Queen Elizabeth
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 sovereign states during her lifetime and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch 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 The Queen Mother. Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII making the ten year old Princess 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 2021. They had four children Charles, Anne ,Andrew and Edward.
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. As queen Elizabeth was served by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included state visits to China in 1986 to Russia in 1994 and to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 and meetings with five popes.
Significant events included Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver Golden Diamond and Platinum jubilees in 1977 2002 2012 and 2022 respectively. Although 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 in 1997 of her former daughter in law Diana support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high throughout her lifetime as did her personal popularity. Elizabeth died at Balmoral Castle Aberdeenshire in 2022 at the age of 96 and was succeeded by her eldest son Charles III.
Early life
Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926 the first child of Prince Albert Duke of York later King George VI and his wife Elizabeth Duchess of York later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She was delivered at 02:40 GMT by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London home 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. The Anglican Archbishop of York Cosmo Gordon Lang, baptised her in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on 29 May. and she was named Elizabeth after her mother Alexandra after her paternal great grandmother who had died six months earlier and Mary after her paternal grandmother. She was called "Lilibet" by her close family based on what she called herself at first. She was cherished by her grandfather George V whom she affectionately called "Grandpa England" and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery.
Elizabeth's only sibling Princess Margaret was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess Marion Crawford. Lessons concentrated on history language literature and music. Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950 much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeth's love of horses and dogs, her orderliness and her attitude of responsibility. Others echoed such observations: Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant." Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as "a jolly little girl but fundamentally sensible and well behaved". Elizabeth's early life was spent primarily at the Yorks' residences at 145 Piccadilly their town house in London and Royal Lodge in Windsor.
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