The Queen

On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday. The video zooms in on the special relationship between the Queen and the many American presidents she has met.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• first ever - very first
• capital - the most important city or town of a country
• to be the host - to be the person, organization, country, etc. which receives guests
• bicentennial - a 200th anniversary or its celebration
• knighthood - the rank or title of a knight
• honorary knighthood - a special kind of knighthood appointed to citizens of nations where Queen Elizabeth II is not Head of State
• occupant - a person who is using or living in a particular building, apartment, room, etc.
• monarch - a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a kingdom or empire

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.



The video starts with Elizabeth’s visit to the US in 1951. In that year, Harry Truman was president of the United States. Here’s a list of the 11 presidents following Truman:

• Dwight Eisenhower
• John F. Kennedy
• Lyndon Johnson
• Richard Nixon
• Gerald Ford
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan
• George H.W. Bush
• Bill Clinton
• George W. Bush
• Barack Obama

1. Create a presidential timeline for the rest of the video.


2. Copy the presidents’ names on a blank sheet of paper. Leave plenty of white space in between for your notes. 


3. For each president, write down 2 or 3 bits of information. For example, in which year Queen Elizabeth met them, any special detail surrounding the visit, et cetera. 


4. Watch the video once more to check your notes and if necessary add some details.