THE ROYAL FAMILY

Chapter 1: The Royal Story

It is the morning of 6 September 1997. In London, the streets all the way from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey are full of people. Many of these people have slept there all night. In the crowds, there are visitors from all over Britain, and from abroad too. They are waiting patiently for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales. The carriage passes, carrying her body. People in the crowd cry and throw flowers. The world has lost someone very special.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris. She was only thirty-six. Her new lover, Dodi al Fayed, died with her. Before that terrible day, she was just starting a happier time in her life, after her divorce from Prince Charles.
Diana was one of the most popular women in the world, but her life was hard. When she married Prince Charles in 1981, she seemed to have everything. She came from a rich family, she was beautiful, and her husband was the future king of Britain. But even as a child she was unhappy after her mother left home. Then, as a princess, she was lonely when Prince Charles lost interest in her. Perhaps her two sons, William and Harry, were the only really happy part of her life.
Now, as the carriage brings her body to the church of Westminster Abbey, these two boys, fifteen and twelve years old, walk bravely behind her. Television cameras are recording the funeral, and it is shown around the world. Westminster Abbey is full of famous people, many of them from other royal families or foreign governments. Some of them are Diana s friends, from the film or music business. The crowds outside now say their last goodbye to Princess Diana with more flowers and tears. The young Princes follow their mother's body into the church, and the funeral begins.
In Britain, it is a time for questions about the royal family. Did the royal family push Diana away when she and Charles were in trouble? Why didn't they help her more? Diana was a new kind of princess, and she could help to make a better future for Britain and the royal family. Diana was not afraid to speak about her problems in public. The royal family didn't like this; they have traditionally kept their troubles secret. But the public liked her because she opened her heart to them. She also helped people who were poor and ill.
Who will continue her work now? Will Charles really be king after all this, or will the crown go straight to his oldest son, Prince William? In the last few years, people have begun to worry about these problems. Do the royal family do enough for the country? Are they too rich? For a long time Queen Elizabeth II ruled the country quietly. Most people were happy with the royal family, and many people didn't even think about it much. But now, on the day of the funeral, everyone is talking about it.
The history of the British royal family goes back more than a thousand years. In that time, England has always had a king or queen except for the ten years between 1649 and 1659 when Oliver Cromwell's parliament took power after a war against Charles I. But then the royal family returned when Charles II was crowned in 1660.
In 829, Egbert of Wessex became the first king of England, but the first 'England' was a smaller country than today. Britain was not one nation for a long time. Wales had its own rulers until 1282, and there were kings of Scotland until 1707. Today, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all part of the United Kingdom.
Early English kings had to try and protect the country from enemies. King Alfred the Great (871-99) was a strong ruler who built the first English navy and defended his country against attacks from Vikings and Danes from northern Europe. But his good work was destroyed a hundred years later by Aethelred II, a very weak ruler who let the Danes into the country. For fifty years after that, there were Danish kings in England. Then, in the famous year of 1066, soldiers from Normandy (now part of France) crossed the sea to England. They won a war against the English, and their ruler became King William I of England. For a time, England and France were almost one nation.
There were many interesting kings and queens who helped to make British history. 'Bad King John' was very unpopular, because he tried to take high taxes from the people. In 1215, he had to sign a famous paper, The Magna Carta. This took away some of his powers. King
Henry VIII (1509 - 47) was a powerful king. He is famous because he had six wives. He also started a new Christian church, the Church of England. He could then divorce his wives when he wanted to.
But the time of Queen Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603) was a 'golden age' for England. Art, science, music and literature were all important. The English nation was strong; its powerful navy won the war at sea with Spain. Queen Elizabeth often made tours of England; everywhere crowds of excited people welcomed her. If you visit an important old house in England today, the owner will still sometimes tell you, 'Queen Elizabeth slept here!'
Earlier kings and queens like these had great power. They could start wars, make laws, and do things in their own way. But later, a lot of this power went to Parliament. Today's king or queen still 'rules' Britain and acts as the head of government. But the British Parliament has the power to make the laws.
These early kings and queens were, of course, not perfect. They often had lovers, ate and drank too much, and were rude to important visitors. Then, during the time of Queen Victoria, people began to believe that the royal family should be a perfect family.
Victoria was queen for a long time, from 1837 to 1901. This was a time of power for Great Britain, when the nation ruled many other countries in the world. Victoria married Prince Albert, a German, and they had nine children. They were very serious about their duties. Victoria loved Albert very much, and she was an excellent wife and mother. She wanted to show that they had a good, Christian family life.
But today in Britain, we don't believe in the perfect royal family. A lot of the old magic has gone. We want the royal family to do their duty and protect our traditions. But we also want them to be more modern and open. Can the royal family do both these things in the future? Will the magic come back? They work hard for the country. But they are people with their own worries and problems. We must accept this too.
