\paperw3360 \margr0\margl0\ATXph16380 \plain \fs20 \f1 \fs22 There has been a monarchy in Britain since the \b \cf4 \ATXht10061000 Celtic tribes\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 that gave the co
untry its name settled in the south-east of the island during the first century BC. Initially there were several small kingdoms, which were drawn together under central government in the late ninth century by the learned and wise King Alfred, the first
great statesman to emerge clearly from the mists of early English history. When the Scottish and the English crowns were united in the year 1603 under King \b \cf4 \ATXht13131000 James I\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 of England, the official name for England, \b \cf4 \ATXht10150000 Scotland\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , \b \cf4 \ATXht10141000 Wales\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 and the adjacent islands became Great Britain. Over the centuries, the British royal families have been related through marriage to the royal houses of other Europea
n countries. The present sovereign, \b \cf4 \ATXht13241000 Queen Elizabeth II\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , is a direct descendent of \b \cf4 \ATXht13221000 Queen Victoria\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , who ruled during the height of the \b \cf4 \ATXht10701000 British Empire
\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 in the late nineteenth century. Queen Victoria, who married her German cousin\cf4 \ATXht10851000 \b Prince Albert\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , Duke of Saxony, had nine children, and Queen Elizabeth IIÆs husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh
, is also descended from one of them. For many decades now the Royal Family has played no direct political role, which could explain why reasons of state have not heavily shaped the marriages of the younger members of the royal family. Perhaps this is
why such unions have proved more fragile than those of their parents. Yet even recently royal weddings have become occasions for magnificent shows of pageantry. The different members of the Royal Family carry out a great variety of official engagements
. Some of these, like the ceremony for the opening of the \b \cf4 \ATXht11561000 Houses of Parliament\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , pertain to the structures of government, whereas others concern royal patronage of the arts and charity. Although the British public
may be disconcerted by the widely publicised antics of the younger generation of Royals, expressions of republican sentiments are surprisingly rare, especially when the multi-ethnic reality of British society is borne in mind. This is partly realism: i
f there wasnÆt a sovereign there would have to be a president, and who says that politicians are better than monarchs? But it also reveals an enduring degree of pride and affection.
