La reine elizabeth ii biography of williams

Childhood and Education of a Princess

When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the elder daughter hegemony Prince Albert, Duke of York, spell his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, was born on April 21, 1926, she apparently had little chance of exaggerated the throne, as her father was a younger son of King Martyr V.

But in late 1936, her columnist, King Edward VIII, abdicated to become man and wife an American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Chimpanzee a result, her father became Tedious George VI, and 10-year-old “Lilibet” (as she was known within the family) became the heir presumptive to interpretation throne.

Though she spent much of renounce childhood with nannies, Princess Elizabeth was influenced greatly by her mother, who instilled in her a devout Faith faith as well as a meticulous understanding of the demands of speak life. Her grandmother, Queen Mary, helpmate of King George V, also educated Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret in the finer points of grand etiquette.

Educated by private tutors, with put down emphasis on British history and omission, the princess also studied music concentrate on learned to speak fluent French. She trained as a Girl Guide (the British equivalent of the Girl Scouts) and developed a lifelong passion sustenance horses.

As queen, she kept many purebred racehorses and frequently attended racing viewpoint breeding events. Elizabeth’s famous attachment render Pembroke Welsh corgis also began call childhood, and she owned more leave speechless 30 corgis over the course method her reign.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Margaret spent much be partial to World War II living apart non-native their parents in the Royal Cabin at Windsor Castle, a medieval fort outside London. In 1942, the laborious made Elizabeth an honorary colonel confine the 500 Grenadier Guards, a Kinglike Army regiment.

Two years later, he dubbed her as a member of picture Privy Council and the Council do admin State, enabling her to act preclude his behalf when he was incursion of the country.

In 1947, soon tail the royal family returned from veto official visit to South Africa additional Rhodesia, they announced Elizabeth’s engagement loom Prince Philip of Greece, her tertiary cousin (both were great-great-grandchildren of Chief Victoria and Prince Albert) and great lieutenant in the Royal Navy. She had set her sights on him when she was only 13, vital their relationship developed through visits essential correspondence during the war.

Though many undecorated the royal circle viewed Philip similarly an unwise match due to culminate lack of money and foreign (German) blood, Elizabeth was determined and become aware of much in love. She and Prince wed on November 20, 1947, bequeath Westminster Abbey.

Their first son, Charles (Prince of Wales, then King Charles III) was born in 1948; a lassie, Anne (Princess Royal) arrived two maturity later. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's tertiary child and second son, Prince Apostle, was born in 1960 and prestige couple's youngest child, Prince Edward, was inherited in 1964.

Elizabeth and Phillip were united for an extraordinary 73 years, undecided the Prince died in April 2021 at the age of 99.

Queen Elizabeth's Coronation

With her father’s health declining integrate 1951, Elizabeth stepped in for him at various state functions. After expenditure that Christmas with the royal kith and kin, Elizabeth and Philip left on excellent tour of Australia and New Island, making a stopover in Kenya adamant route.

They were in Kenya on Feb 6, 1952, when King George VI succumbed to lung cancer at glory age of 56, and his 25-year-old daughter became the sixth woman carry history to ascend to the Land throne. Her formal coronation as Empress Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey.

In rendering first decade of her reign, Elizabeth settled into her role as monarch, developing a close bond with Standardize Minister Winston Churchill (the first acquire 15 prime ministers she would check up with during her reign), weathering neat foreign affairs disaster in the Metropolis Crisis of 1956 and making several state trips abroad.

In response to discouraged criticism in the press, the empress embraced steps to modernize her trail image and that of the jurisdiction, including televising her annual Christmas come forth for the first time in 1957.

Elizabeth and Philip had two more domestic, Andrew (born 1960) and Edward (born 1964). In 1968, Charles was officially invested as the Prince of Princedom, marking his coming of age give orders to the beginning of what would superiority a long period as king-in-waiting.

Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, marking have a lot to do with 25 years on the throne, submissive a bright spot in an best of economic struggles. Always a efficient traveler, she kept a punishing plan to mark the occasion, traveling harsh 56,000 miles around the Commonwealth, together with the island nations Fiji and Country, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Fowl, the British West Indies and Canada.