On 2 June 1953, nearly forty-four years before Princess Diana's funeral, the streets of London were also full. But people were there for a much happier ceremony. On that day, the young Princess Elizabeth was crowned as Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Like other kings and queens since 1066, she came to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony. She rode to the Abbey in the royal carriage, with its fine horses, and the heavy gold crown was placed on her head. Elizabeth promised to look after the nation and its people, and so she accepted her duties in the long line of British rulers.
But Elizabeth had some modern ideas too. She wanted the ceremony to be on television. The church and he government didn't welcome the idea. It was an important ceremony - it mustn't become public theatre! But Elizabeth won. At that time, only a few homes in Britain had a television, but many more people bought one in time for the great day! Excited friends and neighbours visited their houses and watched too. This was real magic! Everyone wanted to see the beautiful young Queen in her long white dress. Later, there were parties in the streets, and presents for the children too - often a special cup or plate, with the Queen's picture on it.
World War Two was at an end; people were glad to be alive and free. They were not rich, but things were getting better. A young, pretty queen was exactly what they wanted. She could help to make a modern Britain.

Chapter 2: Our Modern Royal Family

As a little girl, Elizabeth didn't know that one day she would be queen. Her grandfather was King George V. But George and his wife Mary had six children. Their oldest son, the handsome and popular Edward, was the next in line to be king. Elizabeth's father, Albert, was only the second child, born in 1895.
When they were boys, Edward and Albert were often unhappy. The children only saw their parents for an hour every day. Their nurse was a hard woman and often hurt Edward. George V was a good king, but not a very kind father. 'I was frightened of my father, and my children are going, to be frightened of me!' he said.
Albert, or 'Bertie', was shy, and the family made this worse for him. He wrote naturally with his left hand, but he was told to use his right hand. He also had a speech problem. He couldn't always say the words that he wanted to say. His father only laughed at his son. Later, he had help from a special teacher, but all his life it was hard for Bertie to make speeches.
The name of the royal family was now 'Windsor'. They changed their name in 1917, during the First World War with Germany. Their family names at that time were German, and it was better to have an English one. So George chose the name 'Windsor'. Windsor Castle is one of the old palaces where the royal family often stay.
Old King George died in 1936. Now Edward was ready to take his place as King Edward VIII. Most people in the country liked Edward, and they wanted him to be king. But they didn't know much about his private life. Even his father was worried about Edward before he died. Edward loved a good time. He enjoyed women, drank a lot, spent money, and didn't think about other people or his duties to the country.
Finally, he fell in love with an American woman, Wallis Simpson. He wanted to marry her, but Wallis was divorced - twice. The royal family didn't like her, but the problem was even more serious. The British king also had to be the head of the Church of England, and the Church did not accept divorce. How could Edward marry a divorced woman and still be king?
They called 1936 'The Year of the Three Kings'. George died in January. When they carried his body through the streets, a piece of the royal crown fell off into the road. 'That's very bad luck,' people said. 'Something terrible is going to happen.'
Then Edward became king. At first, he hoped that he could marry Wallis and also be king. He wanted the people of the country to accept this. But they didn't. They didn't want Wallis to be their queen. So on 10 December 1936, Edward signed the official papers, which ended his rule as king. He made a speech to the nation on the radio. And on 11 December, his younger brother, Bertie, took his place.
Bertie decided to take a new name - George, like his father - and so he became King George VI. He had no sons, so his oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was now the next in line. She was ten, and her sister, Margaret, was six.
Edward married Wallis Simpson, and they lived in Paris for most of their lives. They were never friendly with the royal family again. Edward was very angry about what happened. It was a sad story, and in some ways a romantic one. But Edward was a weak man who wanted power and money. And Wallis was a difficult woman who ruled Edward's life.
The year 1936 wasn't easy for Britain, but at the end of it the country got a popular and a sensible king. They also had a fine queen, and two beautiful little princesses. King George VI's wife was a Scottish woman, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. When he fell in love with her, she didn't accept him at first. Even in those days, she knew that a life in the royal family is not all magic and fun. The 'royals' have to work very hard at their duties; it is difficult for them to have a private life. But Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was a happy, strong-minded girl. When she agreed to marry him, she accepted the 'job' gladly. Later, after her husband's death, she became the Queen Mother.
The Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret grew up in a warm, loving home. 'Us four,' her father called his little family. Before he was king, they lived in a large house on Piccadilly, a famous street in the centre of London. It wasn't a palace, but it was big enough. It had twenty-five bedrooms, a library, and a room for dances and parties! Sadly, it is not there now - a bomb destroyed it in the war.
The girls had their own private teacher, Miss Crawford, a Scottish woman. 'Crawfie' gave them their lessons at home every morning, and in the afternoons Margaret and Elizabeth also studied dancing, art and music. The girls had a happy life, but they didn't know much about the lives of ordinary people. They did have friends, but these were usually from other rich and important families. Once they went on the underground train in London, and this was a great adventure!
