In London in the family of the Duke and Duchess of York.
Queen Elizabeth usually celebrates her real birthday with her family, while the monarch's official birthday in the UK is celebrated in June with a colorful military parade in central London.
According to the tradition established at the beginning of the twentieth century by King Edward VII, the monarch's birthday is celebrated in Great Britain on one of the Saturdays in June, depending on the weather (the king chose this date because in June the weather cannot spoil the national holiday).
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, as the future queen was named at birth, is from the Windsor dynasty. She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, George VI (1895-1952), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002).
Elizabeth received a good education at home; in addition to regular school subjects, she was taught the basics of economics, jurisprudence and constitutional law. The training program also included lessons in horse riding, dancing and music. Her mother introduced her to palace etiquette.
After the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, and her father's accession to the throne in December 1936, 10-year-old Elizabeth became heir to the British throne and moved with her parents from Kensington to Buckingham Palace.
In preparation for political life, the future queen began taking classes in constitutional history at Eton College.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, they were evacuated to Windsor Palace.
During World War II, Elizabeth insisted that her parents allow her to enlist in the military. She mastered the profession of a driver at a military transport training center, receiving the qualification of a truck driver, learned how to change tires on a truck, disassemble and reassemble the engine.
In 1945, Elizabeth worked in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she ended the war with the rank of junior commander.
Elizabeth's close acquaintance with royal duties began in 1944, when she became a member of the Council of State and began to become involved in affairs, replacing George VI when he went on a tour of the fronts.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died of lung disease; Elizabeth, who was on vacation in Kenya at the time with her husband, was declared Queen of Great Britain on the same day.
However, the official coronation ceremony of Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London took place only a year later, on June 2, 1953.
© Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, LondonQueen Elizabeth II on Coronation Day, June 2, 1953. Photo from the exhibition "Cecil Beaton's Royal Photography"
© Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Since that time, she has been Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is also the queen of 15 Commonwealth states (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. -Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica), Head of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Lord of the Isle of Man. From 29 May 1953 to 31 May 1961 she was also Queen of South Africa. In 1999, Australia put the queen's status to a referendum, but Australians chose to retain her nominal status as head of state.
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her distant relative, who, like her, is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria - Prince Philip Mountbatten, the son of the Greek Prince Andrew, who was then an officer in the British Navy. She met him at the age of 13, when Philip was still a cadet at the Dortmouth Naval Academy. Having become her husband, Philip received the title Duke of Edinburgh.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding - sixty years of marriage. For the sake of this occasion, the queen allowed herself a little liberty - for one day she and her husband retired for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young Princess Elizabeth visited him.
On December 29, 2010, Elizabeth II became a great-grandmother for the first time. On this day, her eldest grandson - Princess Anne's eldest son Peter Phillips - and his Canadian wife Autumn Kelly had a daughter. The girl became 12th in the British line of succession to the throne.
In 2006, Buckingham Palace published 80 interesting facts from the life of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, thanks to which it became known that the Queen is interested in photography and loves taking pictures of her family members. In 1997, the Queen launched the first ever website for the British monarchy.
Since her youth, Elizabeth II has been a fan of the noble hunting breed of corgi, several of which constantly accompany her on vacation. The Queen also developed a new breed of dog, the Dorgi.
The Queen's other passion is horses and racing. She herself is a good rider and watches the main competitions with interest every year, and also breeds horses in her stables.
The Queen speaks French fluently and during visits and audiences with representatives of Francophone countries she does not need an interpreter.
Elizabeth is the oldest monarch in British history by age, but she still only holds the record for the longest reign set by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months. To do this, she needs to remain on the throne at least until September 9, 2015.
In 2012, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the famous Big Ben clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London was officially unveiled.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
In honor of Elizabeth II's jubilee, we present a selection of photographs taken over the years from the Press Association archives.
Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926 in London. She was the first child of Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
Princess Elizabeth at the entrance to the Olympia exhibition center, where the Royal Tournament was held. The little Princess Elizabeth was called Lilibet by her close relatives. Her cousin Margaret Rhodes said she was "a cheerful little girl, and very intelligent and obedient."
