The King, the Monarchy and their future

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Linguapress English › Advanced English › KIng Charles and the monarchy

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Is there a future for the British Monarchy ?

NEWS - 5th February 2024 - Buckingham Palace has just announced that King Charles has cancer. He
has had to give up all public engagements, but will continue his work as KIng. He has begun treatment in a
London hospital, and is confident that he will be able to return to normal activity in due course.

Click here to open vocabulary guide

Expressions in red – pay attention to these expressions and their
meanings. Some of them are included in the Words, expression and
meaning exercise below.

Charles III, crowned in London's The monarchy has to show that even kings are in touch with ordinary people.
Westminster Abbey on May 6th Here Charles talks with schoolgirls in Northern Ireland
2023, actually became King in
September 2022 immediately
after the death of his mother
Queen Elizabeth II. There was
no need for any delay nor any
discussion; according to the Act
of Settlement passed by the
English parliament in 1701, the
crown passes automatically on
the death of a British monarch
to the heir to the throne. Until
recently, this eighteenth-century
law placed male children before
any of their sisters; in 2013, the
British Parliament amended the
Act, ending this gender
discrimination that had always
prevailed in the past.

Modernising the
monarchy

The 2013 change to the order

of succession was part of a
modernisation of the British monarchy that began in earnest after the death of Princess Diana in a road
accident in Paris. Back in the 1980s, while Diana was becoming a worldwide celebrity, the rest of the the
British monarchy seemed stuck in the past, attached to old formalities and increasingly detached from the
"new" more informal Britain that had emerged. Following Diana's death, it was clear that people in Britain
wanted a monarchy that was much more in touch with the mood of nation. Diana had that quality, and Prime
Minister Tony Blair is remembered for the name he coined after her death, "the People's Princess."

The Queen's slow and formal reaction to Diana's death contrasted sharply with the outpouring of popular
emotion that engulfed Britain in the days after the tragic accident. People no longer wanted a monarchy
without emotion; the "stiff upper lip" was no longer seen as a virtue, but as a problem.

This came as wake-up call to the monarchy, and particularly to the Queen, and during the final decades of
her life, Queen Elizabeth was at pains to create a new image for the monarchy and for herself. The image of
an austere monarch, as created in the 19th century by Queen Victoria, had had its day, in its place came a
new image of the monarchy, portraying the Queen as a national grandmother to replace the People's
Princess. And the change of image was a success; by the time of the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, the
British monarchy was as popular as ever, with opinion polls showing two thirds of the British population were
in favour of the monarchy, with less than a quarter wanting Britain to become a republic.

Overall, Elizabeth II was a very popular head of state, probably the most genuinely popular head of state of
any country in the world during much of her 70 year reign; it is a legacy that Charles III will find hard to follow
but a challenge for which he seems to be both ready and confident of success.

That success will depend to a large extent on continuing, and even accelerating, the process of
modernisation. While very few people in Britain want the United Kingdom to become the United Republic, that
could change if King Charles fails to keep the monarchy aligned with the expectations of the people…. and
the media.

Royal issues: costs and lifestyles

Issues that are regularly raised, and are a perennial problem for the monarchy, are the questions of cost and
lifestyle. According to official figures produced for the government, the British monarchy cost the nation
£102.4 million in the 2021-2022 financial year…. a lot of money at a time when a cost of living crisis was
making life harder for most of the population. On the other hand, according to analysts at Bloomberg, the
Monarchy actually benefits the British economy to the tune of a billion pounds a year… about ten times more
than the cost.

In spite of what opponents claim, it is by no means sure that abolishing the monarchy would mean more
money for other purposes. Back in 2016, a lot of people were claiming that Brexit would be a big boost to the
UK economy; in the event it has proved to be the opposite, and in 2022 the UK economy was lagging behind
all other G7 nations.

King Charles knows however that he needs to be seen to be reducing the wealth of the Royal Family and the
number of people who benefit from it. Bloomberg estimated in 2022 that the British monarchy owned
property worth about £19 billion, and while selling some of this would make little or no difference to royal
lifestyles, it would be a symbolic gesture. We can therefore expect some sales of royal property in the coming
years, along with other signs that the monarchy is in touch with twenty-first century expectations.

Before becoming king, Charles was known as an environmentalist, a keen supporter of organic agriculture,
and someone who was acutely aware of the social problems of British cities. The "Prince's Trust", which he
personally set up in 1976, is a major British charity that works with problems of homelessness and
unemployment among young people who are struggling at school and at risk of exclusion, and Charles's
social and environmental credentials are personal assets that will help him to take the monarchy forwards.

Finally, Charles will need to build on the monarchy's other great assets, its permanence and its position above
politics. Ask people in Britain if they want to abolish the monarchy, and just over 20% may say "yes". Ask them
who they would prefer to have as Britain's head of state, and there is no agreement.

As for the future of the monarchy, only one thing is sure, and that is that King Charles's reign will be shorter
than that of his mother. Will the monarchy survive beyond him? Probably yes, but nothing can be ruled out..

Related text: ► The Queen who almost wasn't

Word guide
Heir: the person who inherits - inherit: receive something from another person who has
died - amend: modify, update - gender: sex - in earnest: seriously - mood: sentiment,
the way people feel - outpouring: wave, surge - decade: period of 10 years - opinion
polls: studies of what people think - legacy: something that one inherits - perennial:
continuing year after year - boost: help - property (UK) - real estate (US), buildings and
land - environmentalist: person who is concerned by the natural environment, a green -
charity: a non-profit association - credentials: qualifications, experience -

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Student Worksheet

The King, the Monarchy and their future

1. Words, expressions and meaning. Choose the nearest equivalent of each of the following expressions:
click the down arrow and select the correct answer.