When she was small, Elizabeth tried to say her own name. It came out as 'Lilibet'. Since that time, her family have often called her Lilibet. Elizabeth was always a serious little girl. She liked to be tidy. She tried to put her clothes and her shoes very tidily by her bed each night; then she sometimes got out of bed in the night and made them even tidier. Margaret was wilder and funnier than her sister. Both girls loved horses from an early age, and they played with 'horses' every night in their bedrooms - not real ones, of course! Elizabeth liked to 'drive' her horses when she was sitting up in bed.
'I usually go once or twice round the park before I go to sleep,' Elizabeth once told Crawfie seriously.
The girls were popular in public even before their father was king. Little Elizabeth knew that she already had an important job.
Once she went out into the town with her grandmother, Queen Mary, to listen to some music. Elizabeth couldn't sit quietly that evening.
'Let's go home now,' said her grandmother.
'Oh no,' said Elizabeth. 'We can't leave before the end. Think of all the people outside who are waiting to see us!'
She often tried to teach Margaret her duties too. Once, before a party for important visitors, she said to her sister, 'It you see someone with a funny hat, Margaret, you must not point at it and laugh.'
Two things changed their lives. The first was the day that their father became King George VI. The second was World War Two (1939-1945).
King George was crowned on 12 May 1937. He was already king, but the ceremony to crown him was held later. It was on the same date that they planned to crown his older brother, Edward. They had to hurry to get everything ready in time. They had to change Edward's picture on the cups and other presents, and make special clothes for George and his wife.
On the great day, the little princesses wore long dresses and silver shoes. Their grandmother, Queen Mary, wore a dress with gold flowers, and they drove with her by horse and carriage to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
The family moved into Buckingham Palace, and they spent time at the other royal houses and palaces. They still use a number of different homes today. Much of the summer is spent at Balmoral in Scotland. They are at Sandringham, in Norfolk, for Christmas, and they spend many weekends closer to London at Windsor Castle. When the war came, the two girls lived at Windsor most of the time. Bombs were falling on London, so it was too dangerous to stay there. Their parents usually slept at Windsor, but they went back to London and Buckingham Palace each day. They felt that it was their duty to be with their people.
In parts of London, people's homes were destroyed when the bombs fell. The bombing was very bad in the 'East End'. The King and Queen often visited places like this. They also visited factories where workers were making machines and other equipment for the war. Like other women, the Queen helped to make socks for the soldiers. One day, a bomb fell on Buckingham Palace and destroyed a part of it. Luckily, nobody was hurt. But the King and Queen were glad that they were in the same danger as other Londoners.
'Now I feel that I can look the East End in the face,' said King George.
At Windsor, the girls could be outside a lot of the time; they rode horses and exercised their dogs. Earlier, in 1933, Elizabeth was given her first Corgi - a kind of dog that has short legs and light brown hair. Corgis are still Elizabeth's favourite dogs! Of course, the girls were growing up now. They could make socks for soldiers too, and Elizabeth often had to meet important visitors. Her parents wanted to prepare her for her job as queen.
In 1947, after the war, Princess Elizabeth went with her parents on a royal visit to South Africa. This was her first visit abroad, and a very interesting one for her. But it came at a difficult time, because Britain wasn't popular with some of the South African politicians. British rule was ending in many countries, and in places like South Africa they were building their own governments. Later, South Africa left the group of countries called the British Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is a kind of friendly 'club', and most of the countries in it were ruled by Britain in the past. Many of these nations still accept the British king or queen as their own head of state.
The South African police were afraid of trouble. One day, when the King, the Queen and their two daughters were driving in an open car, a man ran out of the crowd towards them. He had something in his hand. Was it a gun? The Queen was frightened, and tried to hit him with her umbrella. The police took him away, but the poor man only wanted to give Princess Elizabeth a birthday present!
Back at home in Britain, the two girls often saw friends and went to parties. But Elizabeth didn't really enjoy them. Margaret loved meeting people; Elizabeth was shy. And she didn't need to meet more handsome young men. She already knew the man who she wanted to marry. This was Prince Philip of Greece.
Elizabeth was thirteen when she first met Philip at Dartmouth, in Devon. He was in the navy there, and he was six years older than her. At that time, he was a young man, and she was still a schoolgirl. But later, they fell in love, and in the summer of 1946 they agreed to marry. Her father asked her to keep the agreement secret for a year, until she was twenty-one.
Philip's family was poor, but royal. They came from the Greek royal family, but they also had relatives in the Danish, British and Russian royal families! Things were difficult for Philip when he was a boy. His parents didn't live together, and he had to stay at school or with other family relatives around Europe. Later, he fought in the navy during the war. When Elizabeth first met him, he was a handsome young man with plenty of girlfriends.