In this photograph, the princess shakes hands with a military man during the Royal Tournament, which she attended with her family in 1936.
In 1940, 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth was a guest on the Children's Hour radio program. She addressed her best wishes to the children evacuated from Britain to the USA, Canada and other countries during the worst times of the Second World War for Britain. This is the very first recording of the future queen in the BBC archives.
Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) driving a military vehicle
The royal family was offered to leave Britain for Canada for safety reasons, but the king and queen refused. The children were transported to Windsor Castle. “We went away for a weekend and stayed for five years,” they later said. In the last year of the war, Elizabeth donned the military uniform herself, joining the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Corps (ATS). She spent three weeks in the company of other carefully selected recruits, learning basic auto mechanics and truck driving.
On November 20, 1947, she married her fourth cousin, Prince Philip of Greece, in Westminster Abbey.
Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948. For several years the couple enjoyed a relatively ordinary life. In 1950, Charles's sister Anna was born.
Elizabeth and Philip lived with their children at Clarence House in London. Her father was terminally ill with lung cancer. In January 1952, while on a visit to Kenya, Elizabeth learned of the king's death. Already queen, she immediately returned to London.
Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Princess Anne, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen Mother and the Duke of Gloucester watch the Royal Armed Forces flypast after the coronation on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Her coronation in June 1953 was broadcast on television. Millions of people - many of them for the first time - gathered around television screens to watch Queen Elizabeth II take her oath.
Queen Elizabeth II in the library at Sandringham Palace after her first televised address to the nation on Christmas Day
In this photograph taken in 1957, the Queen sits in the library at Sandringham Palace after her first televised address to the nation on Christmas Day. Elizabeth holds the book "The Pilgrim's Progress to the Heavenly Land", from which she read a few lines during her speech.
1963 The Queen returns to Buckingham Palace in side saddle after attending a military parade. Elizabeth attended the Trooping the Color ceremony in honor of the monarch's birthday every year of her reign, except once in 1955, when it had to be canceled due to a general railway strike. The Queen began traveling in carriage in 1987.
England football captain Bobby Moore holds the Jules Rimet Trophy, presented to him by the Queen, after his team's 4-2 victory over West Germany in the World Cup final at Wembley Stadium in 1966.
In 1969, Queen Elizabeth II officially invested her son, Prince Charles, with the Prince of Wales Crown in a ceremony at Caernarvon Castle. He actually accepted the title at the age of nine, but the Queen insisted that the ceremony be delayed until he was fully aware of its significance.
Queen with her corgis
In this photo, the Queen sits with her corgis in the village of Virginia Water during the Royal Windsor Horse Show. In total, the Queen had more than 30 corgis, many of which were descendants of her first dog, Susan. She only has two now - Holly and Willow - and has no plans to have more.
Queen Elizabeth II walks in Portsmouth during Silver Jubilee celebrations
In 1977, the Queen celebrated her 25th anniversary on the throne with a large-scale tour of Britain - she visited 36 counties in 10 weeks. She also traveled around the world, covering a total of 56 thousand miles (more than 90 thousand kilometers).
Queen Elizabeth II with a Jersey cow presented to her at an exhibition at Le Petit Catel in the parish of St. John on the island of Jersey
Queen Elizabeth II with a Jersey cow given to her at an exhibition at Le Petit Catel in the parish of St. John on the island of Jersey. During her reign, the Queen was given an impressive number of animals, including a canary from Germany, jaguars and sloths from Brazil, two black beavers from the Seychelles and an elephant named Jumbo from Cameroon. All of them were placed in the London Zoo.
Queen with Rollei camera
The Queen often takes photographs herself. Here she is using a Rollei camera during a visit to Tuvalu in 1982.
Official photograph of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Prince and Princess of Wales after Harry's christening ceremony in 1984. The Queen has eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Badaling site of the Great Wall of China on the third day of their state visit to the country in 1986. No British monarch had ever visited mainland China, let alone visited the wall, so this royal visit was historic.
1991 Queen Elizabeth II invites Dutch Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers to sit in an empty seat in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace ahead of the G7 leaders' meeting.
