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quality paper : A daily or Sunday newspaper that aims at the educated reader. Quality papers contain detailed news coverage and comment, authoritative editorials, a wide range of topical features written by experts in their field, arts and literary reviews and much professional advertising. The three Sunday quality papers have an accompanying colour supplement, with many photographs and advertisements. The daily quality papers are the Daily Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Independent and the Times. The Sunday quality papers are the Sunday Telegraph, the Observer and the Sunday Times. Compare popular paper.

QE2, the (Queen Elizabeth 2, the) : A large liner built to operate as a cruise liner in the winter and as a passenger liner between Southampton and New York in the summer. The ship was launched in 1967 and entered service in 1969.

queen : The title of the female sovereign (see )and at present that of Queen Elizabeth II. The queen is the official head of state, the head of the legal system of Britain, the commander-in-chief if all armed forces and the head of the Church of England. Many important government processes require the participation of the queen, including the dissolution of Parliament. Several bills, too, require her official approval, called 'royal assent'. She also gives many important honours and awards, mostly on the advice of the Prime Minister, although she herself personally selects the people who receive the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, the Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order. By convention she invites the leader of the party winning a general election to form a government. In international affairs, the queen has the power to declare war and make peace, as well as to recognise foreign states and governments, conclude treaties and annex or cede territories. (e.g. cf. NI.) The queen also appoints ministers, judges, diplomats, and bishops in the Church of England. She also had the power to remit all or part of a sentence passed on a criminal ('royal pardon').

Queen Elizabeth II : Queen Elizabeth II was born on Wednesday, April 21^st, 1926, and has been queen since 1952. Among her many royal duties are the regular visits she makes to foreign countries, and especially those of the Commonwealth, whose interest are very important to her. The Queen has done much to simplify the formalities of the monarchy, including allowing the BBC to make an unprecedented documentary film about the everyday life of the royal family. She also instituted the tradition of the 'walkabout', when she walks along the public crowds and stops to talk to people when on a visit somewhere. The Queen has long been regarded with considerable respect and affection by many of her subjects. The Queen's husband is the Duke of Edinburgh, and her four children are the Prince of Wales (born 1948), Princess Anne (1950), Prince Andrew (1960) and Prince Edward (1964). The Queen's mother is Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother : The mother of Queen Elizabeth and widow of King George VI who died in 1952. The Queen Mother (who was born on August 4^th, 1900) is a very popular member of the royal family, greatly respected for her sympathy for and interest in her people. She holds many honorary titles, both civilian and military, and is still remembered by many for the morale-raising visits she made to many parts of Britain with her husband, during the Second World War.

Queen Victoria : The queen who had the longest reign in British history and who did much to make the monarchy respectable after the unpopular reigns of a number of monarchs. Queen Victoria (1819-1901) came to be the unique symbol of the British monarchy in modern times, with a high sense of duty and loyalty to her people and a genuine sympathy for her poorer subjects. She came to the throne in 1837, and three years later married her cousin, Albert. After her husband's death in 1861, she mourned him constantly, and although at first her tragic widowhood attracted public affection and sympathy, her continual avoidance of public appearances made her less popular with her people. The adjective 'Victorian', which had come to be used in her lifetime to mean 'flourishing', 'potentially great', came to acquire the sense of 'over-strict', 'censorious', much as it means today. Victoria herself, too, is now remembered as a humourless, unsmiling queen (she is said to have replied 'We are not amused' when a groom playfully imitated her), instead of the happy, dutiful and popular sovereign and mother she had originally been.

Queen's speech (the) : The speech made by the sovereign at the opening of a session of Parliament, in which the government outlines its planned programme, and the policies it intends to follow. The speech is prepared by the Prime Minister of the government in power. All the MPs and all the Lords are gathered in one room of the House of Lords for the occasion.

Robin Hood : A semi-legendary outlaw hero of English and Scottish ballads, said to have lived in the 12^th or 13^th century. He is still popular for his life-long policy of taking from the rich (by force if necessary) and giving to the poor. According to tradition, he lived with his ' Merry Men' (companions) in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire.

Rolling Stones : Together with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones where one of the most important British pop groups of the 1960s. The group formed in 1963, and the initial established line-up was Mick Jagger (vocals) (born 1943), Keith Richard (guitar, vocals) (1943), Brian Jones (guitar, vocals) (1942-1969), Bill Wyman (bass) (1936) and Charlie Watts (drums) (1941). The group arose from the member's mutual interest in blues and rhythm and blues,. The Rolling Stones were deliberately brash, anti-establishment and provocative. Their public behaviour was severely criticised by some sections of the media for their alleged decadence. This 'shock effect' was precisely what they wished to achieve, and their powerful music was a major factor in the development of Britain's alternative society. The group's most popular hits were 'Satisfaction' in 1965 and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' in 1968.

Royal Family :