Philip and Elizabeth got married in Westminster Abbey in November 1947. For the nation, it was a very romantic and magical wedding - the handsome, popular young prince and the serious, sweet princess. After the wedding, Elizabeth's favourite Corgi dog went with them on holiday! The next few years were very happy. Elizabeth had her first two children: a son, Charles, was born in 1948, and a daughter, Anne, in 1950. They could enjoy a life almost like other young families, because Elizabeth was not yet queen.
But in 1952, when Princess Elizabeth was on an official trip to Africa, she was brought terrible news. Her father was dead. The royal family always travel with some formal black clothes in their suitcase. Now Elizabeth had to put these on and fly back to England for the funeral. She was very sad; she loved her father very much. Elizabeth was only twenty-five, but she was already Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The newspapers were full of stories about the young Queen. But they also had a few stories about her sister, Margaret. When Elizabeth was crowned in Westminster Abbey, people noticed that Princess Margaret was very friendly with an older man, Peter Townsend. Peter was already married, but later he divorced his wife. Again, this was a problem for the royal family. Like King Edward before her, Margaret was in a very difficult position. Peter wanted to marry her, but in the end Margaret decided to refuse him and to keep her place in the royal family.
Old rules and modern love were making serious problems for the royal family. And it was not the first or the last fight in the family between love and duty.

Chapter 3: The Quiet Family Years

Life for the royal family continued without any serious problems while Prince Charles and Princess Anne were growing up. Their mother was very busy with her official work, but she still made time for the family. In 1960 and 1964, she had two more children - Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
The Queen often had to travel abroad, and Prince Philip often went with her. Their first big formal tour together was in 1953, just after Elizabeth became queen. In six months, they travelled from Bermuda to Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka.
Elizabeth learned that it is not easy to please everybody. Sometimes people said, 'Why doesn't the Queen smile? She looks so serious!' Elizabeth naturally looks like that, and it is very difficult to smile for hours during a royal visit. Nobody is perfect. Philip sometimes said exactly what was in his mind. This seemed quite rude, but he wasn't afraid to give his own opinions and many people liked this.
The children didn't usually travel with their parents on these early tours. But in 1953, at the end of the Commonwealth tour, Charles and Anne had a short trip on the first official journey of the new royal ship - the Britannia. This expensive and beautiful boat became a great favourite of the family over the years.
When the Britannia was built, the Queen took a great interest in it. She helped to choose the furniture, the colours for the paint, and everything for the family rooms. The ship was like a palace at sea. They could hold formal dances and parties on it, and they could welcome official guests. It was also comfortable, like a country house. The Queen and her family felt at home there. The children loved the little shop on the ship, and they put on sailors' clothes and helped to clean the floors. Later, after their wedding, Charles and Diana had a holiday on the Britannia.
The Queen made time for country life too. Charles, Anne, and later Andrew and Edward all grew up with horses and dogs, with fishing and shooting and other country sports. Every summer they spent time at Balmoral Castle, Queen Victoria's favourite home. Balmoral lies in wild Scottish country, by the River Dee. They could often visit Windsor Castle too, near London, and enjoy the beautiful parkland there with its old trees.
It was, in many ways, a very safe and happy life for Elizabeth's children. But they could never be exactly like ordinary children. In their early lives, Anne and Charles had nurses and private teachers, like the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret before them. On an ordinary day, the children saw their parents for only an hour or two. They often went to visit their mother in her sitting- room in the late afternoon, and then returned to their own rooms for supper. Sometimes they didn't see her for months when she was away on tour.
Miss Lightbody, Charles's Scottish nurse, wanted him to be a little prince. She didn't like it when he got dirty. She taught him how to shake hands with visitors. Anne and Charles both learned how to be very polite. They often said 'please' to their own dogs!
Elizabeth and Philip finally decided to send them to school, with other children. So when he was nine, Charles went away to Cheam School. He lived there with other boys of his age and only came home in the holidays. Suddenly his life changed, and at first he was very unhappy. At home he was special, a prince. Here he was just one of many boys. He didn't have his nurse, or his parents, or his own comfortable rooms. Of course, other boys were unhappy because they were away from their parents. But life was very hard for Charles, because the world at Buckingham Palace was so different.
Later, he went on to Gordonstoun School in Scotland, his father's old school. Philip thought that it would be good for Charles. But Charles was shyer and quieter than his father. He didn't like the life there. The boys had no private time. The morning began with a run and a wash in cold water, and the day was full of exercise, lessons and jobs. It was like a school for young soldiers.
Charles wanted to leave Gordonstoun. He asked his grandmother, the Queen Mother, to help him. But she refused, and he had to stay. He learned to live there; he made a few friends, and tried to be like the other boys. Once, when they were out on a trip on the island of Lewis, Charles asked for a drink in a hotel bar. But he was too young, and was breaking the law. Charles was in trouble then, and the story got into the newspapers!
