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Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 - 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 different sovereign states in the course of her reign, and served as monarch of 15 of them at the time of her death.[a] Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state. Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, and their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in April 2021. They had four children: Charles III; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth-then 25 years old-became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. Her many historic visits and meetings include state visits to China in 1986, Russia in 1994, the Republic of Ireland in 2011, and visits with five Popes. Significant events include Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively. Elizabeth was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, and the second-longest reigning sovereign in world history, only behind Louis XIV of France. She faced occasional republican sentiment and media criticism of her family, particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. However, support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high, as did her personal popularity. Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire. She was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III. Early life Elizabeth was born at 17 Bruton Street, in Mayfair, London, the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and Elizabeth, Duchess of York, the first granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was baptised on 29 May 1926 by then Archbishop of York, Cosmo Lang, in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace; her godparents were her paternal grandparents; her aunt, Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles; her great-great-uncle, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn; her maternal grandfather, Claude Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne; and her aunt, Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstone. Elizabeth was named after her mother, while her two middle names are those of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, and grandmother, respectively. As a child, her close family called her Lilibet. Princess Elizabeth aged seven, in 1933.Elizabeth had a close relationship with her grandfather, and was credited with aiding in his recovery from illness in 1929, the same year a young P'incess Lilybet appeared on the cover of an issue of Time magazine that held an article describing Elizabeth's third birthday. Her only sibling was Princess Margaret, born in 1930, around the same time that it was suggested their father be appointed as Governor General of Canada. This proposal was put down, however, by the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, meaning the two princesses remained in London, where they were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Elizabeth studied history with C.H.K. Marten, then Provost of Eton College, religion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, and also learned modern languages; she still speaks French fluently. A Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace Company, was formed specifically so Elizabeth could participate in guiding, wherein she gained the interpreter, swimmer, dancer, horsewoman, cook, child nurse, and needlewoman badges, and eventually became patrol leader of the Swallow Patrol. As a granddaughter of the monarch of the United Kingdom in the male line, Elizabeth held the title of a British princess, with the style Her Royal Highness, her full style being Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle, Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father. Although her birth did generate public interest, there was no reason to believe then that she would ever become queen, as it was widely assumed that the Prince of Wales would marry and have children of his own. In 1936, her grandfather, the King, died and her uncle Edward succeeded, placing her second in line. Later that year, Edward abdicated and her father became king. Elizabeth became heiress presumptive, and was thereafter known as Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth. Heiress presumptive Although the heir to the British throne is generally created Prince of Wales, Elizabeth was never bestowed the title. Some feel that George VI missed the opportunity to make an innovation in royal practice by re-adopting Henry VIII's idea of proclaiming his daughter, Lady Mary as Princess of Wales in her own right, in 1525. The possibility remained, however remote, that Elizabeth's father could have a son, who would have supplanted Elizabeth in the line of succession. In 1939, the Canadian government desired that Elizabeth accompany her parents on their upcoming tour of Canada; however, the King decided against taking that advice, stating that his daughter was still too young to undertake such a strenuous tour, which ended up being over a month long. World War II Elizabeth was 13 years old when World War II broke out, and she and her younger sister were evacuated to Windsor Castle. There was some suggestion that the two princesses be evacuated to Canada, where they, along with their parents, would have lived at Hatley Castle in British Columbia. This plan never came to fruition; to the proposal, Elizabeth's mother made the famous reply: "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave." The children remained at Windsor, where they staged pantomimes at Christmas, to which family and friends were invited, along with the children of Royal Household staff. It was from Windsor that Elizabeth, in 1940, made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities. Soon after this, Elizabeth first met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. Elizabeth thereafter fell in love with Philip and began to write to him when he was in the Royal Navy. During Elizabeth's years at Windsor, plans were drawn up by the constitutional expert Edward Iwi to have a member of the Royal Family present in Wales, in order to quell the growing nationalist influence of Plaid Cymru. In a report to the Home Secretary Herbert Morrison, Iwi proposed appointing Elizabeth as Constable of Caernarfon Castle (the post then held by David Lloyd George) and patron of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, and to tour Wales as such. The ideas were rejected by the Home Secretary, on the grounds that it might cause conflict between north and south Wales; by the King, who refused to subject his young daughter to the pressures of conducting official tours; and