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AMERICAN school kids Wednesday 15 October dipped into the wise pools of wisdom here at LondonNet in a specially arranged live link up. (click here for full story)
The answers to the Di Quiz
1. Where does the Windsor family originate? How far back? What family did they succeed?
The Royal Family can trace their ancestory back over a thousand
years. The name Windsor however was introduced in 1917 during
the First World War. Previously the family had been the House
of Hannover from Saxe Coburg.
(click here for full
list of questions)
2. What do the Queen & her husband do all day long?
The Queen and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,
start the day opening their mail. Later on they spend their day
performing their "Royal Duties", such as attending
ceremonies, visiting schools and hospitals.
They also visit other countries, particularly in the Commonwealth,
to promote goodwill.
(click here for full
list of questions)
3. When did the King & Queen lose their original power?
In 1215 when King John signed the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta,
which is on display in the British Museum, London, reduced the
King's powers. Over the centuries the Monarch's role has become
more and more ceremonial.
(click here for full
list of questions)
4. How much does the Queen get paid?
Good question! The bulk of The Queen's wealth derives from
her land interests. The value of her "real estate"
and other possesions such as antiques, pictures and jewellery
are reputed to make her the richest woman in the world.
(click here for full
list of questions)
5. What is Princess Diana's Lineage? I've heard that her family has a longer line of royalty than the Windsor's. Is that true? How can that be? Why does her brother live in South Africa?
Diana, Princess of Wales, could trace her ancestory back to
King Henry VII who was a Prince from Wales, aka Henry Tudor.
So Diana and Prince Charles were very, very , distant cousins.
Diana's brother went to South Africa to avoid the media prying
into his private-life.
(click here for full
list of questions)
6. What is a 'Blue Blood"? How do you become one? How distantly can one be?
Blue blood is royal blood - you cannot become one unless you
are born one.
(click here for full
list of questions)
7. Will Charles automatically become King or is it Possible of William to be so chosen? How is it decided?
Prince Charles will automaticaly become King unless he abdicates
(gives up the throne).
(click here for full
list of questions)
8. Why does Britain still retain a monarchy?
Because the majority of the the people in the United Kingdom
want one.
(click here for full
list of questions)
9. Why does the Prime Meridian run through Greenwich, England? Why did England get to be 0 degrees longitude?
Greenwich was chosen as the Prime Meridien (the median point
of Longitude) in 1884. The need for a central point for calculating
time became more crucial in the 19th century as transportation
became faster and faster. Greenwich was the home of the Admiralty
(the Royal Navy's headquarters) and the Royal Observatory which
straddled the line between the western and eastern hemispheres.
(click here for full
list of questions)
10. Describe Parliament. How is it different from the U.S. Congress?
Unlike the U.S. Congress the British Parliament was not the creation of Constitutional writers (the "Founding Fathers"). Our Parliament has evolved over many years.
Your Congress has two houses; House of Senate and House of
Representatives, ours also has two although they are named differently;
House of Commons and House of Lords. We have many different political
parties sitting in our Parliament, with three big ones dominating:
Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat. Your politicians serve
fixed terms, our "Members of Parliament" or "M.P.s"
serve until the Queen is requested to call an election by the
Prime Minister. The maximum term is 5 years, there is no minimum.
(click here for full
list of questions)
11. Is retirement by the King or Queen strictly voluntary?
Yes...unless you were the French monarch in 1789!
(click here for full
list of questions)
12. Do the English have any unusual customs that Americans would find strange?
We eat pizzas with a knife and fork. We drive on the left
hand side of the road. We call daipers, "nappies".
We call an elevator a "lift". You go to the restroom
or the john, we go to the "loo" or the "toilet".
(click here for full
list of questions)
13. Was Diana going to marry that Egyptian Prince?
Dodi Fayed was not an Arab Prince. Nobody will ever know if
they would have married, but Dodi had bought Diana a beautiful
ring just before the tragedy.
(click here for full
list of questions)
14. Does the King or Queen have any official duties or responsibilities that they absolutely have to do?
The Queen opens Parliament, meets foreign Heads of State and
meets the Prime Minister (head of the Government) once a week
to discuss matters of State.
(click here for full
list of questions)
15. Does the United Kingdom have a written constitution like America has?
Yes, but it was not written in one go like the U.S.A.s. Rather
like the way your Constitutional Amendments have slowly built
upon your original Constitution, the English Constitution has
been built up piece by piece over the centuries. Your Founding
Fathers were inspired by the best of the English system and the
ideas of French philosophers.
(click here for full
list of questions)