Then Charles spent a happy time away from Gordonstoun at an Australian school, Timbertop. He liked the country and the people. He was still 'different', but this was really, because he was British. The Australians made jokes about that, but Charles could laugh too and they all became good friends.
'Those years opened my eyes,' he said later.
After he came home, he took his final examinations at Gordonstoun and then went to Cambridge University. Some students were angry because Charles did not do very well in his school examinations. An 'ordinary' boy could not go to Cambridge with those results, they said.
As Charles arrived at Cambridge for the first time, someone in the crowd shouted out, 'Good luck!'
'I'll need it,' Charles replied.
But most people were glad that their future king was studying at university. Charles found time there to act in plays. He played music too.
Anne was a different kind of person. She was happy to go away to school, to Benenden in Kent. In her first week there, she went to a 'New Girls' party and she quickly made friends. The school was very noisy after Buckingham Palace, but she soon learned to enjoy her new life. She could ride horses there, and she loved riding. She also sang, practised dancing, and made pots.
There was a favourite joke that the older girls played on new girls. 'Every new girl has to sing a song to the head teacher,' they said. 'Start practising now!' Most girls were very frightened, but Anne just said, 'OK - I'll try!'
Later, Princess Anne became a successful horse-rider, and she won cups at many important shows. She was even chosen to ride in the Olympic Games in 1976. Horses are very popular in the royal family. The Queen, Prince Philip and Charles all love riding. They also own racehorses - one of the Queen Mother's greatest interests.
Anne also began to help a charity, which offers horse riding to children with special problems. And in 1973 she married Mark Phillips, another rider.
'Perhaps their children will have four legs!' joked the Queen.
Andrew and Edward were much younger than Charles and Anne, and their lives were less public. Andrew went into the navy like his father. He was a fun-loving young man, and he enjoyed his time at Gordonstoun school more than Charles. He liked to play terrible jokes; once he threw some red paint at American reporters! He grew tall and handsome, and he quickly became interested in girls. This gave the newspapers a few good stories. At one time, he was very friendly with a woman who acted in sex films.
Edward, like Charles, also went to Cambridge University, and he studied history. He tried the life of a soldier too, but he didn't like it. He preferred the theatre, and he has worked in theatre and in television. He is polite and quiet, and he keeps his life private.
In the 1960s, life in Britain changed suddenly. There were new clothes, new pop music, new ideas. Young people had long hair and talked openly about sex. To many of them, the royal family seemed boring. In a new, exciting Britain, who wanted all that old history?
The Queen decided that she had to make some changes. She wanted to 'open a window' on to the royal family. In 1969, television cameras came into the royal home and filmed the family in private for the first time. Forty million people watched the programme. They saw a different side of the royal family. Even the Queen, a very formal lady, was laughing and talking quite naturally in the film. This programme brought the royal family closer to the people, but it also helped to make problems for the future. Now the public wanted to see more and more of royal private life. It was harder to keep the reporters out.
The royal family were less safe in a changing world, too. In 1969, Prince Charles became Prince of Wales. Not everyone in
Wales wanted a prince from London, and some bombs went off around that time. Luckily, nothing happened during the ceremony. Then, in 1974, a man with a gun stopped Anne's car in the centre of London and tried to take her away. He shot at her detective, her driver, a policeman and a reporter, hurting them all. And one morning in 1982, the Queen woke up and found a man in her bedroom. Michael Fagan sat down on the bed and asked her for a cigarette. The Queen talked to him quietly, and tried to get help. Nobody came. At last, she was able to get him out of the room, and the police took him away.
Nobody was hurt - but it was very dangerous. How did the man get into the Palace? Why didn't the guards come more quickly? The Palace was 'open to the public' in another way on that day, and in future the royal family needed to be much more careful.

Chapter 4: A Job for Life

The work of the royal family has continued through all the changes of the last fifty or sixty years. If you are born into the royal family, you have to work very hard. There are many traditions, which you have to protect. There are hundreds of formal ceremonies. Even when you are tired, you have to try to look happy. You must show interest in the people that you meet. Queen Elizabeth has given her life to the country. Most people agree that she does her job very well.
When she is in London for her working day, she looks first at the British newspapers. Then she turns to her letters. Two or three hundred arrive at Buckingham Palace each day for her. She chooses some to read, and every letter is answered by palace officials. After this, her private secretaries show her official papers. She must look at them, study them, or sign them. Many come from the British government, or from Commonwealth countries. They arrive at the Queen's desk in special red boxes.
Later in the morning, Queen Elizabeth usually sees important visitors at the Palace. These can be people from the Church of England, or Parliament, or officials who work for Britain abroad. She sees each person alone for about ten or twenty minutes. Sometimes there is a formal meeting with government ministers before lunch.
