Queen Elizabeth II - A Legacy.

• History
• Citizenship
• +2
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

Introduction

A lesson exploring the Legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the procedures around her state funeral.

Queen Elizabeth II,

A Legacy.

1926 - 2022

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died at Balmoral aged 96, after reigning for 70 years and 214 days.

What do you already know about the Queen?

The Royal family

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen consort Camilla

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Prince Harry

Prince William

Catherine, Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge

King Charles III

Prince Philip

01:15

How old was Queen Elizabeth at her Coronation ceremony?

1. 23
2. 27
3. 32
4. 17

01:48

Why was it so special that Queen Elizabeth had a ‘normal’ job?

04:42

What is the commonwealth and what did Queen Elizabeth have to do with it?

06:30

In the video, a few reasons are given to explain why Queen Elizabeth was so popular. Which one isn’t true?

1. She was on British stamps for decades.
2. She was known to always speak with many words.
3. She appeared in the top 10 most admirable women 52 times
4. She was very devoted to her duty as Queen

What happened next?

Let's look at a few key features of the day...

State Gun Carriage

The Queen's coffin is topped with the Royal Standard, the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign's orb and sceptre and a wreath made up of flowers and foliage chosen by the King, picked from Buckingham Palace and the King's homes of Clarence House and Highgrove.

What is a gun carriage?

The carriage, which was built at Royal Gun Factory at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, never saw service in a military action and was converted in 1896. A raised platform was added and the wheels were covered with rubber. When not in use at state funerals, the carriage is kept in a climate-controlled room at HMS Excellent, a training facility on Whale Island in Portsmouth Harbor.

Westminster Abbey

• England’s most important church and has been the site of every coronation since that of William The Conqueror in 1066.
• Some famous people buried here include the poets Chaucer, Tennyson and Browning, as well as the writers Charles Dickens and Rudyard Kipling.
• Services have been held at the site for more than a thousand years and Westminster Abbey still offers worship every day of the year.

People will travel from around the world to see the procession from Westminster Abbey, as it is seen as an important moment in British, and even world history!

The procession, led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is made up of seven groups, each with its own band. Members of the armed services from the UK and the Commonwealth, the police and the NHS are also involved.

Discussion Point: What emotions do you think people will be feeling when viewing the procession? Why?

Which church in England still offers worship every day of the year?

1. St. Paul's Cathedral
2. York Minster
3. Canterbury Cathedral
4. Westminster Abbey

How long have services been held at Westminster Abbey?

1. Eight hundred years
2. More than a thousand years
3. Five hundred years
4. Less than a hundred years

Which famous poets and writers are buried at Westminster Abbey?

1. Dickens
2. Tennyson
3. Browning
4. Chaucer

Where has every coronation since William The Conqueror in 1066 taken place?

1. Canterbury Cathedral
2. York Minster
3. Westminster Abbey
4. St. Paul's Cathedral

What is placed on top of the Queen's coffin during the State Gun Carriage?

1. Sovereign's orb
2. Royal Standard
3. Imperial State Crown
4. Sceptre

Windsor castle, continuously inhabited by 40 monarchs for almost 1,000 years, had special significance to the Queen throughout her life. As a teenager, she was sent to the castle during the war years as London faced the threat of bombing, and more recently she made it her permanent home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Windsor castle: St George's Chapel

• Attended by a smaller, more personal congregation of about 800 guests.
•  The Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign's orb and sceptre will be removed from the top of the coffin by the Crown Jeweller, separating the Queen from her crown for the final time.
•  The performance by the piper at Windsor was something the Queen had personally requested, Buckingham Palace said.

Do you have any memories of the Queen?

Do you think lots of things will change in your life now that Britain has a King?

Lots of things!

Some

Not many

Nothing

God save the King 

Diagrams and supplementary information courtesy of the BBC - bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60617519. Original lesson created by the LessonUp community.