Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in London, England, the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York. Her father was King George V’s second son. In 1936, her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne, and her father was crowned King George VI, establishing her as the heir presumptive at the age of 10. She was educated at home, first by her governess and later by private tutors, such as the Vice-Provost of Eton College. After her father ascended the throne, her studies focused mainly on constitutional history and law, preparing her for her future role as Queen of England.
At the height of the Blitz on London during WW2, the princess and her sister Margaret moved to Windsor Castle. There, she had her first radio broadcast, addressing children like her who had been evacuated from their homes and separated from their families. She began to take on royal duties and accompany her parents on official visits, and in 1943, she made her first public appearance inspecting the troops. When she turned 18, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, training alongside other British women to serve as driver and mechanic; she was the first woman in the royal family to become an active member of the Armed Forces.
On her 21st birthday, on her first tour overseas, she addressed the British Commonwealth in a radio broadcast and pledged to devote her life to public service:
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”
Elizabeth first met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, when she was 8, and then again at 11. After their third meeting in 1939, they kept in touch and eventually fell in love. Despite her father’s disapproval (since Prince Philip was foreign-born, had no financial means, and one of his sisters was married to a German with Nazi connections), the couple married at Westminster Abbey on November 20th, 1947. The country was still recovering from the war, and Elizabeth, like most brides at the time, collected war ration coupons to pay for her wedding gown. Following the wedding, her husband took her name of Windsor, so their future children will carry the surname of the British royal family. The couple moved to Windlesham Moor and later to Clarence House in London, where in 1948, she gave birth to her first child Prince Charles. Two years later, her second child, Princess Anne, was born.
In 1951, George VI’s health declined, and Elizabeth often took his place in public events and state occasions. While she and Prince Philip toured Australia and New Zealand, on February 6th, 1952, while on a stop in Kenya, her father died, and she became the queen. The young monarch immediately undertook all of her father’s routine duties but took some time to mourn and recover before being coronated. The coronation ceremony took place on November 4th, 1952, in Westminster Abbey; for the first time, it was broadcast on television, allowing people worldwide to witness the historic event.
In 1953, the Queen and the Duke embarked on a six-month world tour of the Commonwealth, marking the first visit of a reigning British monarch to Australia and New Zealand. It was the first of hundreds of visits she took throughout her reign, becoming the most widely traveled head of state. She made many historical visits along the way, including the first royal tour to the Indian subcontinent in 50 years she did in 1961, the visit to West Germany post WW2 in 1965, the first reigning British monarch to visit South America in 1968, and the first to travel to the Republic of Ireland in 100 years in 2011.
As a sovereign, the queen had many constitutional and representational duties, including hosting Heads of State and the annual garden parties for the people of Britain and the Commonwealth, confirming and awarding honorary titles, opening the session of Parliament, and supporting charities. She was the patron of over 600 charities and organizations, estimated to help raise more than £1.4 billion.
By 2008, Queen Elizabeth surpassed Queen Victoria to become the longest-lived British monarch; on September 9th, 2015, she became the world’s longest-reigning British monarch, longest-reigning queen, and female head of state.
During her 70 years of reign, she suffered many personal and political turmoils that affected her popularity and almost jeopardized the future of the monarchy, including the mining disaster in Wales in 1966, the recession of the early 80s, her delayed response to Princess Diana’s death, and various scandals made by her children. Still, in many ways, she was the symbol of England, admired by the English people, and deeply appreciated by leaders worldwide, as proven by the deep sorrow and the great respect she received when she passed away on September 8th, 2022, at the age of 96.
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