by the government, as two leading members of Urdd Gobaith Cymru were discovered to be conscientious objectors. In 1945, Elizabeth accompanied her parents on visits to Commonwealth service personnel, began to carry out solo duties, such as reviewing a parade of Canadian airwomen in 1945, and joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she was known as No. 230873, Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor. She trained as a driver, and drove a military truck while she served, making her the first, and so far only, female member of the Royal Family to actively serve in the armed forces, although every monarch is nominally the Commander-in-Chief of both the British and Canadian Armed Forces, and other royal women have been given honorary ranks. This training was the first time Elizabeth had been taught along with other students, and it was said[by whom?] that she greatly enjoyed the experience, which led her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home. At the end of the war in Europe, on VE Day, Elizabeth and her sister stole away from Buckingham Palace and mingled with the celebratory crowds after midnight. Two years later, the Princess made her first official overseas tour, when she accompanied her parents to South Africa. It was there that she marked her 21st birthday, when she made a broadcast to the British Commonwealth, pledging "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." Marriage Elizabeth married Philip on 20 November 1947. The couple are second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through Queen Victoria. Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, and adopted the style Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, the surname adopted by his mother's family. Just before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style of His Royal Highness. The marriage was not without controversy: Philip was Greek Orthodox, had no financial standing, and had sisters who had married Nazi supporters. Elizabeth's mother was reported, in later biographies, to have strongly opposed the union, even dubbing Philip as The Hun. Still, the Commonwealth had not yet completely rebounded from the devastation of the Second World War, rationing still required that the Princess save up her rationing coupons to buy the material for her gown. The wedding was seen as the first glimmer of a hope of rebirth. Elizabeth and Philip received over 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world. At the ceremony, Elizabeth's bridesmaids were her sister; her cousin, Princess Alexandra of Kent; Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, a cadet relative through their mutual aunt; Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester; her second cousin, Lady Mary Cambridge; Lady Elizabeth Mary Lambart (now Longman), daughter of Frederick Lambart, Earl of Cavan; The Honourable Pamela Mountbatten (now Hicks), Philip's cousin; and two maternal cousins, The Honourable Margaret Elphinstone (now Rhodes) and The Honourable Diana Bowes-Lyon (now Somervell). Her page boys were her young paternal first cousins, Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent. In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for any of the Duke of Edinburgh's German relations to be invited to the wedding, including Philip's three surviving sisters, each of whom had married German princes. Elizabeth's aunt, Princess Mary, Princess Royal, allegedly refused to attend because her brother, the Duke of Windsor (who abdicated in 1936), was not invited due to his marital situation; she gave ill health as the official reason for not attending. Following the wedding, the couple leased their first home, Windlesham Moor, until 4 July 1949, when they took up residence at Clarence House. However, at various times between 1946 and 1953, the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed in Malta (at that time a British Protectorate) as a serving Royal Navy officer. Both he and Elizabeth lived for two years, between 1949 and 1951, in the Maltese hamlet of Gwardamangia, at the Villa Gwardamangia (or Villa G'Mangia), which Louis Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma had purchased in about 1929. Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, on 14 November 1948, several weeks after letters patent were issued by her father allowing her children to enjoy a royal and princely status to which they otherwise would not have been entitled. Though the Royal House is named Windsor, it was decreed through a British Order-in-Council in 1960, that those male-line descendants of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip who were not princes and princesses of the United Kingdom should have the personal surname Mountbatten-Windsor. In practice, however, all of their children have used Mountbatten-Windsor as their surname. Life as queen Succession George VI's health declined during 1951, and Elizabeth was soon frequently standing in for him at public events, visiting Greece, Italy and Malta. In October of that year, she toured Canada, and visited the President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, in Washington, D.C.; on that trip, the Princess carried with her a draft Accession Declaration for use if the King died while she was out of the United Kingdom. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand via Kenya. At Sagana Lodge word arrived of the death of Elizabeth's father on 6 February. Philip broke the news to the new queen. Martin Charteris, then her Assistant Private Secretary, asked her what she intended to be called as monarch, to which she replied: "Oh, my own name; what else?" The royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom, and Elizabeth was proclaimed queen. Despite the death of the Queen's grandmother Queen Mary on 24 March 1953, the Queen's coronation went ahead in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, in accordance with Mary's wishes. At the Queen's request, the entire ceremony was, save for the anointing and communion, televised throughout the Commonwealth, and watched by an estimated twenty million people. Elizabeth wore a gown commissioned from Norman Hartnell, which consisted of embroidered floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth: the Tudor rose of England, the Scots thistle, the Welsh leek, shamrocks for Ireland, the wattle of Australia, the maple leaf of Canada, the New Zealand fern, South Africa's protea, two lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan's wheat, cotton, and jute. Following the ceremony, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh moved into Buckingham Palace. As with many of her predecessors, Elizabeth