Political system of UK

The royal family

Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 and became Queen in 1952. She is widely respected for the way in which she performs her duties and is generally popular. She quickly proved herself a dedicated successor and has become the most travelled monarch in British history, particularly passionate about her role as Head of State of the Commonwealth realms that grew from Britain’s vanished Empire. At home she undertakes 430 or so public engagements a year and she is patron of more than 600 charities and organisations. The survival of the monarchy has always been about adapting to the times and it will be for the future to judge the Queen’s reign in perspective.

Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, married Queen Elizabeth II. His outspoken opinions on certain matters have sometimes been embarrassing to the royal family.

Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales is, as the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, heir to the throne.

Princess Diana, The Princess of Wales, married Prince Charles in 1981. The couple separated in 1992 and later divorced. Diana died in a car accident in 1997. During her lifetime, she was a glamorous figure and the public loved her. They felt able to identify with her in a way that they could not with other ´royals´. She was, in fact, the first Englishwoman ever to marry an heir to the throne.

Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall married Prince Charles in 2005. Her long relationship with Charles is widely believed to have been a major cause of his separation from Diana. For this reason, she is not very popular with the public.

Princess Anne, also known as The Princess Royal, is the Queen´s daughter. She separated from her husband after they had one son and one daughter. She married again. She is widely respected for her charity work.

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, is the Queen´s second son. He is separated from his wife, Sarah Ferguson (Fergie). They have two daughters.

Prince Edward is the Queen´s youngest son. He and his wife are the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, is the eldest son of Charles and Diana and therefore the next in line to the throne after his father. He is married to Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge. He and his brother Prince Henry of Wales, like Charles and Andrew before them, have both embarked on military careers.

The third in line to the throne is Prince George of Cambridge, the son of the Duke and Duchesse of Cambridge, followed by his sister, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, in fourth place.