The Royal Family The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the king or queen is the head of state. Currently, this is Queen Elizabeth II. Nevertheless, the monarch has very little power and can rule only with the support of the parliament. Members of the royal family are known both by the name of the royal house, and by name. Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926, she is the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria (1819-1901). In 1947, Queen Elizabeth II married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Queen Elizabeth's husband, son of Prince of Greece Andrew and one of the great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Now he is called Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh have four children. Queen Elizabeth II and her children are known as the house and family of Windsor. Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of the royal family. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer. They have two sons, Prince William and Prince Henry. The Queen's grandchildren bear the name Mountbatten-Windsor, although the royal family remains officially the House of Windsor. In 2011, Queen Elizabeth's elder grandson, Prince William, married Miss Catherine Middleton. Now they have the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.