ROYAL FAMILY

( in Britain ) the term used to refer to the present Queen and her family: her husband, Prince Philip and their children, Prince Charles , Princess Anne , Prince Andrew and Prince Edward , together with their wives or husbands and children. The wider family, who gather on ceremonial occasions, includes the Queen’s cousins and their children. The present royal house (= ruling family) is the House of Windsor (2) and Elizabeth II is descended from William I (1066–97), and before that from Egbert, King of Wessex 802–39. The monarch or sovereign (= king or queen) originally had sole power but over time the sovereign’s powers have been reduced and, though the present Queen is still head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, she acts on the advice of her ministers and Britain is in practice governed by Her Majesty’s Government . The Queen has some official duties, such as opening a new session of Parliament and giving royal assent to new laws, but her main role is as a representative of Britain and the British people. She is also head of the Commonwealth and works to strengthen links between member countries. Other members of the royal family also represent Britain, act as patrons of British cultural organizations and support the work of charities. Through most of the 20th century, the royal family were only seen on formal occasions and remained distant and dignified, with any family problems kept private. However, at the end of the 20th century, the younger royals began to live more public lives and attracted enormous media attention, and traditional respect for the royal family began to decline. Especially after the death of Princess Diana , the Queen was criticized for her attitude and many people began to think that the royal family was out of touch with modern attitudes. Since then the royal family has tried to be more open and to meet a wider range of people. Many people in Britain have no strong feelings about the royal family and, although they might like some aspects of the monarchy to be more modern, they would not want to see any big changes.