Chris: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Chris.
Rosie: And I'm Rosie.
Chris: Rosie, have you ever heard of the island of Tonga?
Rosie: It sounds familiar, but I’m not too sure where it is.
Chris: It’s a small South Pacific island, near New Zealand. The people of Tonga are in
mourning this week as their King, George Tupou V, recently died.
Rosie: That’s very sad news. Has the funeral taken place?
Chris: Yes it has. And he was a popular king too. We’ll hear just how popular he was
in the report, but before we hear it, I have a question for you about kings and
queens – or monarchs as they are sometimes called.
Rosie: I’m fairly good with history, so let’s see if I can get your question right.
Chris: Who has been the longest-serving monarch in Europe?
a) Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
b) King Afonso I of Portugal
c) King Louis XIV of France
Rosie: I know Queen Victoria served for a long time, so I think I’ll go for A, Queen
Victoria.
Chris: OK. Well, we'll find out the answer at the end of the programme. But let’s go
back to our story about the funeral of the king of Tonga.
Rosie: I’m surprised to hear that they still have a monarchy in Tonga.
Chris: Yes, it’s the only monarchy left in the Pacific Ocean, and it is spread across
nearly 200 islands. About 100,000 people live there.
Rosie: So the king ruled over almost 200 islands – that’s a large area. It must have
been a big funeral.
Chris: Well, let’s hear BBC Correspondent Duncan Kennedy’s report from the funeral.
You’ll hear him mention ‘the late king’ but he doesn’t mean that he was late
for the funeral does it?
Rosie: No, here the word 'late' means that he has died. So when Duncan Kennedy
describes George Tupou V as 'the late king' it just means the king that has
died.
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Chris: OK, let’s take a listen. See if you can hear who also took part in the ceremony.
BBC Duncan Kennedy:
1,000 pall-bearers took part in the ceremony to carry the coffin of the late king during the
funeral ceremony. Hundreds of foreign dignitaries and thousands of other mourners were
present at the Christian burial service, many wearing woven ta'ovala grass mats around
their waists.
Rosie: The report mentioned that 1,000 pall-bearers took part in the ceremony. A
pall-bearer helps to carry the coffin. But a thousand people, how did they all
manage that?
Chris: The coffin was passed along the organised group of people, so they took
turns to carry the coffin.
Rosie: And a thousand people to carry the coffin means he really was quite popular.
Chris: Well, when he first became king in 2006, he wasn’t so popular. Many Tongan
people protested for democratic reform which led to riots in which eight
people died.
Rosie: Following these protests the king then chose to reduce his powers and let his
country have democratic elections for the first time in 2010.
Chris: So he is credited with bringing democracy to Tonga. He helped to reform his
country.
Rosie: And he even lost some of his powers when he introduced these reforms.
Chris: Yes, in a traditional and conservative country like Tonga, he achieved a lot in
a short amount of time.
Rosie: He was also an interesting character, wasn’t he?
Chris: He was. Some people even called him eccentric – which means he had some
unusual habits. See if you can hear what the next clip mentions about one of
his unusual or eccentric habits…
BBC Duncan Kennedy:
King George is credited with bringing democracy to Tonga, a country with a population of
100,000 spread over nearly 200 islands. And although he was criticised for spending too
much time out of the country his other characteristics, like driving around in a London taxi
endeared him to many of his people.
Rosie: So he drove around Tonga in a London taxi? That is quite odd.
Chris: He also wore a monocle, a piece of glass you wear over just one eye.
Wearing a monocle is quite unusual these days – most people wear glasses
over both eyes.
Rosie: But being eccentric isn’t really a bad thing is it?
Chris: No, not necessarily. As the report mentioned, the king’s unusual
characteristics endeared him to many people.
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Rosie: And to be endearing means you are regarded with affection. So he was liked
for his unusual characteristics.
Chris: Yes, absolutely.
Rosie: Now that he has died, will they keep the monarchy in Tonga?
Chris: Yes they will still maintain a monarchy. His brother will become the new king.
He’s also called George, so he will become George VI.
Rosie: So a new monarch will ascend the throne.
Chris: The late King George V of Tonga ruled for six years, but going back to the
question I asked at the beginning of the programme, which European
monarch served, or ruled, for the longest amount of time? Was it:
a) Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
b) King Afonso I of Portugal
c) King Louis XIV of France
Rosie: Ah yes. I said Queen Victoria.
Chris: You said Victoria. And you were wrong I'm afraid. The correct answer was B,
Afonso I. He ascended, or took the throne in the year 1112 and died in 1185
after a reign of 73 years.
Rosie: It rained for 73 years?
Chris: No, no. To reign - R.E.I.G.N. - or to rule for a period of time. So he ruled
Portugal for 73 years.
Rosie: That’s a long time. I can’t imagine doing the same job for 73 years.
Chris: It’s a very long time if you consider that in those days most people did not
even live beyond forty years of age. So on that note, Rosie, please could you
remind us of today's words?
Rosie: Of course. They are:
mourning
monarchs
pall-bearers
took turns
to reform
eccentric
monocle
endearing
ascend
reign
Chris: Thanks very much Rosie. And that's all we've got time for today. Bye for now.
Rosie: Bye.
