British Family - familia regală

Close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom are known by the appellation The Royal Family. Although there is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member of the Royal Family, and different lists will include different people, those carrying the style His or Her Majesty (HM) or His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) are generally considered members, which usually results in the application of the term to these persons:

- the monarch (the king or queen);

- the consort of the monarch (his or her spouse);

- the widowed consorts of previous monarchs (Queen Mother or Queen Dowager);

- the children of the monarch;

- the grandchildren of the monarch;

- the spouses and the widowed spouses of a monarch's son and male-line grandsons; and

- before 1917, great-grandchildren in the male line.

Many millions of people are related to the British Royal Family more distantly than this by virtue of a Royal Descent.

The current British Royal Family are members of the House of Windsor.

Royal Ceremonies & rituals

London is a royal city and has preserved its ceremonies and traditions over hundreds of years. Some are every day and some are every year. The most traditional ceremonies and most popular attractions are the Trooping of the Colour and the Changing of the Guard.

Searching the Houses of Parliament.

Before every State Opening of Parliament, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars beneath the Palace of Westminster by the light of old candle-lanterns. This precaution has been undertaken every year since 1605, when the "Gunpowder Conspirators" attempted to blow up parliament on the day of the State Opening.

The State Opening of Parliament.

Dating back to Medieval London, this ceremony marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year and features peers and bishops in traditional robes and a royal procession involving the State Coach. State openings usually take place in November, or soon after a General Election.

On the day of the Opening, the Queen travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament in the Stage Coach (a gold carriage). Once the Queen arrives at Parliament the union flag is lowered and replaced by the royal standard.

The Queen, wearing her crown and ceremonial robes then processes through the Royal Gallery to take her place on the throne in the House of Lords, from where she send her messenger (Black Rod) to summon the MPs. When he arrives at the House of Commons, the door is slammed in his face, symbolizing the right of the Commons to freedom from interference. He must then knock three times to gain entry and deliver his summons.

The Queen sits on a throne in the House of Lords and reads the "Queen's Speech".

It is tradition for the monarch to open parliament in person, and The Queen has performed the ceremony in every year of her reign except for 1959 and 1963, when she was pregnant with princes Andrew and Edward respectively.

No King or Queen has entered the House of Commons since 1642, when Charles l stormed in with his soldiers and tried to arrest five members of Parliament who were there.

Ceremony of the Keys.

One of London’s most timeless ceremonies, dating back 700 years is the ceremony of the keys which takes place at the Tower of London.

At 21:53 each night the Chief Yeoman Warder of the Tower, dressed in Tudor uniform, sets off to meet the Escort of the Key dressed in the well-known Beefeater uniform. Together they tour the various gates ceremonially locking them, on returning to the Bloody Tower archway they are challenged by a sentry.

"Who goes there?"

"The Keys." answers The Chief Warder

"Whose Keys?" the sentry demands.

"Queen Elizabeth's Keys."

"Pass Queen Elizabeth's Keys. All's well."

A trumpeter then sounds the Last Post before the keys are secured in the Queen’s House.

Changing of the Guard.

Outside Buckingham Palace, you can see guardsmen dressed in their bright red uniforms and bearskin hats. the place of the "old guard". This is known as the Changing of the Guards ceremony and it dates back to 1660.

The monarch and the royal palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660.

Maundy Money.

Maundy Thursday is the day before Good Friday, at Easter. On that day the Queen gives Maundy money to a group of old people. This tradition is over 1,000 years old. At one time the king or queen washed the feet of poor, old people on Maundy Thursday, but that stopped in 1754.

Swan Upping.

On the River Thames there are hundred´s of swans and a lot of these beautiful white birds belong, traditionally, to the king of queen. In July, the Queen´s swan keeper sails up the River Thames, from London Bridge to Henley. He looks at all the young swans and marks the royal

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