is reported to dislike the palace as a residence, and considers Windsor Castle to be her home. Elizabeth witnessed, over her life, the ongoing transformation of the old British empire into the new British Commonwealth, and its modern successor, the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of Elizabeth's accession in 1952, her role as nominal head of multiple independent states was already established. Spanning 1953-1954, the Queen and her husband embarked on a six month, around the world tour, making Elizabeth the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. She became the first reigning monarch of Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji to visit those nations. In 1956, French Prime Minister Guy Mollet and British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden discussed the possibility of France joining in a union with the United Kingdom; among the ideas put forward was one in which Elizabeth was to be the French head of state. Mollet "had not thought there need be difficulty over France accepting the headship of Her Majesty." The proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the Treaty of Rome. By 1957, she made a state visit to the United States as Queen of Canada, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly, and, upon returning to Canada, opened the 23rd session of Parliament, becoming the first Canadian monarch to do so. Two years later, she was back in the United States, again as sovereign of Canada, to meet with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In February 1961, she visited Ankara with Cemal Gursel, and toured India, Iran, Pakistan, and Nepal for the first time.[citation needed] Throughout her reign Elizabeth has undertaken state visits to foreign countries, as well as tours of each Commonwealth country, including attending all Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) since the practice was established by Canada in 1973; the Queen had wished to attend the inaugural CHOGM in Singapore in 1971, but was advised not to do so by British Prime Minister Edward Heath. Elizabeth II is the most widely-travelled head of state in history. With the birth of Andrew in 1960, Elizabeth became the first queen regnant to give birth since Victoria in1857. Elizabeth's pregnancies with both Andrew and Edward, in 1959 and 1963, also marked the only times Elizabeth did not perform the State Opening of the British Parliament during her reign, delegating the task to the Lord Chancellor instead. In 1969, Elizabeth sent one of 73 Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages to NASA for the historic first lunar landing; the message is etched on a tiny silicon disc that still rests on the moon's surface. She later met the crew during their world tour. Elizabeth inaugurated the first Canadian trans-Atlantic telephone cable (part of one devised to link all the Commonwealth countries) in 1961, by calling Canadian Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, from Buckingham Palace with the words "are you there Mr. Prime Minister?", and, in 1976, she became the first monarch to e-mail. In 1991, she became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the United States Congress; in 2005, the first Canadian monarch to address the Legislative Assembly of Alberta; and, in 2007, the first British monarch to address the Virginia General Assembly. On 20 March 2008, The Queen broke with tradition, and, for the first time ever, held a Maundy Service outside of England and Wales; accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth attended the Maundy Thursday service in Northern Ireland, at the Church of Ireland St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, during a three day visit to coincide with Easter. Jubilees and anniversaries Having reigned for over five decades as queen, Elizabeth marked a number of significant anniversaries during her time on the throne, the first being the 1977 Silver Jubilee of her accession. Events took place in many countries throughout the Queen's associated Commonwealth tour, and included a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral attended by dignitaries and other heads of state. Parties were held throughout the Commonwealth realms, culminating in several Jubilee Days in the United Kingdom, in June. In Britain, commemorative stamps were issued. The Jubilee Line of the London Underground (though opened in 1979) was named for the anniversary, as were several other public locations and spaces, including the Jubilee Gardens in London's South Bank. In Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal was issued and an equestrian statue of the Queen was unveiled on Parliament Hill. A quarter century later, in 2002, Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee as queen, again undertaking an extensive tour of her realms. Though public celebrations in the UK were more muted than those that had taken place 25 years earlier, due, in part, to the death of both the Queen's mother and sister earlier that year, street parties and commemorative events were still planned in many locales. As in 1977, monuments were named and gifts offered to honour the occasion, including, in Canada, the Golden Jubilee Journalism New Media Centre at Sheridan College, and the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary five years after the Golden Jubilee, with a special service at Westminster Abbey and private dinner hosted by Prince Charles at Clarence House on 19 November, and, the following day (their actual anniversary) a dinner party with other members of the Royal Family, former Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Lady Thatcher, sitting Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Leader of the Opposition David Cameron, and the surviving bridesmaids and pages from the original wedding party. On 21 November, Elizabeth and Philip travelled to Malta, where a Royal Navy ship that was docked in the vicinity arranged its crew members on deck in the form of the number 60. Longevity In late February 2003, the Queen's reign surpassed those of her four immediate predecessors combined (Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, and George VI), after which she gained the distinctions of being the third longest reigning British or English monarch, the second-longest-serving current monarch of a sovereign state (after King Bhumibol of Thailand), and the oldest reigning British monarch. To become the longest-living British head of state, Elizabeth would have to live to 29 January 2012 when she would overtake Richard Cromwell. If Elizabeth lives until 19 September 2013, and her son Charles, the Prince of Wales succeeds