Why royal family

He had been married to the Queen for 73 years and was the longest serving royal consort in British history. She has ruled for longer than any other British monarch. She is also the head of state for 15 other Commonwealth countries. The year-old monarch and her late husband, Prince Philip, have four children, eight grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

Someone who marries a royal becomes a member of the Royal Family, and they are given a title when they marry. However, to become the monarch, you must have been born into the Royal Family. Prince Charles is first in line to the throne. Royal weddings often take place at some of the oldest and grandest places, and attract huge crowds. More than six decades later, in , crowds lined the streets outside the Abbey to celebrate the marriage of her grandson William, to Catherine Middleton. They became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Other royals have exchanged vows at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, which is more than years old. Politicians come and go, but over the generations a successful royal family creates a sense of human continuity at the heart of a society.

People get to know their royals — the ones they look up to and the ones they do not. From to , for example, Princess Diana , the maverick Princess of Wales, topped many of the royal popularity polls — not just in Britain, but all over the world.

Want to know even more about the real events from history that inspired the drama? Read more from the experts…. This paid for more than 3, royal engagements at home and abroad, with over , guests being welcomed at royal palaces for events like garden parties and investitures. That is a lot of money, but in alone more than 2. Enter your email address now to receive news, features, podcasts and more. Thanks for signing up to receive our royal newsletter.

Manage your newsletter preferences now. By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra's terms and conditions. You can unsubscribe at any time. In , at the height of the bitter and deadly First World War against Germany and its allies, King George V decided that all these treble-barrelled names and German titles sounded unpatriotic.

He subsequently renamed the family after the English market town where they spent their weekends — Windsor, 25 miles west of London on the River Thames in Berkshire. Lacey agrees. Whatever you say about them, they play an enormous role in British charitable life. The promise of getting a knighthood from the Queen is a massive boost to philanthropy.

The point is, for many centuries royalty could cite divine right as justification for its existence. When that began to fade, deference remained strong. Nowadays its authority derives, and suffers, from a host of functions, from the mundanely ceremonial to the arcanely constitutional.

But perhaps its most vital, or engaging, role is the one it least likes or wants: that of a live-action soap opera. You only have to look atthe viewing figures for the Oprah interview to recognise the appeal of familial discord as a communal event. And nor was he wrong about the co-dependent but stifling embrace in which the royal family and the tabloid press are locked.

Where Harry loses perspective is in his conviction, widely shared among his family, that they should be left alone to get on with doing good works. Born: The Prince of Wales is the Queen's eldest son and first in line to the throne. The couple had two sons, William and Harry. They later separated and their marriage was dissolved in On 31 August , the princess was killed in a car crash in Paris. As heir to the throne, his main duties are to support the Queen in her royal commitments.

Prince William is the elder son of the Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is second in line to the throne. The duke was 15 when his mother died. The couple were married in On his 21st birthday he was appointed a Counsellor of State - standing in for the Queen on official occasions.

He and his wife had their first child, George, in July , their second, Charlotte, in and third, Louis, in He also worked part-time for two years as a co-pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance alongside his royal duties. He left the role in July to take on more royal duties on behalf of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. Prince William was present for the birth of his son, who weighed 8lb 6oz 3. He started primary school in September Prince George is third in line to the throne , after his father and grandfather.

The Duke of Cambridge was present for the birth of the 8lb 3oz 3. The duke and duchess named her Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Prince Harry trained at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and went on to become a lieutenant in the Army, serving as a helicopter pilot.

During his 10 years in the Armed Forces, Capt Wales, as he became known, saw active service in Afghanistan twice, in to as an Apache helicopter co-pilot and gunner. He left the Army in and now focuses on charitable work, including conservation in Africa and organising the Invictus Games for injured members of the armed forces. He has been a Counsellor of State since his 21st birthday and stood in for the Queen on official duties.

In January , the royal couple said they would step back as "senior" royals and divide their time between the UK and North America. They said they intended to "work to become financially independent".

Just over a year later, Buckingham Palace confirmed the couple would not be returning to royal duties, and would give up their honorary military appointments and royal patronages.