Queen Elizabeth II inspects Windsor Castle after the fire in 1992. She called this year “annus horribilis” (terrible year), since at the same time Princess Anne divorced and the Duke and Duchess of York, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, separated.
Following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the royal family was criticized for the muted official response to her death. The Queen was accused of indifference and isolation from the mood of society. This outburst of anger shocked Elizabeth, and she acknowledged that "lessons must be learned from her life and the extraordinary reaction of society to her death."
This photograph, taken in 1999, shows the Queen drinking tea at Susan McCarron's home in Glasgow. Her visit was part of the royal family's new, more personal and informal approach to communicating with their subjects. Elizabeth II prefers to drink Earl Gray tea with milk and without sugar.
The Prince of Wales leaves St George's Chapel in Windsor after his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles. Queen Elizabeth II attended the religious part of the wedding, but did not attend the secular ceremony. At the wedding reception, the Queen told guests that her son had "found his happiness with the woman he loves."
The Queen on stage outside Buckingham Palace with Charles, Camilla and pop stars at a concert to mark her Diamond Jubilee on the throne.
Elizabeth on a steam train in Scotland
By 17:30 on September 9, 2015, Elizabeth II had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours and approximately 30 minutes. On this day, she broke the record of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. While in Scotland, she thanked many well-wishers at home and abroad for "their touching messages of kindness". She traveled with Prince Philip on a steam-powered train from Edinburgh to the village of Tweedbank, where she officially opened the new Scottish railway.
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In a rapidly changing world, few things have remained as constant as the British royal dynasty.
This is what representatives of the royal family did over the years.
The early years of Elizabeth II
1950: Elizabeth II was a young princess in line to the throne after her father, King George VI.
1951: Elizabeth II married Prince Philip and gave birth to two children, Charles and Anne.
1952: King George VI died in February 1952.
1953: Although Elizabeth II assumed certain royal duties, her coronation was delayed until 1953.
1954: The Queen attended thousands of official events, including the Royal Ascot Race in 1954.
1955: Elizabeth II had a great interest in horses. In the photo, young Prince Charles and Princess Anne play with their ponies.
1956: This year, Elizabeth II acted as a judge for the Badminton horse race.
Crowned offspring
1957: Some characterized the attitude of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip towards their children as cold. Here the crowned lady was captured in a moment of tenderness with the young Prince Charles.
1958: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip went on many tours. They disembark from a boat on a state visit to the Netherlands.
1959: 10-year-old Charles and 8-year-old Anne greet their parents as they return from an official visit to Canada.
1960: Elizabeth II gives birth to her third child, Prince Andrew, in February.
1961: In this photo, members of the dynasty look at a horse from a farm.
1962: Princess Anne turns 12 and the royal family poses for a portrait.
1963: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visit cancer research laboratories.
1964: Elizabeth II's last child, Prince Edward, was born in 1964.
1965: This photograph of Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their four children was used for Christmas cards.
1966: Elizabeth poses in the uniform of the Irish Guards.
1967: During the 1960s, Queen Elizabeth II wowed the public with her fashion choices.
1968: Prince Andrew and Edward stand at London station with their cousins.
1969: This photograph of the royal children was taken on Christmas morning.
1970: Elizabeth II witnessed 13 American presidents take office. Queen Elizabeth and US President Richard Nixon (right).
1971: Elizabeth II and her children are excited as they take their annual holiday to their country house at Sandringham.
1972: Representatives of the dynasty pose for an official portrait. The Queen is 46 years old.
1973: Elizabeth II ruled the country for 20 years.
1974: Prince Charles talks to a young Barbra Streisand during one of his visits to the United States.
1975: On a Commonwealth tour, Elizabeth II traveled to Barbados.
1976: An elderly Elizabeth II takes a cable car ride with her two sons.
1977: Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years on the throne) in 1977.
1978: Elizabeth II shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau during the Commonwealth Games.
1979: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrated 32 years of marriage in several official ceremonies.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana
1980: Prince Charles lived a long bachelor life.
1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer married in 1981. Great Britain rejoiced.
