Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II
Born	Elizabeth Alexandra Mary 21 April 1926
Birthplace	17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, England
Died	8 September 2022 Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Nationality	British
Occupation	Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
Title	Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
Known for	Longest-reigning British monarch (70 years, 214 days)
Spouse(s)	Philip Mountbatten (m. 1947; d. 2021)
Children	4

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 on 8 September 2022. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest verified reign of any sovereign state in history, and the longest reign of any queen regnant on record. Born into the House of Windsor as the elder daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, the young princess had not been expected to ascend the throne until her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in December 1936, making her father George VI and elevating her to the position of heir presumptive at the age of ten. She came to the throne at 25 and navigated more than seven decades of profound political, social, and cultural transformation — from the aftermath of the Second World War and the dismantling of the British Empire through the digital age and a global pandemic. During her lifetime, she served as queen regnant of 32 sovereign states and was monarch of 15 realms at the time of her death. She was advised by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms and met five popes and fourteen presidents of the United States. Elizabeth died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and was succeeded by her eldest son, who acceded as Charles III.

Early Life

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London, the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later George VI), and Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). At the time of her birth, her grandfather George V was the reigning monarch, and her father was the second son of the King. Elizabeth was third in the line of succession, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and her father. As the Duke of York's daughter, she held the style and title of Princess Elizabeth of York.

Elizabeth's early childhood was spent largely in the company of her younger sister, Princess Margaret, born in 1930. The two princesses were educated privately at home rather than being sent to school, receiving instruction from governesses and private tutors. Their upbringing was considered relatively sheltered compared to that of many royal children in later generations.

The course of Elizabeth's life changed dramatically in December 1936, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry the American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth's father reluctantly acceded to the throne as George VI, and the ten-year-old Elizabeth became heir presumptive to the Crown. Unlike an heir apparent, her position could theoretically have been superseded had the King and Queen later had a son, but no such son was born.

During the Second World War, the young princess began to take on public duties. In October 1940, at the age of 14, she made her first radio broadcast on the BBC's Children's Hour programme, addressing the children of the Commonwealth who had been evacuated from their homes. The broadcast was widely noted for the composed and confident manner of the teenage princess. In 1945, Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women's branch of the British Army, where she trained as a driver and mechanic. She was the first female member of the royal family to serve in the armed forces.

Career

Heir Presumptive and Marriage

As heir presumptive, Elizabeth increasingly undertook public engagements on behalf of the King during and after the war. On 21 April 1947, her twenty-first birthday, she delivered a speech broadcast by radio from Cape Town, South Africa, in which she dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. "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," she stated. The speech was composed with the assistance of Dermot Morrah, a journalist and constitutional scholar.

In November 1947, Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark who had renounced his foreign titles and become a naturalised British subject. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Philip was created Duke of Edinburgh by the King on the morning of the wedding. The marriage, which lasted 73 years until Philip's death in April 2021, produced four children: Charles, Prince of Wales (born 1948), Anne, Princess Royal (born 1950), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 1960), and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (born 1964).

Accession and Coronation

King George VI's health had been declining for several years. In February 1952, Elizabeth and Philip departed on a tour of the Commonwealth, beginning with a visit to Kenya. It was there, at the Sagana Lodge (near the Treetops Hotel), that Elizabeth learned of her father's death on 6 February 1952. She was 25 years old. She returned immediately to the United Kingdom as Queen.

Elizabeth's coronation took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey. It was the first coronation to be televised, a decision that Elizabeth supported over the objections of some advisers, including then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The broadcast was watched by an estimated 27 million people in the United Kingdom alone and millions more worldwide, making it a watershed moment in the history of mass media. Heads of state and representatives from around the world attended the ceremony, and gifts from nations across the globe poured in during the coronation year.

Early Reign and Commonwealth Tours

In the early years of her reign, Elizabeth embarked on extensive tours of the Commonwealth and beyond. Between November 1953 and May 1954, she undertook a six-month round-the-world tour, becoming the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand to visit those countries. The tour also took her to Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Aden, Uganda, Malta, and Gibraltar, among other destinations. It was estimated that she was seen by three-quarters of the population of Australia during her visit.

Throughout her reign, Elizabeth travelled more widely than any previous British monarch. Her state visits and tours constituted a central element of her role, serving both diplomatic functions and the maintenance of Commonwealth ties. Among her most notable visits were a state visit to the People's Republic of China in 1986, a state visit to Russia in 1994, and a historic state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 — the first by a British monarch since Irish independence.

Constitutional Role and Political Change

Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch, bound by convention to act on the advice of her ministers. She held weekly audiences with her prime ministers, a practice that began with Winston Churchill in 1952 and continued through fourteen further British prime ministers, ending with Liz Truss, whom she appointed just two days before her death.

Her reign encompassed a period of enormous political and social transformation. She was queen during the decolonisation of Africa and much of Asia, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution of governmental powers to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities in 1973, and its subsequent withdrawal from the European Union in 2020. The number of her realms varied over time as former territories gained independence and as some realms became republics. At the time of her accession in 1952, she was queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries; at the time of her death, she remained sovereign of 15 realms.

Elizabeth was head of the Commonwealth throughout her reign, a title that was personal rather than hereditary. Her role in the Commonwealth was widely viewed as one of her most significant contributions. She attended Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings regularly and maintained personal relationships with leaders across the member states.