Actually :
had ... prevailed :
succession :
in touch with... :
coined. :
engulfed:
was at pains to:
genuinely :
issues
to the tune of
in the event :
was aware of
struggling :
assets :
ruled out :

Rephrasing
Below are four sentences taken from or adapted from the article.
Rephrase each one in your own words, starting (and finishing) with the prompts given. The boxes will expand
to take the text you type

This came as wake-up call to the monarchy.

The monarchy .
King Charles needs to be seen to be reducing the wealth of the Royal Family
People must wealth.
A cost of living crisis was making life harder for most of the population..
Peopleexpensive.
For King Charles, success will depend to a large extent on continuing the process of
modernisation
Unless he continues to successful.

Remembering what was written.

Complete gaps in the article from memory; if you cannot remember the exact terms that were used, try to fill
in the boxes with expressions that are factually and grammatically correct.

Back in the 1980s, while Diana was becoming a , the rest of the the British monarchy seemed past,
attached to old formalities and from the "new" more informal Britain that . Following Diana's death, it
was clear that wanted a monarchy that was touch with the of the nation. Diana had that quality, and
Prime Minister Tony Blair is remembered for after her death, "the People's Princess."

The Queen's slow and formal death contrasted sharply with the popular emotion that engulfed Britain
in the days after the tragic accident. People no wanted a monarchy without emotion; the "stiff " was
no longer seen as a virtue, but as a .

For Teachers NEW - For more practice on the

grammar of English verbs,
There is just so much in this text to get into: this is a topical text that is discover...
likely to remain topical - and maybe polemical - for the foreseeable
future. Deliberately rich in useful vocabulary, common idioms and
expressions , it is about people who need little or no introduction as they
are among the most recognised people in the world.
Students' familiarity with the issues and the people concerned mean that
new vocabulary is intrinsically easier to apprehend and understand, as
meanings are suggested by context. Even if there were no vocabulary
guide, C1 level students should be able to understand the text and
comprehend the sense of new vocabulary in much the same way as they
do when reading in their own first language.

Vocabulary notes

This text is full of interesting vocabulary. Most tricky words and

expressions are either explained in the word guide, or included in the words and expressions exercise.
A few are not, and teachers may want / like to explain them, er clarify them.

The Act of Settlement : an Act is a law passed (or to be passed)by Parliament. To settle in this case
means to come to an agreement, as in settle ones differences.
The stiff upper lip. Showing a stiff upper lip means not showing (much) emotion in difficult situations. It
is an expression that was in the past used as a compliment, but today is often used as a criticism.
Had had its day (or had had its time) - was over, was finished.
To be as popular as ever: stress the structure used here, with as... as ever. Not "as never".
During much of her 70 year reign; an unusual use of the word much, meaning a large part of.. We could
also say For much of her....
would make little or no difference. The quantifiers little and no are often combined in expressions like
this.
Homelessness and unemployment. These two words are excellent examples of how words are formed
from root words, by adding prefixes and suffixes (endings)

Listening and remembering. - Paused reading.

This is the oral equivalent of the written gap-fill exercise / activity above.
Play or read this extract from the text, stopping at each of the █ markers, and invite students to say or write
what the next words should be. Try to get students to remember the exact words used, but if they cannot do
so, accept any answers that are both grammatically and factually correct.

Back in the 1980s, while Diana was becoming a █ worldwide celebrity, the rest of the the British
monarchy seemed █ stuck in the past, attached to old formalities and █ increasingly detached from
the "new" more informal Britain that █ had emerged. Following Diana's death, it was clear that █
people in Britain wanted a monarchy that was █ much more in touch with the █ mood of the nation.
Diana had that quality, and Prime Minister Tony Blair is remembered for █ the name he coined after
her death, "the People's Princess."

The Queen's slow and formal █ reaction to Diana's death contrasted sharply with the █ outpouring of
popular emotion that engulfed Britain in the days after the tragic accident. People no █ longer wanted
a monarchy without emotion; the "stiff █ upper lip" was no longer seen as a virtue, but as a █
problem.

Lesson plan

Warm up exercises: the characters talked about in this article are not just Royalty, they are Celebrities, and
as such are known to people all over the world. It is unlikely that your students will know nothing at all about
them. So start by asking students - possibly working in pairs - to write down or say what they know about: 1.
King Charles III, 2 The Queen (Elizabeth II), Princess Diana. Some may also know something about Tony
Blair. The picture at the top of the page shows two other people. Who are they ? Some of your students are
likely to know that on the left is Prince William, and on the right is Queen Camilla, Charles's wife.

Text study. First play the audio version of the text (open the audio player at the top of the page). The audio
text is carefully read, and students should not have any difficulty following it. Go right through the text from
start to finish, without stopping. If you think that this will be too much for your students, stop before the sub-
heading Royal Issues - costs and lifestyle.
Next, explain anything that needs explaining, but NOT the expressions that are used in the exercises.

Individual or group / pair work. The vocabulary and rephrasing exercises can both be done by students
individually, or else working in pairs. Pair work in this context involves discussing, justifying one's opinions,
and reaching agreement.

Final stage. This article lends itself to a lot of different classroom or homework activities. a) Text contraction
(reduce the 900 word article to less than 300 words), b) Students make up questions on the article, and ask
their partners (or the rest of the class) to answer them. c) Write a short article in favour of / attacking the
institution of monarchy. d) Role plays or sketches e) If I were King Charles, I would ......

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A Linguapress.com
Advanced English resource
Level - Advanced.
CEFR LEVEL : C1
IELTS Level : 6.5 - 8

Flesch-Kincaid scores
 Reading ease level:
50 - Difficult
Grade level: 12

► For a B1-B2 level text on a similar topic, see Charles, his coronation and the monarchy

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