1982: The couple's first child, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, is born on June 21 at St. Mary's Hospital in London.
1983: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's children are grown up. Some of them started families, while others began university studies and military service.
1985: Prince Charles and Princess Diana were often photographed with their children.
1986: Elizabeth's third son Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson.
1987 In this photograph, Charles and Diana see off the two princes with the Spanish royal family.
1988: Diana looks unhappy as her youngest son sticks out his tongue.
1989: Prince Charles and Princess Diana became the epitome of a young, stylish family.
1990: The Royal Family has been witness to many important events for decades.
1991: Princess Diana was known for her warm attitude towards children. Here she is with Prince William at Wimbledon.
1992: Elizabeth's two children divorced, and then much of her residence at Windsor Castle was destroyed by fire.
1993: These photos of Princess Diana were taken during a secluded vacation.
1994: The Queen Mother celebrates her 94th birthday with Prince William.
1995: By 1995, Charles and Diana had separated but still appeared together at official events.
1996: Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, bringing even more attention to the royal family.
1998: The royal family was still recovering from the untimely death of the princess for several months.
Grandchildren of Elizabeth II
1999: These photos of Prince Charles and Prince Harry skiing at an exclusive Swiss resort appeared all over the newspapers in 1999. The prince admitted that his son surpassed him in sports.
2000: The new millennium brought changes to the royal family and also marked the Queen Mother's 100th birthday.
2001: Prince William began studying at the University of St Andrews in 2001. It was there that he would meet his future wife and hisess, Kate Middleton.
2002: The Queen Mother died on Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee year.
2003: Elizabeth II poses with Prince Philip and her two immediate heirs to the throne, Prince Charles and Prince William.
2004: This photograph of Prince Charles with his two sons was published in many magazines.
2005: Many were outraged when Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles 8 years after Diana's death.
2006: Prince Harry joined the army in 2005. Here he smiles at his grandmother during a military ceremony in 2006.
2007: Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited the United States to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown in Virginia.
2008: Prince Harry completed military training and served on active duty in Afghanistan.
2009: Both princes have participated in numerous military ceremonies over the years.
Prince William's chosen one
2010: Prince William officially announced his engagement to his beloved Kate Middleton.
2011: The wedding of William and Kate Middleton caused even more excitement than the wedding of Charles and Diana.
2012: Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee this year.
2013: William and Kate's first child, Prince George Alexander Louis, is born on July 22, 2013.
2014: Prince William and Kate made numerous state visits with young Prince George.
2015: Princess Charlotte born May 2, 2015. This year, Elizabeth II became the oldest ruler of Britain.
Important anniversaries
2016: The Queen turned 90 and sent her first message on Twitter to those wishing her a happy birthday.
2017: Elizabeth II celebrates her 65th anniversary on the throne, as well as her 91st birthday in April.
Elizabeth 2 is of interest not only to British citizens, but also to many other people interested in history. Not long ago, the UK celebrated the sapphire jubilee, which marked 65 years of the Queen's reign. Elizabeth was crowned at the age of twenty-seven, when the country was still recovering from the Second World War. To this day, the Queen maintains the authority of the British monarchy.
Childhood and family of the future Queen of Great Britain
The biography of the English Queen Elizabeth 2 (then a princess) began on April 21, 1926. The baby was born in the Mayfair area of London, at the residence of the Earl of Strathmore on Brewton Street, by caesarean section. The area has now been rebuilt, and on the site of 17 Brewton Street there is a Chinese restaurant with a commemorative plaque on the wall. The event did not cause a stir at court, because no one could have imagined that the girl would eventually take the royal throne.
At first they wanted to name the baby Victoria. But the princess's father, after consulting with the reigning monarch, decided to name her Elizabeth Alexandra Maria. The baby's christening took place in the chapel at Buckingham Palace on May 29. The chapel was later destroyed during hostilities. Four years later, Elizabeth's sister Margaret was born.
At that time, Elizabeth II's grandfather George V reigned. The cousin of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, ruled the country for more than two decades, although he was also not preparing to become king. He was third in the chain of succession to the throne. George's older brother Albert Victor died during the influenza epidemic, and his father, Edward VIII, Queen Victoria's son, died in 1910.