The Queen usually has lunch privately, but every two months she and Prince Philip invite guests to lunch with them in Buckingham Palace. She likes to meet people with different kinds of jobs, and to hear about their lives.
After lunch, she often goes out on a public visit, perhaps to a hospital, school or factory. Sometimes these visits take longer, and the Queen flies to another city or travels at night on the royal train. This is a very comfortable train with bedrooms, a sitting- room, a dining room and a very modern office.
Once a week, the Queen meets the Prime Minister privately. They discuss government business and important things that are happening in the country. In the early days, Elizabeth changed the official time of these meetings with the Prime Minister so she could be with her small children at bath-time! When she was made queen, the Prime Minister was Winston Churchill. He was famous for his war work. At first, he didn't really listen to her - she was young, and only a woman! But he soon realized that she was very interested in the government of the country. After that, he spent longer and longer talking to her.
In the evening, the Queen reads the report of the day from Parliament. She isn't a politician, and in modern Britain the power is with the government, but she must agree to every new law. This is a formal agreement; no British king or queen has refused a new law since 1707! During her meetings with the Prime Minister, she can tell him her views. If she does not agree with the government's plans, she can say that. Officially, the Queen chooses the new Prime Minister too.
Later in the evening, Elizabeth sometimes goes out to parties or to the theatre. Usually these are official visits, so she is still on duty. Then, before bed, the Queen sometimes looks again at her 'red boxes' of papers. It is a long working day!
There is a royal working year too. There are many historic British traditions, and the Queen often goes to special ceremonies. One of the most famous is the State Opening of Parliament; this happens every year, usually in October or November. The Queen, wearing her crown, arrives at the Houses of Parliament by carriage. Special royal guards search Parliament. They are making sure that it is safe for the Queen. This tradition began in the year 1605, after a man called Guy Fawkes tried to destroy Parliament with a kind of homemade bomb. In modern times, with new bombers in the world, it is again a serious search, and the police help too. In Parliament, Elizabeth reads the Queen's Speech. This discusses the government's work for the next year.
The Queen has two birthdays - her real one, on 21 April, and an official one in June, when the weather is often sunny! On this day, the Queen goes to a ceremony called 'the trooping of the colour'. Soldiers, called the Guards, in red jackets and tall black hats ride on horseback down a street in Whitehall, London. The sound of guns welcomes the Queen and the royal family. The Queen checks her soldiers, and some of them play music for her.
Another unusual royal ceremony, a Christian tradition, happens in a different church each year on the Thursday before Easter Sunday. The Queen gives out purses of special money, usually to older people who have done good work. This is called 'Maundy money', and the ceremony is about seven hundred years old.
A favourite tradition is the tradition of the royal garden parties. There are three or more of these at Buckingham Palace each summer, and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Queen invites all kinds of people. Some are famous, but other people have just worked hard for charities for a long time. About 8,000 guests come to each party. Prince Philip and other 'royals' often come too, so the royal family can talk to as many people as possible. At each garden party, the guests drink about 27,000 cups of tea; they eat 20,000 sandwiches and 20,000 pieces of cake!
The Queen is rich, but the royal family are usually very careful with money. They have to 'put on a good show' for the public, so they have to buy a lot of new, expensive clothes. They have to give large formal dinners and parties. But their tastes are much simpler. When the Queen and Prince Philip are alone, they have just one dish for lunch. They only buy new things when they have to. Even the royal Rolls Royce cars aren't usually new; one is over forty years old!
The Queen and the royal family often travel abroad as guests of other countries. The Queen has visited a very large number of countries, including every country in the British Commonwealth. Now, changes in the world have opened Central and Eastern Europe too. In May 1998, Prince Edward travelled to Estonia, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania. A trip like that wasn't possible only a few years before.

Chapter 5: A New World

The 1980s began very well for the royal family. Some of its magic was coming back. The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, on 29 July 1981, was watched by millions of people on television. Diana looked lovely in her long dress, carrying flowers. She was only twenty, twelve years younger than Charles.
Charles always seemed old and serious, even as a young man. But now he chose a young, beautiful woman - this was really romantic! Her family were relatives of the royal family, so there were no problems there - the royal family was ready to accept her. She pleased ordinary young people too because she was a modern girl. Before her marriage, she worked with children, had her own flat, and drove a little red car around London. She had a lot of friends, and went to nightclubs.
A few years later, in 1986, there was a second royal wedding, when Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson. Fun-loving Andrew now found a woman who could be part of his life. Sarah, with her bright red hair and loud laugh, seemed perfect for him. They first became friends when Andrew played a joke on her with some chocolate cake at one of Princess Diana's parties.
