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. 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:

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

grandmother

cousins
grandsons

daughter

father

granddaughters

mother
nephew
uncles

niece

grandfather

sister

sons

Portuguese
George V was Queen Elizabeth’s _____________________1.

1

Princess Mary was is Queen Elizabeth’s _____________________2.

__

George VI was Queen Elizabeth’s _____________________3.

2

Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon is her _____________________4.

__

Edward VIII, Henry, George and Prince John were her

3

_____________________5.

__

The Queen had one _____________________6: Mary, Princess Royal.

4

Princess Margaret was the Queen’s _____________________7.

__

1

The queen hasn’t got any _______________

_____________
_____________
_____________

8

_____________

5

_____________

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

__

Prince Michael are the Queen’s _____________________9.

6

The Queen has got three _____________________10 (Charles, Andrew and

__

11

_____________

Edward) and one _____________________ (Anne).

7

David (Viscount Linley) is the Queen’s _____________________12.

__

Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones is the Queen’s _____________________13.

8

_____________

14

So far, the Queen has got three _____________________ (William, Henry and

_____________

__

15

Peter Phillips) and three _____________________ (Zara, Beatrice and
Eugenie)

9

_____________

__
10

_____________

_
11

_____________

_
12

_____________

_
13

_____________

_
14

_____________

_
15

_____________

_


Full name
Date & Place of Birth
Starsign
Height
Parents
Brothers and sisters
Education
Homes

Family

Working life

Skills

Hobbies
Pets

Christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor
21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street, London
Taurus
5 ft 4in
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
One younger sister, Princess Margaret, who died on 9 February
2002
Educated at home
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
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
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.
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
Riding, walking in the countryside, horse racing, working her dogs,
Scottish country dancing
Five corgis called Emma, Linnet, Monty, Willow and Holly; four
'dorgis' (corgis crossed with a dachshund) called Cider, Berry,
Vulcan and Candy; five cocker spaniels called Bisto, Oxo, Flash,
Spick and Span