It was George V who renamed the Sacken-Coburg-Gotha royal house into the House of Windsor. During the First World War he renounced all personal and family German titles. Little Elizabeth loved her grandfather very much, although by nature he was a tough and stern man, and in his upbringing he often went too far. The result was a stutter for Prince Albert, the king's second son, which he did not get rid of until the end of his life. But the king had the warmest feelings for his granddaughter.
George V died after a long illness in 1936 at the age of 70. Only 50 years later it became known that the life physician, on his own initiative, performed euthanasia when the king fell into a coma after severe bronchitis. His eldest son Edward was considered the heir to the throne, and the father of Elizabeth, who eventually became queen, was the king's second son, Prince Albert. In the biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England there was not yet a hint of a future as head of state.
After the sad event, the throne passed to Edward, but he never became king. He abdicated the throne of his own free will due to an unequal marriage with the American Wallis Simpson. Prince Albert became King George VI. He went down in history as a symbol of the British Empire's struggle against Nazi Germany. The reign of the monarch was marked by the establishment of the position of the dominions and their relationship with Great Britain. Thus, the monarch created the British Commonwealth and became king of all dominions.
Elizabeth II was 10 years old at the start of her father's reign. Henry's younger brother was declared heir to the throne because the king had no sons. But Henry refused such an honorable role in favor of Elizabeth. So the girl became the legal heir to the British throne at such a young age. But if at this time she had a younger brother, he would have inherited the throne.
Elizabeth received an excellent education at home. Teachers taught her manners, humanities, horse riding and many other disciplines that were necessary for the princess. She studied religion, art, history, and law. Many sources say that the girl was drawn to knowledge and even practically learned French on her own.
Elizabeth II during the Second World War
A courageous and conscientious girl beyond her years appeared before the people of Great Britain during the Second World War. The biography of Elizabeth II began to resemble the life story of a member of the monarch's family. In 1940, at the age of 14, she spoke on the radio with an appeal to children who suffered during the war. And Elizabeth’s first independent appearance in public dates back to 1943. Then the girl visited the regiment of Guards Grenadiers.
At the age of 18, the girl became one of the five advisers - a person who has the right to perform the functions of the monarch in the event of his incapacity or absence. In 1945, changes occurred in the biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England (then Crown Princess): she joined a self-defense unit and, together with other girls, was trained as an ambulance driver.
The girl received the military rank of lieutenant. The biography of Elizabeth II during the war was connected with the front. The girl's military service lasted five months. She became the first woman from the British royal family to serve in the army. The future husband of Elizabeth 2, Philip, whose biography was connected with the navy, also served at the front in those years.
The longest marriage in the history of the monarchy
Since childhood, the girl wanted to marry a farmer, but the biography of Elizabeth 2’s husband was not related to agriculture. The girl had an iron character, so her parents’ plans to marry her to a noble young man were in jeopardy. But in the end, the girl abandoned this idea because a sailor cadet attracted her attention. By the way, according to the royal family, it was not much better than a farmer.
Cadet Philip was of no interest to Elizabeth’s family, although he was distinguished by noble origin. The young man was the only son of six children of King George I of Greece, and at birth had the title of Prince of Denmark and Greece. Philip is the great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the last Emperor of the Russian Empire, Nicholas II. After the abdication of the Greek king Constantine, the family moved to France, and little Philip was sent to London to live with relatives.
The young people met at one of the family dinners. Then Elizabeth was only 13 years old, and the young prince was 18. The biography of Elizabeth 2 (the future Queen of England) began to change. The girl actively took part in social events, because in the future she was destined to become a monarch. And the meeting with the prince marked the beginning of the love story of her life.
It is believed that during the war, when the young man wrote tender and passionate letters to his beloved from the front, his terminally ill father asked for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage from George VI, but was refused. The groom's family became impoverished, and during the war they almost completely sided with the Nazis, because Philip's sisters married German officers.
During the war, other candidates for marriage with the princess disappeared somewhere: some got married, others decided to continue their search. Only Philip remained. They say that Elizabeth herself proposed marriage to Philip. The parents were not happy with this decision, but were forced to agree to the marriage.
