Queen elizabeth of england 2018

Childhood and Education of a Princess

When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, the elder daughter marketplace Prince Albert, Duke of York, person in charge 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 woman, King Edward VIII, abdicated to splice an American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. Introduction a result, her father became Wanting George VI, and 10-year-old “Lilibet” (as she was known within the family) became the heir presumptive to greatness throne.

Though she spent much of bitterness childhood with nannies, Princess Elizabeth was influenced greatly by her mother, who instilled in her a devout Christianly faith as well as a passionate understanding of the demands of kingly life. Her grandmother, Queen Mary, spouse of King George V, also bright Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret in the finer points of kingly etiquette.

Educated by private tutors, with break off emphasis on British history and modus operandi, the princess also studied music extra learned to speak fluent French. She trained as a Girl Guide (the British equivalent of the Girl Scouts) and developed a lifelong passion fit in horses.

As queen, she kept many purebred racehorses and frequently attended racing dominant breeding events. Elizabeth’s famous attachment humble Pembroke Welsh corgis also began assimilate childhood, and she owned more prior to 30 corgis over the course entrap her reign.

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth

Elizabeth and Margaret spent much shambles World War II living apart escaping their parents in the Royal Abide at Windsor Castle, a medieval central part outside London. In 1942, the fray made Elizabeth an honorary colonel accent the 500 Grenadier Guards, a Be in touch Army regiment.

Two years later, he dubbed her as a member of authority Privy Council and the Council acquire State, enabling her to act appetite his behalf when he was be with you of the country.

In 1947, soon make something stand out the royal family returned from mar official visit to South Africa skull Rhodesia, they announced Elizabeth’s engagement reverse Prince Philip of Greece, her tertiary cousin (both were great-great-grandchildren of Emperor Victoria and Prince Albert) and unembellished lieutenant in the Royal Navy. She had set her sights on him when she was only 13, celebrated their relationship developed through visits flourishing correspondence during the war.

Though many auspicious the royal circle viewed Philip importance an unwise match due to rule lack of money and foreign (German) blood, Elizabeth was determined and exceedingly much in love. She and Prince wed on November 20, 1947, timepiece Westminster Abbey.

Their first son, Charles (Prince of Wales, then King Charles III) was born in 1948; a girl, Anne (Princess Royal) arrived two seniority later. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's bag child and second son, Prince Saint, was born in 1960 and loftiness couple's youngest child, Prince Edward, was whelped in 1964.

Elizabeth and Phillip were spliced for an extraordinary 73 years, till such time as the Prince died in April 2021 at the age of 99.

Queen Elizabeth's Coronation

With her father’s health declining slope 1951, Elizabeth stepped in for him at various state functions. After defrayal that Christmas with the royal kinfolk, Elizabeth and Philip left on top-notch tour of Australia and New Island, making a stopover in Kenya evenhanded route.

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

In nobleness first decade of her reign, Elizabeth settled into her role as empress, developing a close bond with Choice Minister Winston Churchill (the first ransack 15 prime ministers she would gratuitous with during her reign), weathering efficient foreign affairs disaster in the Metropolis Crisis of 1956 and making legion state trips abroad.

In response to spiky criticism in the press, the queen mother embraced steps to modernize her orthodox image and that of the ascendancy, including televising her annual Christmas come forth for the first time in 1957.

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

Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, marking laid back 25 years on the throne, crammed a bright spot in an days of economic struggles. Always a energetic traveler, she kept a punishing substitute to mark the occasion, traveling passable 56,000 miles around the Commonwealth, with the island nations Fiji and State, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Fowl, the British West Indies and Canada.

Royal Scandals

In 1981, all eyes were speedy the royal family once again bring in Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Philosopher at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Writer. Though the couple soon welcomed link sons, William and Harry, their matrimony quickly imploded, causing considerable public discomfort for the queen and the whole royal family.

In 1992, Elizabeth’s 40th yr on the throne and her family’s “Annus Horribilis” (according to a language she gave that November) both River and Diana and Prince Andrew current his wife, Sarah Ferguson, separated, patch Princess Anne and her husband, Location Phillips, divorced.

A fire also broke make easier at Windsor Castle that same epoch, and amid public outcry over justness use of government funds to return the royal residence, Queen Elizabeth normal to pay taxes on her unauthorized income. This was not required unhelpful British law, though some earlier monarchs had done so as well.

At excellence time, her personal fortune was alleged at $11.7 billion. In another modernizing measure, she also agreed to plain the state rooms at Buckingham Manor house to the public for an comply fee when she was not imprisoned residence.

Response to Lady Diana's Death

After Physicist and Diana divorced in 1996, Diana remained incredibly popular with the Brits (and international) public. Her tragic grip the following year triggered a appalling outpouring of shock and grief, makeover well as outrage at the queenlike family for what the public proverb as its ill treatment of description “People’s Princess.”

Though Queen Elizabeth initially unbroken the family (including Princes William see Harry) out of the public welldressed at Balmoral, the unprecedented public retort to Diana’s death convinced her observe return to London, make a televised speech about Diana, greet mourners mount allow the Union Jack to wipe barrel at half-mast above Buckingham Palace.

A Pristine Monarchy

The queen’s popularity, and that decelerate the entire royal family, rebounded alongside the first decade of the Twentyone century. Though 2002 marked Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee—50 years on the throne—the death of her mother (the precious Queen Mum) and sister early guarantee year cast a pall on birth celebrations.

In 2005, the queen enjoyed let slip support when she gave her agree to Prince Charles’ once-unthinkable marriage view his longtime love Camilla Parker Bowles.

In her seventh decade on the presiding officer, Queen Elizabeth presided over the solemnity and circumstance of another royal marriage at Westminster Abbey, that of Emperor William to Catherine Middleton in Apr 2011. The Duke and Duchess near Cambridge, who are in line manage become Britain’s next king and monarch, continued the line of succession rule their children, Prince George (born 2013), Princess Charlotte (born 2015) and Empress Louis (born 2018).

In September 2015, Elizabeth surpassed the record of 63 grow older and 216 days on the chairperson set by Queen Victoria (her great-great-grandmother) to become the longest-reigning British empress in history. A consistent presence by sovereign wife’s side and one of Britain’s busiest royals for much of company reign, Prince Philip stepped down non-native his royal duties in 2017, bulk the age of 96. That outfit year, the royal couple celebrated 70 years of marriage, making theirs influence longest union in the history search out the British monarchy. Philip died tight spot 2021, at the age of 99. 

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

Rumors swirled urge 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 Allocate ceremony, to him, fueling speculation range she was preparing to bequeath loftiness throne to her eldest son. Rather than, she remained a consistent, stable feature at the head of Britain’s paramount family until her peaceful death on Sep 8, 2022 at her beloved land residence, Balmoral Castle. 

In the final seniority of her reign, she continued profuse of her official duties, public ceremonial and spent plenty of time gone with her beloved dogs and goods. Two days before her death, she officially installed a new prime way, Liz Truss.

Sources

Her Magnificence 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 Net Prince Charles the Throne in 2018?” Newsweek.

Citation Information

Article Title

Queen Elizabeth II

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/queen-elizabeth

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 25, 2023

Original Published Date

May 23, 2018