Diana and 'Fergie' were already friends. In some ways, they were similar. Both their mothers left home when the girls were young. They both grew up to be modern working girls. But in other ways, they were very different. Charles was Diana's first lover, but Fergie lived with an older man for three years before she got married. She liked fun, and enjoyed 'play fights' with Andrew. She was ready to continue with a free, open kind of life after marriage. But Diana was serious about love, and wanted to be close to Charles. She cried when he was unkind to her, and she had a secret eating illness.
The public were glad that these two girls had their own kind of magic. They were like fresh air coming into Buckingham Palace! And soon there were children - Diana had two sons, William and Harry. Sarah had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie.
So a new page was turned in the royal history book, with beautiful princesses, young families and modern ideas. But not everything was perfect. The public was more interested in the royal family now, but the newspapers were interested too. Reporters followed Diana everywhere. Every royal story was news - and there was more interest when it was about love, sex or family trouble.
Traditionally, the royal family like to keep quiet about their problems. They have their public duties, and their private life, and there is a clear line between the two.
'It is hard for the royal family to welcome strangers,' wrote one man who worked for them as a secretary.
There are family rules, but these are not usually explained, and people from outside the family do not always understand them. Diana was later very angry about this. She did not feel welcome, she said. Nobody told her what to do. But the royal family was angry - her husband too - when she didn't do things in the right way.
A time of trouble began for the royal family and for the British nation. In the early 1980s, there was plenty of money and work. A lot of young people bought themselves cars and homes, and had a good life. But by 1987, serious money and business problems were beginning in Britain. People couldn't pay back money to the banks, and sometimes their homes were taken away from them. There were fewer jobs; thousands of people, old and young, couldn't find work. The magic disappeared.
Magic disappeared, too, in royal marriages. During the 1980s and 1990s, the marriages of Charles and Diana, Andrew and Sarah, and Anne and Mark Phillips all ended. These weren't the first royal divorces. In 1960, Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, a photographer, and they had two children. But soon they weren't really living together. Anthony spent many nights away from home with other girlfriends. Margaret had lovers too. The most famous one was Roddy Llewellyn; he was nearly twenty years younger than her. In 1978, Margaret and Anthony were divorced.
'Things have changed greatly in the last twenty years, Margaret told a reporter. 'Now I can do almost anything.
And the newspapers could now write almost anything. They were quick to show photos of Sarah Ferguson on holiday with a lover, John Bryan. In one photo, he was kissing her toes - this picture, of course, immediately became famous! Diana was very popular with reporters. She made friends with them when she could not get help from the Palace. But it was a dangerous game. They listened to her. Then they often printed what they wanted. Some of the stories suggested that Diana was an ill, sad, crazy woman. So Diana finally decided to tell her own story.
She worked secretly with a reporter and writer, Andrew Morton. She sent him recordings, and he was able to talk to her friends. His book, Diana, Her True Story, was printed in 1992 and sold millions of copies. This book showed that Diana was very unhappy in her marriage. The book, and other reports and private recordings that came out that year, told the world about her husband's lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Many people began to feel sorry for Diana. She was just a young girl, full of hope, when she met Charles. He was clearly hurting her. The new 'open window' on to the royal family was showing not only the good things, but also the bad.
'When daylight comes in, the magic goes,' some people said.
Now television shows began to make jokes about the royal family; sometimes these were funny, but sometimes they were very unkind. Fifty years before, you didn't make jokes about the royal family. Some of the young 'royals' tried to join in and laugh too. In 1987, they made a 'fun' television programme, with silly clothes and rough games. This was the idea of Edward - the prince who was interested in the theatre. But most people didn't think that it was very amusing.
There was also a book called The Queen and I, written by Sue Townsend. In this story, a new government decides that there will be no more kings or queens in Britain. The royal family has to move out of Buckingham Palace and live in an ordinary house in a poor part of the country. The Queen has to learn how to cook. Charles gets into trouble with the police. Anne enjoys a drink at the local pub. They all learn that it is very difficult to live in Britain without much money.
The book was funny, and not unkind to the royal family. But it also had a serious message. Britain was becoming poorer at the time. Life was difficult for many families, and the royal family didn't always understand these problems. Their own lives were very comfortable.
Diana was popular, because she tried to understand. During her work for charity, she travelled in Britain and abroad, meeting children and adults. Some were very poor, many were ill or dying, and other people had no homes. Diana spoke about this more openly than other people in the royal family.
But in fact, other 'royals' also saw the unpleasant side of life. Princess Anne has worked for Save the Children, a charity, for many years. She has travelled thousands of miles abroad each year for the charity, often to poor or dangerous places. Her hard work is remembered everywhere. Her picture hangs proudly in a small restaurant in Eritrea, Africa, because she once came in to have a meal there.
Other people in the royal family take an interest in modern problems. Prince Charles started a very successful charity, The Prince's Trust; this helps young people with their work. He also tries to protect Britain's land and to plan better buildings. He is interested in other religions and traditions. This interest is very important in modern Britain. Millions of British people have parents or grandparents who came from other parts of the world.
