Queen Elizabeth II, 1926–2022 A Royal Journey
Elizabeth II who well know as Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and 15 at the time of her death. 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 in history.
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, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
She celebrated that 50th anniversary by touring some of her realms, doing queenly things: collecting bouquets, unveiling plaques, visiting businesses and hospitals, making little speeches. Then more plaques, more flowers, more visits, more waves. To top it off, on this Canadian leg, her husband, Prince Philip, was abnormally well-behaved. So, for this slightly barmy business of puck-dropping, Hamilton was deeply grateful. “We need it,” he said in a murmured aside. “I mean, 76-year-old woman [wearing] hat exits car, enters church, just doesn’t do.”
Elizabeth was the longest-lived British monarch and the second-longest reigning sovereign in world history, behind only 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.
Important Highlights Of Her Life
Dec. 11, 1936 – She became heir apparent, aged 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI became king.
Nov. 20, 1947 – She married navy lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, a Greek Prince, at London’s Westminster Abbey. They had four children: Prince Charles (born in 1948), Princess Anne,(1950), Prince Andrew (1960) and Prince Edward (1964).
February 1952 – Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, set out on a tour of Africa and Asia in place of her ailing father, King George VI. News of the king’s death reaches her in Kenya on Feb. 6, meaning she is the first sovereign in more than 200 years to accede to the throne while abroad.
June 2, 1953 – Queen Elizabeth is crowned at Westminster Abbey in the first televised coronation service.
1970 – During a visit to New Zealand, the queen introduces the “walkabout”, a meet-the-people tactic for royal tours.
1981 – Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer in a glittering ceremony.
1982 – Charles and Diana’s first child, Prince William, is born on June 21. Prince Harry is born two years later.
1986 – Prince Andrew marries the high-spirited publishing executive Sarah Ferguson, known as “Fergie”. The couple become the Duke and Duchess of York.
1991 – The queen tours the United States and becomes the first monarch to address Congress.
1992 – Her 40th year on the throne, which she calls her ‘annus horribilis’ (horrible year), is marked by marital upsets and public dissent.
• Andrew and Sarah separate. Anne divorces Mark Phillips.
• In November, Windsor Castle is badly damaged by fire. The queen agrees to pay income tax.
• In December, Charles and Diana announce their separation.
1995 – In March, the queen makes the first address by a British monarch to a South African parliament since 1947.
In December, Buckingham Palace confirms the queen has written to Charles and Diana urging them to divorce.
1996 – In August, Charles and Diana are divorced.
1997 – On August 31, Diana and her millionaire companion Dodi al-Fayed are killed when their car crashes while being chased through Paris by photographers on motorcycles. The queen and the royal family are criticised for their reserved response.
In November, large crowds greet the queen and Philip as they mark their golden wedding anniversary. In an unusually frank speech, the queen acknowledges that monarchies survive only through public support. read more
Feb. 9, 2002 – The queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, dies at the age of 71 after a life of glamour and heartbreak.
March 30 – Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, dies at Windsor Castle aged 101.
June 1-4 – Four days of nationwide celebrations mark the queen’s Golden Jubilee.
2005 – Son and heir Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker Bowles at a civil ceremony in Windsor.
April 29, 2011 – the queen attends the wedding of her grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton, estimated to have been watched by about 2 billion people worldwide.
May – Queen makes four-day state visit to Ireland, the first by a British monarch since Ireland won its independence from London in 1921.
2012 – The diamond jubilee to mark her 60th year on the throne sees four days of celebrations in June along with a nationwide tour. A million people gather for a pageant on River Thames, and millions more attend street parties.
2013 – Prince William’s wife Kate gives birth to son Prince George. Their second child, Princess Charlotte is born in 2015 and their younger brother Prince Louis is born in 2018.
June 23-26, 2014 the queen embarks on what was her last foreign state visit to Germany.
On Sept. 9, at about 5.30 p.m. UK time, Elizabeth becomes the nation’s longest-reigning monarch overtaking her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
April 21, 2016 – Elizabeth celebrates her 90th birthday, the first British monarch to reach such a milestone.
Aug. 2 , 2017 – Husband Philip bows out of public life after 65 years of supporting his wife.
Nov. 20 – Elizabeth and Philip celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with a private party at Windsor Castle.
2018 – The queen’s grandson Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle, a divorced U.S. actress from Los Angeles, at a star-studded wedding at Windsor Castle.
October, 2019 – A family row between William and Harry becomes public, with the younger prince confirming the rumours of a rift.
Nov. 15 – Prince Andrew gives a disastrous interview to BBC TV on in an attempt to draw a line under a sex scandal. Days later he is forced to step down from royal duties over his links to the disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was jailed in 2008 for child sex offences.
January, 2020 – Harry and Meghan announce they will no longer be working members of the royal family. They move to Los Angeles in March.
Her death represents the loss of a generation, a set of values, and a way of life. Queen Elizabeth II reigned during a period of remarkable stability and peace, but also during a time in which duty and self-sacrifice were considered the highest of virtues. Her dedication to her role, and her example of selfless action encapsulate ideals that were unique to her formative years, and that are now, for the most part, fading away.
On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Elizabeth was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle after doctors expressed concern. The statement read, “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.” Elizabeth’s four children, along with her daughters-in-law, and grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, travelled to Balmoral. Her death was confirmed that evening at 18:30 BST, setting in motion Operation London Bridge and, because she died in Scotland, Operation Unicorn.