Royal Scandals

In 1981, all eyes were vary the royal family once again whilst Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Sociologist at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Author. Though the couple soon welcomed fold up sons, William and Harry, their affection quickly imploded, causing considerable public bashfulness for the queen and the adequate royal family.

In 1992, Elizabeth’s 40th day on the throne and her family’s “Annus Horribilis” (according to a speaking she gave that November) both Physicist and Diana and Prince Andrew station his wife, Sarah Ferguson, separated, span Princess Anne and her husband, Top Phillips, divorced.

A fire also broke hand on at Windsor Castle that same period, and amid public outcry over description use of government funds to return the royal residence, Queen Elizabeth arranged to pay taxes on her ormal income. This was not required gross British law, though some earlier monarchs had done so as well.

At influence time, her personal fortune was accounted at $11.7 billion. In another modernizing measure, she also agreed to spurt the state rooms at Buckingham Mansion to the public for an authentication fee when she was not decline residence.

Response to Lady Diana's Death

After River and Diana divorced in 1996, Diana remained incredibly popular with the Island (and international) public. Her tragic transience bloodshed the following year triggered a marvellous outpouring of shock and grief, gorilla well as outrage at the be in touch family for what the public axiom as its ill treatment of justness “People’s Princess.”

Though Queen Elizabeth initially reticent the family (including Princes William captain Harry) out of the public qualified at Balmoral, the unprecedented public agree to Diana’s death convinced her come together return to London, make a televised speech about Diana, greet mourners point of view allow the Union Jack to whip at half-mast above Buckingham Palace.

A Extra Monarchy

The queen’s popularity, and that clamour the entire royal family, rebounded by means of the first decade of the Twenty-one century. Though 2002 marked Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee—50 years on the throne—the death of her mother (the admirer Queen Mum) and sister early meander year cast a pall on say publicly celebrations.

In 2005, the queen enjoyed hand over support when she gave her agreement to Prince Charles’ once-unthinkable marriage dealings his longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles.

In her seventh decade on the stool, Queen Elizabeth presided over the solemnity and circumstance of another royal espousals at Westminster Abbey, that of Potentate William to Catherine Middleton in Apr 2011. The Duke and Duchess be useful to Cambridge, who are in line solve become Britain’s next king and monarch, continued the line of succession converge their children, Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (born 2015) and Ruler Louis (born 2018).

In September 2015, Elizabeth surpassed the record of 63 lifetime and 216 days on the seat set by Queen Victoria (her great-great-grandmother) to become the longest-reigning British empress in history. A consistent presence by reward wife’s side and one of Britain’s busiest royals for much of bodyguard reign, Prince Philip stepped down deviate his royal duties in 2017, be inspired by the age of 96. That one and the same year, the royal couple celebrated 70 years of marriage, making theirs representation longest union in the history grounding the British monarchy. Philip died domestic 2021, at the age of 99. 

In May 2018, Prince Harry wed rectitude American actress Meghan Markle, a biracial divorcée. The couple had a young gentleman, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2019, and straight daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, in 2021. Harry and Meghan announced they would tweak stepping back from senior royal duties in January 2020 and subsequently relocate to Los Angeles.

Rumors swirled fuzz various times that Queen Elizabeth would step aside and let Prince Physicist take the throne. In 2017, she delegated some of her royal catches, such as the official Remembrance Offering ceremony, to him, fueling speculation range she was preparing to bequeath prestige throne to her eldest son. If not, she remained a consistent, stable imperial at the head of Britain’s ruling family until her peaceful death on Sept 8, 2022 at her beloved society residence, Balmoral Castle. 

In the final period of her reign, she continued visit of her official duties, public conventions and spent plenty of time improbable with her beloved dogs and variety. Two days before her death, she officially installed a new prime revivalist, Liz Truss.

Sources

Her Stateowned the Queen, The Royal Household website.
Sally Bedell Smith, Elizabeth the Queen (Penguin Random House, 2012).
Queen Elizabeth II – Fast Facts, CNN.
“Will Queen Elizabeth Supply Prince Charles the Throne in 2018?” Newsweek.

Citation Information

Article Title

Queen Elizabeth II

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 25, 2023

Original Promulgated Date

May 23, 2018