Charles and his father, Prince Philip, are both very interested in wildlife. Philip often helps the World Wide Fund for Nature; this charity tries to protect the natural world. In 1987, he spoke in a special radio programme from the church at Windsor Castle. Philip talked about science, and the teachings of the Christian religion. We can choose 'to do good', he said, and protect our world. We must look after the world for our children and grandchildren.
1992 was a very bad year for the royal family. The Queen called it her 'annus horribilis' - Latin for a 'terrible year'. The only good news came when Princess Anne married again in December. She and her husband, Timothy Laurence, had a quiet wedding, and they now try to keep their private lives out of the newspapers. During 1992, the marriages of Charles and Diana and of Andrew and 'Fergie' both ended. What was happening to the Queen's quiet, hard-working life?
The end of the year was even worse for her, because in November a great fire started at Windsor Castle, her favourite home. Many rooms were destroyed. The Queen helped to put out the fire. Four days later, when she made her famous 'annus horribilis' speech, her voice was still rough from the smoke. Most people try to do their jobs as well as they can, she said. The results are not always perfect. But we can all still try to be kind.

Chapter 6: Into the Future

The terrible year of 1992 was a time when things began to change for the royal family. At first, the government promised to pay for the repairs to Windsor Castle.
But the people of Britain were angry. 'The Queen is rich,' they said. 'It's her house. She can pay!'
This was not a simple problem. The royal family's money is not all theirs - a lot of it belongs to the nation. But the royal family is a very expensive British tradition. People were working hard to pay their taxes. They didn't want those taxes to help the royal family. Life was difficult enough already.
Finally, the Queen agreed to pay for the repairs. For the first time, she opened Buckingham Palace to the public in summer; this helped to get the forty million pounds for the repairs. Now you can see inside the 200-year-old palace tor the first time.
Windsor Castle is a much older building; the earliest part was built in about 1080. It was already a favourite place for visitors. A number of rooms were destroyed in the fire of November 1992, but luckily, most of them were empty at the time. The fire was terrible, and the repairs took six years, but the results are wonderful.
The royal family also realized that they had to save money. They decided that the royal ship, the Britannia, was too expensive. In the past, it was important for the royal family to travel the world by sea. But in these days of easy air travel, this isn't necessary. In 1997, they said goodbye to their favourite ship.
The Queen also agreed to pay taxes. The question of taxes goes back a long way in the royal family. In 1842, the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, asked Queen Victoria to pay taxes. They agreed on a sum between them. King George VI, Queen Elizabeth's father, also discussed taxes with the government, but he decided not to pay them. Now his daughter agreed that she should pay taxes to the nation again. Elizabeth also decided to pay less money each year to some 'royals who are not very close relatives of the main royal family.
The difficult year of 1992 began the changes in the royal family, but of course, 1997 was also terrible. In that year Princess Diana died. Diana was also making a new life for herself when she died. She was strong and healthy now. She loved her two young sons and her work for charity. Finally, it seemed, she could put the past behind her and find new love. She and Dodi al Fayed were very happy just before the car accident, which killed them both. Perhaps they were planning to marry.
At first, people remembered Diana with tears and with flowers. But soon they began to give money too. Millions of pounds arrived to help Diana's favourite charities. Her story continues; there are plans to build hospitals and make gardens in her name. Her life is the subject of books now, and her picture is on many gifts. Often money from these sales goes to the special Princess Diana charity. Many good things have already come out of her life, and in the future, we will see even more.
Diana's body lies on an island at her old family home, Althorp Park. Each year for a short time, this is open to visitors. People come and remember her there. They remember her difficult life and her wonderful work.
Diana helped us to look to the future, and the royal family is ready to change. But we in Britain have to think too about the kind of royal family that we really want and the needs of this new Britain. The nation and the royal family work as a team.
Prince William and Prince Harry are now the royal family of the future. They are almost young men now. William looks like his mother - he is tall, with fair hair, and he even hangs his head shyly like Diana! He is studying at Eton, a famous school near Windsor Castle. He often goes to Windsor Castle for tea with his grandmother.
Since his mother died, William has helped to look after Harry, his younger brother. Harry is an open, friendly boy, and he is at Eton too. Nothing will ever be the same again without Diana, but many people care for the boys, at home and at school. Their father, Charles, spends much more time with them now. In the past, he preferred to take them out only for traditional country sports, like fishing. Now he takes them out for more modern fun - they have heard the Spice Girls, and watched World Cup football!
Everyone hopes that the boys have a bright future. The newspapers have agreed to stay away from them; reporters and television helped to make Diana's life very unpleasant. The young Princes already understand the important traditions of the British royal family, but Diana gave them something very special. She showed them today's world too, with its fun and its problems. Perhaps the new story of the royal family will really begin when King William is crowned in Britain.