Warm up
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- What industry do you work in and what is your role?
- What are your responses in your role / position?
- Can you describe to the function of your workplace / company?
- How many departments, how many offices. National or International?
- What are the minimum requirements for employment ie Education or Experience?
- How many opportunities are there to ‘move up the ladder’?
- What is the process for changing job roles ie Interview? Test?
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General discussion about your workweek:
- Current projects? Deadlines? Opportunities?
- Anything of interest happening?
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Script
1. When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they will “step back” from their duties as senior members of the British royal family, many members of the public in both the U.S. and the U.K. were supportive of their decision..
2. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family, and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” they wrote. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.” But the choice also raised a number of questions — not least from the rest of the royal family at Buckingham Palace, who were reportedly surprised by the announcement.
Are they cutting themselves off financially from the royal family?
3. “Financially independent” is an interesting term. Sometimes that phrase means independence from family money, but that is not what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have in mind. Rather, they mean that they will no longer receive funding through the Sovereign Grant, the British public funding that supports the official duties of the queen and maintains the palaces occupied by members of the royal family. They will now be able to work and earn income, which they are not permitted to do in their current roles.
4. But British royals have other sources of income besides the Sovereign Grant. Prince Charles is also the Duke of Cornwall. As such, he is entitled to all of the income from the Duchy of Cornwall. The Duchy had an operating surplus of nearly $30 million last year. Harry, his brother William and their wives receive millions of pounds annually from Charles. There is no indication so far that Harry intends to stop receiving these payments, but it will be up to Charles whether he decides to keep giving them.
What are they going to do for work?
5. Meghan could of course go back to her job as a television and film actress. That pays well. She also might become involved in fashion, as she has before. They will likely ramp up the foundation they created after they split off from the charity they had been supporting with Prince William and his wife Kate. In July, Harry and Meghan filed to register a trademark for their new foundation, Royal Sussex, which reportedly applies to items ranging from education to clothing.
6. They say they wish to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” — that likely means an escape from the burdens of British tabloid scrutiny and endless ribbon-cuttings, but not necessarily cutting ties to royal status.
Where will they live?
7. They say they intend to split their time between the U.K. and North America. “This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity,” they wrote.
8. Many Americans may have assumed that by North America, the Duke and Duchess meant the U.S. — Meghan’s an American, after all. But many believe the couple will instead make a home in Canada. The pair just returned from spending six weeks at an estate on Vancouver Island. That sounds nice. And they say they will continue to honor the British Commonwealth, of which Canada is a part.
Discussion
1. What is your view on the British Royal Family – what do you know about them? Who do you know?
2. Do you think it is okay for someone in Harry’s position to leave the Royal Family?
3. Has the Japanese Royal Family ever faced such problems before? What differences and similarities can you see?
Keywords
- step back = mentally withdraw from a situation in order to consider it objectively.
- intend = have (a course of action) as one’s purpose or intention; plan. design or destine something for a particular purpose.
- honour = 1. high respect; great esteem. 2. the quality of knowing and doing what is morally right.
- Commonwealth = 1.an independent country or community, especially a democratic republic. 2. an international association consisting of the UK together with states that were previously part of the British Empire, and dependencies.
- patronages = 1.the support given by a patron. 2. the power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges.
- not least = used for emphasizing the importance of a particular aspect of a situation
- Duke and Duchess of Sussex = Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several royal dukedoms, that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It takes its name from the county of Sussex in England.
- entitled = believing oneself to be inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
- surplus = 1a : the amount that remains when use or need is satisfied. b : an excess of receipts over disbursements. 2 : the excess of a corporation’s net worth over the par or stated value of its stock. surplus. adjective.
- launch =set (a boat) in motion by pushing it or allowing it to roll into the water. start or set in motion (an activity or enterprise).
- entity = a thing with distinct and independent existence.
- renovations = the action of renovating a building
- upkeep = the process of keeping something in good condition, financial or material support of a person or animal.
- upheaval =a violent or sudden change or disruption to something. an upward displacement of part of the earth’s crust.