her, he would become the oldest ever to succeed to the throne, surpassing William IV, who was 64. To overtake Queen Victoria and become the longest reigning monarch in British history, Elizabeth would have to live to 10 September 2015, when she would be 89. To surpass the reign of King Louis XIV of France, and become the longest reigning monarch in European history, Elizabeth would have to live until 26 May 2024, when she would be 98. Health and reduced duties Elizabeth has enjoyed good health throughout her reign. While she continues to have what is described as excellent health and is seldom ill, she had some health issues in 2005-06. In June 2005, the Queen cancelled several engagements after contracting what the Palace described as a bad cold. In October 2006, she suffered a burst blood vessel in her right eye, causing it to appear deep red in colour. While Buckingham Palace did not comment, medical experts stated that the Queen would have suffered no pain, and would be back to normal within a week or two, without lasting damage. However, they also mentioned that burst blood vessels, though common in the elderly, could be a sign of high blood pressure. Later that month, the Queen had to cancel her appointment to officially open the new Emirates Stadium, because of a strained back muscle that had been troubling her since the end of her holiday at Balmoral Castle that summer. Elizabeth's back began to cause more serious concerns; in November 2006, there were worries that the Queen would not be well enough to open the British parliament, and, though she was able to attend, plans were drawn up to cover her possible absence. In December, there were rumours that Elizabeth was in declining health when she was seen in public with a bandage on her right hand, the position of which suggested that she may have been fitted with an intravenous drip, possibly, and especially in light of her back troubles, due to osteoporosis. It was later revealed, however, that the bandage was because one of her corgis bit her hand when she separated two that had been fighting. At the time of her 80th birthday, the Queen made it clear that she harboured no intentions of abdicating. For a number of years preceding the Queen's birthday, both Prince Charles and Princess Anne had been standing in for their mother at events such as investitures, and acting as Counsellors of State, leading to some speculation in the British press that Prince Charles would start to perform many of the day-to-day duties of the monarch while Elizabeth effectively went into retirement. However, Buckingham Palace announced that Elizabeth would continue with her duties, both public and private, well into the future. This adherence to duty was received positively by the public, as revealed in polls conducted just before the Queen's 80th birthday, which revealed that the majority of respondents desired that Elizabeth remain on the throne until her death, many feeling that she had become an institution in herself. Views, perceptions, and characteristics May 2008.Elizabeth is depicted in a 2006 semi-biographical film, The Queen, but little is known of Elizabeth's personal feelings. She has almost never given press interviews. She is believed to have a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and to take her coronation oath seriously. Elizabeth is known for her conservative fashions, consisting mostly of solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, which allow her to be seen easily in a crowd. Out of the public eye, her main leisure interests include horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Finances Elizabeth's personal fortune has been the subject of speculation for many years. Forbes magazine estimated the amount at around US$600 million (GB£330 million),[53] but official Buckingham Palace statements called estimates of £100 million "grossly overstated".[54] Though the Royal Collection is worth an approximate GB£10 billion, it is held in trust for her successors and the British nation, as are Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the other occupied palaces within the United Kingdom.[55][56] Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle are privately owned by the Queen, having inherited them from her father on his death, along with the Duchy of Lancaster, itself valued at GB£310 million and which transferred a private income to the monarch of £9.811 million in 2006. Income from the British Crown Estate-with holdings of GB£7 billion-is transferred to her British treasury in return for Civil List payments. Both the Crown Estate and Crown Land of Canada-comprising 89% (or approximately 8,885,000 km²)[57] of the country's 9,984,670 km² area-is owned by Elizabeth in trust for the nation by virtue of her position as Sovereign, and cannot be sold or owned by her in a private capacity. Religion Aside from her official religious roles in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth personally worships with the Anglican church, regularly attending services no matter where she is in the world,[citation needed] though more often at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, at St Mary Magdalene Church when staying at Sandringham House, or at Crathie Kirk when holidaying at Balmoral Castle. Frequently, the Queen will add a personal note about her faith to her annual Royal Christmas Message broadcast to the Commonwealth, such as in the 2000 edition, wherein she spoke about the theological significance of the millennium marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ: Titles, styles, honours and arms Elizabeth has held a number of titles throughout her life, as granddaughter of the monarch, as a daughter of the monarch, through her husband's titles, and eventually as sovereign of multiple states. In common practice, she is referred to most often as simply The Queen or Her Majesty; if a distinction is necessary, this may be modified to be Her Britannic Majesty, Her Australian Majesty, Her Canadian Majesty, etc Issue Prince Charles, Prince of Wales 14 November 1948 m. 29 July 1981 Lady Diana Spencer Prince William of Wales Prince Henry of Wales div. 28 August 1996 m. 2, 9 April 2005 Camilla Parker-Bowles Princess Anne, Princess Royal 15 August 1950 m. 14 November 1973 Mark Phillips Peter Phillips Zara Phillips div. 28 April 1992 m.2, 12 December 1992 Timothy Laurence Prince Andrew, Duke of York 19 February 1960 m. 23 July 1986 Sarah Ferguson Princess Beatrice of York Princess Eugenie of York div. 30 May 1996 Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex 10 March 1964 m. 19 June 1999 Sophie Rhys-Jones Lady Louise Windsor Viscount Severn http://en.wikipedia.org
William B.
