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Elizabeth II (1926-2022)


Queen Elizabeth II died last Friday, September 8th, and was immediately succeeded by her son King Charles III. Her death started a mourning period in the United Kingdom, in the Commonwealth realm -the countries where the monarch is the head of state, in the wider Commonwealth of Nations, which includes republics like India, Pakistan, South-Africa, Nigeria, Kenya or Tanzania, and in the world at large.

The Queen's death has prompted a deluge of speeches and articles about the Crown. Former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, paid tribute to her Majesty the Queen in the House of Commons, with a solemn, personal and emotional speech (8:25), which describes with brilliance and a touch of humour, the feelings of the British people towards their deceased monarch and her role in the British Constitutional system.  This memorable speech can be watched with subtitles and it is suitable for C1 students. Here you can find very rich English words and collocations like [cameras] start rolling, to choke up, to be moved to tears, to be overcome with sadness, countless [people], a sense of loss, changeless, unvarying, in a pole star radiance, to be lulled into [thinking], a keener [shock], to be globally trusted, currency, to dispense [justice], to pass [a law], to swear allegiance, to be pledged, to lay down [their lives], the figurehead, the keystone, to fulfill a role, to incarnate [the essence of the nation], sheer [duration], to see off [her 14th Prime Minister], the span, a statesman, to cheer up [the nation], a smash hit, indomitability, an outrider, an armour-plated convoy, a bodyguard, to bounce, a rambler, seamlessly, grief.

In Washington, Tom Nagorski, Global Editor of Grid News, reflected upon the popularity of the Queen and the future of the Monarchy in the article "Queen Elizabeth II was beloved. The monarchy isn't. What does that mean for King Charles III?". This long and reflective text is recommended for C1 students too. Here, you can find interesting words like: the newly minted [Prime Minister], [a subject] arises, frail health, policy, a reign, to greet, to prompt [a question], to approve of [the monarchy], to succeed [her] to the throne, profoundly unsettling, to bow, to assume the throne, to buffet, quaint [and dated], preposterous, scrappy, brass, [utterly] at odds, pageantry, the trappings [of royalty], to be battered, suffice to say, realms [of newsprint], to grasp [the moment], to shed tears, a vigil, [her] passing, a landmark, to ascend [to the thorne], at the helm, fixture, turmoil, steady, a daunting [crisis], a staple, the run-up [to the war], to throng [the celebrations], [the number of subjects] to dwindle, a diverse [country], to cheer [the monarchy], to mourn [the Queen], to struggle [to understand], to thrive [by dividing], a poll, skeptic [of the monarchy], to be born [into a family], disgraceful, to outrank, a survey, a runaway [winner], a much-revered [ruler], a few month's shy [of  Elizabeth's reign], to bring concerns [about the Thai monarchy], [concerns] to simmer [below the surface], a thread, an obituary, to deprive [Britain of a thread that wove a nation together], [flags] at half-mast, [ceremonies] to unspool, [a bell] to toll, unease, [political] upheaval, an outpouring [of tributes], to take heart.


If you want to hear more tributes to the late Queen, you can check this link on BBC Sounds, Reflections on Majesty, where major novelists, historians and scholars talk about Elizabeth II.

Finally, you can watch the full BBC News broadcast of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on YouTube in Spain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8xwqi_9GDs), but for copyright reasons, it is not possible to reproduce an operating link here. The video report is over 9 hours long (9:09:38), with voice over commentary and no subtitles, which makes it suitable for B2 students and above.

The setting, the rituals, the symbolism, the music, the solemnity of the processions make this visual document a truly awe-inspiring, mourning ceremony of the British Monarchy.
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