tortoises from the Seychelles, an elephant called Jumbo from the President of Cameroon, and two black beavers from Canada.

The Queen helps to make us all feel part of the British community by making regular visits to every part of the country. Through her public engagements and walkabouts, The Queen is able to meet people who have a range of jobs and different interests.

Working for Charities

The Queen supports over 600 charities,including:Action for ChildrenGirl Guiding UKGreat Ormond Hospital for Children The NSPCCand..The Kennel ClubThis might be because The Queen loves dogs! She has 3 corgis named Monty, Willow and Holly, and has owned 11 dorgis (a cross between a corgi and a dachshund). corgidorgi

Did you know that The Queen has answered around three and a half million letters during her reign?She has also sent thousands of messages to people celebrating their 100th birthdays and diamond weddings.

The Queen is also a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother!The Queens Family Tree

In this, her 87th year, her majesty is celebrating 60 years as Queen. Accompanied by her husband, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, she will mark her Diamond Jubilee year with a special tour, which will take her to many regions of our country.

During a special four-day Bank Holiday weekend in June, a floating belfry, ringing a jubilee peal with eight bells named after senior members of the Royal Family will lead a seven mile flotilla of 1,000 boats down the Thames. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will travel aboard a specially designed Royal Barge, named the Gloriana. It will be rowed by 18 oarsmen, and will be decorated with red, gold and purple flowers.

In this special year, The Queen has renewed her commitment to her people: As I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship, and good neighbourliness, examples of which I have been fortunate to see throughout my reign and which my family and I look forward to seeing in many forms as we travel throughout the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth.

GlossaryDedicated devoted, committedHeir successor, person who is nextMonarch king or queenAmbassador representativeBelfry a tower in which bells are hungBarge a large open boat.

Activities to complete this lesson include:

Rate this lesson here. Click on the image above to view and/or download learning activities.Script writing/role playFamily TreesCollageCharity survey

Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Swaziland Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Vanuatu Zambia Commonwealth Countries

Types of CharityThe relief or advancement of:PovertyEducationReligionHealth or the saving of lives Community development The arts, culture, heritage or science Amateur sport Human Rights, conflict resolution or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity Environmental protection or improvement The relief of those in need, by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage Animal welfare The efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown or of the police, fire and rescue services or ambulance services

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