Jubilees and Later Reign

Elizabeth's longevity on the throne was marked by four major jubilees: the Silver Jubilee in 1977 (25 years), the Golden Jubilee in 2002 (50 years), the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 (60 years), and the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 (70 years). Each jubilee was accompanied by extensive celebrations across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

The year 1992 was described by Elizabeth herself as her annus horribilis (horrible year). It saw the separation or divorce of three of her four children and a devastating fire at Windsor Castle. The breakdown of the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales, and subsequently the death of Diana in a car accident in Paris on 31 August 1997, generated considerable media scrutiny of the royal family. The Queen's initially restrained public response to Diana's death drew criticism, though her subsequent televised address to the nation was received more positively.

Despite periodic criticism and occasional republican sentiment in some of her realms, Elizabeth maintained consistently high levels of personal popularity throughout her reign. She adapted the monarchy to the changing times, embracing televised Christmas broadcasts, social media, and other forms of public communication while maintaining the traditional ceremonial functions of the Crown.

In her final years, the Queen's health gradually declined. Her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, died on 9 April 2021, at the age of 99. Elizabeth continued to carry out public duties, albeit at a reduced pace, into 2022. She appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, and her final public act was the appointment of Liz Truss as Prime Minister on 6 September 2022, just two days before her death.

Personal Life

Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Philip, born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, had served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. He was created Duke of Edinburgh and was later granted the title of Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957. Their marriage lasted 73 years, the longest marriage of any British monarch, until Philip's death on 9 April 2021.

The couple had four children: Charles (born 14 November 1948), Anne (born 15 August 1950), Andrew (born 19 February 1960), and Edward (born 10 March 1964). Elizabeth had eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren at the time of her death.

Elizabeth was known for her interest in horse racing and breeding. She owned and bred thoroughbred racehorses throughout her reign and was frequently seen attending major racing events, including Royal Ascot. She was also known for her fondness for Pembroke Welsh Corgis, having owned more than 30 during her lifetime.

Elizabeth's faith was an important aspect of her life. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, she took her spiritual role seriously and frequently referenced her Christian faith in her annual Christmas broadcasts.

Elizabeth died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, at the age of 96. Her death was followed by a period of national mourning. A state funeral was held on 19 September 2022 at Westminster Abbey, attended by hundreds of world leaders, dignitaries, and members of the public. She was buried at the King George VI Memorial Chapel within St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, alongside her husband Philip and near her parents and sister.

Recognition

Elizabeth's reign was marked by numerous honours, awards, and commemorations both in the United Kingdom and internationally. As sovereign, she was the fount of honour in her realms and bestowed countless awards, knighthoods, and other distinctions upon individuals across the Commonwealth and beyond.

Her likeness appeared on the currencies of multiple nations and on postage stamps throughout the Commonwealth. She was the most widely depicted person on currency in history, with her image appearing on the coinage and banknotes of more than 30 countries over the course of her reign.

Her four jubilees were celebrated with medals, commemorative events, and the naming of public buildings, parks, and institutions in her honour. The Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and numerous hospitals, universities, and public spaces around the world bear her name.

In 2015, Elizabeth surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch. Following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand in 2016, she became the world's longest-reigning living monarch, a distinction she held until her death.

Posthumously, Elizabeth continued to be honoured in various ways. Exhibitions showcasing her personal style, wardrobe, and role in shaping royal fashion have been mounted, charting her evolution from young princess to the iconic figure of Britain's longest-reigning monarch. Her jewellery collection continues to be worn by members of the royal family on state occasions, including Commonwealth Day services and other ceremonial events.

Legacy

Elizabeth II's reign, spanning more than seven decades, encompassed the most rapid period of social, political, and technological change in modern history. She acceded to the throne in an era when the British Empire still encompassed vast territories across Africa and Asia, and she presided over its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations — a voluntary association of independent states. At the time of her death, the Commonwealth comprised 56 member nations.

Her approach to the monarchy was characterised by a sense of duty, continuity, and careful adaptation to changing times. She maintained the political neutrality expected of a constitutional monarch while using the ceremonial and symbolic aspects of her role to promote national unity and Commonwealth solidarity. Her 21st birthday speech, in which she pledged her life to service, became a touchstone that she returned to throughout her reign.

Elizabeth's relationship with her prime ministers, conducted through weekly audiences over seven decades, provided an unparalleled thread of institutional continuity in British political life. Beginning with Winston Churchill, who had been born in the Victorian era, and ending with Liz Truss, who was born during Elizabeth's own reign, her prime ministers spanned the entire arc of the post-war political landscape.

Her role as head of the Commonwealth was regarded as instrumental in maintaining the organisation's cohesion, particularly during periods of political tension among member states. Her personal relationships with Commonwealth leaders, built over decades of visits and meetings, lent the organisation a continuity that transcended its institutional structures.

The televised coronation of 1953 established a precedent for the monarchy's engagement with mass media that Elizabeth would maintain and develop over the following decades. From the first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957 to the royal family's presence on social media platforms in the 21st century, the reign of Elizabeth II was characterised by a measured embrace of new forms of communication.

Elizabeth II's legacy remains the subject of ongoing public interest and scholarly study. The institutions she served — the Crown, the Commonwealth, and the constitutional framework of the United Kingdom — continue to function in forms substantially shaped by the precedents and conventions of her reign. Her son Charles III, who acceded to the throne at the age of 73, inherited both the constitutional role and the accumulated symbolic weight of the longest reign in British history.