As we join the world in paying tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II we look back upon her remarkable life and how it came to be that young Princess Elizabeth became the longest serving monarch in British history.
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born April 21, 1926 in London, England - the eldest child and daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York who was the younger son of ruling monarch King George V. Throughout her early childhood there was no expectation that Princess Elizabeth would become the longest serving monarch of all time (surpassing Queen Victoria in 2015), so what happened in the young Princess' life that caused her to become HRH Queen Elizabeth II?
A young Princess Elizabeth (Image: Mirror.co.uk)
Princess Elizabeth was ten years old when her grandfather King George V passed away making her uncle Edward, King Edward VIII. In another twist to the story, King George V was never supposed to be King either, the death of his older brother Prince Albert Victor in 1892 made him heir apparent and changed the course of history.
It was on a typical day in December, 1936 that Princess Elizabeth learned her future had changed forever for it was on this day that her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated the throne making his brother, and Princess Elizabeth's father, Prince Albert Duke of York, King George VI.
The Princess' life changed dramatically on becoming heir presumptive. Her mother Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, herself becoming Queen Elizabeth, took charge of preparing her daughter for her future, arranging education with Eton College and a governess to watch over her.
In 1947 it was announced that Princess Elizabeth was betrothed in marriage to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of the Royal Navy, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. The couple married on 20 November 1947 and so began the royal family we know today.
On February 6th 1952 King George VI passed away making Princess Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh were in Kenya at the time and soon made their way back to England. A period of official mourning followed with the Queen's coronation being held some time later at Westminster Abbey on June 2nd 1953.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth was celebrated recently with her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. You can read more about that in our blog post
'The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee' .
Throughout her 70 years on the throne Queen Elizabeth has seen many things change and worked with 15 different Prime Ministers. The Queen has been on numerous world tours, had four children, eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren. The Queen and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh remained married for 73 years until his death on 9 April 2021. You can visit Prince Philip's own Funeral Notice here:
Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh. Their eldest son Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is next in line for the most prestigious title in the land with his son Prince William and his son Prince George set to succeed to the throne.
Recently Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has reduced some of her official duties and engagements citing mobility issues, at 96 years old few can blame her. What an extraordinary life she has had! I can scarcely imagine the things she has seen in her long life and can't help but wonder how she felt about the twists of fate that changed her life so dramatically and that of her children.
Sadly, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away at her favoured country home in Scotland, Balmoral on 8th September 2022. Her eldest son Charles is now His Majesty King Charles III.
We extend our deepest condolences to the Royal Family. Her Majesty The Queen served her country for more than 70 years and conducted herself with grace and dignity; her strength and dedication will be her legacy.
We invite you to pay tribute to Her Majesty here:
Remembering Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II 1926 -2022
To read more of the highlights of the Queen's life, read our blog here:
Highlights of the Queen’s life.
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