The engagement was officially announced in the summer of 1947. The wedding was planned for November. The wedding took place in Westminster. The groom was allowed to invite only his mother to the wedding, who had been seriously ill for several years. The bride was escorted to the altar by her father. Elizabeth chose a champagne-colored satin wedding dress, which was embroidered with pearl and crystal beads. It took the court designer several months to create this outfit.
After the marriage, the young couple led an active social life. They often appeared at social events. Elizabeth showed an iron character, and the romantic prince even fell in love with singer Pat Kirkwood, but Philip was always devoted to his queen. Elizabeth did everything to stop the rumors. Very soon she gave birth to her first child, and then the couple left for the Philippines. Philip was sent there on duty.
Accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II
In early 1952, the royal couple went on a visit to the Commonwealth countries, but the trip was interrupted by the death of the king. He was diagnosed with lung cancer, but the man died from thrombosis. Newspapers reported that he was in normal health the previous evening.
Then Elizabeth and her husband were on vacation in Kenya. Philip was the first to hear the news. He became the first to bend the knee and take an oath to the queen. The Queen was then in despair. A dispute broke out that the ruling house should now be the House of Mountbatten, where Philip came from, rather than the House of Windsor. But on the advice of Winston Churchill, the girl refused to take her husband’s surname.
The biography of Elizabeth II has changed. The coronation took place in June 1953. The event was broadcast on central television in many countries around the world. The ceremony brought together thousands of people in front of their television screens and contributed to the popularization of television. This day should be to change the destiny of the country. Twenty-seven-year-old Elizabeth Windsor was preparing for her coronation at Buckingham Palace.
A new page began in the biography of Elizabeth II of England on this day. It was expected that the girl would be crowned with a crown created for Queen Victoria. But she insisted on wearing the traditional St Edward's crown, which weighed more than three kilograms. Her father and grandfather wore this crown only for a few hours during the coronation, while Elizabeth II turned out to be the first royal person who did not remove the sign of power throughout the entire ceremony.
The design of Elizabeth's coronation dress remained a secret for a long time. The white satin outfit, decorated with pearls, diamonds and amethysts, was supposed to look especially impressive in the spotlight. The skirt featured the emblems of Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries.
There was almost an embarrassment with this detail. The Royal Tailor mistakenly painted the daffodil as the emblem of Wales. The officials insisted that the dress have a leek (this is a real emblem). The tailor refined the leek based on the traditions of military uniforms. The Queen called the dress magnificent.
Elizabeth's rehearsals were not in vain. During the ceremony, she forgot to make only one curtsey, while many mistakes were made during her father's accession to the throne. As the queen moved towards the exit of the abbey, her pages blocked her. The BBC producer decided to do a close-up, although the media were warned in advance that there should be no close-ups.
The beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II: actions and events
From now on, the biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England (coronation photo above) has attracted the attention of all citizens of the United Kingdom. At the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth bestowed the title “Sir” on Prime Minister Winston Churchill and went on a tour of the Commonwealth countries, British colonies and other countries. She became the first British monarch to visit New Zealand and Australia.
Second half of the fifties - early nineties
A short biography of Elizabeth 2 usually includes a dry listing of the events and actions of the monarch in office, but only the most important facts are really worth mentioning. In 1956, Elizabeth received Nikita Khrushchev and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR at Buckingham Palace. Following the meeting, the leaders of the Soviet state presented the queen with a horse with decorations, a painting by Aivazovsky, a sable cape, and a box with a portrait of the royal family. Prince Philip received as a gift a set of wines, a Tula samovar, a painting and a box with a portrait of his wife. Little Charles was given a horse with decorations, a set of illustrated children's books by Soviet authors and a set of sweets. Princess Anne was even given a three-month-old teddy bear.
That same year, Elizabeth met Marilyn Monroe at the Empire Theater in London. In the fall, the Olympic Games took place, the opening ceremony of which was presided over by the queen's husband. In 1957, Queen Elizabeth II had to choose the head of government. Harold Maxillan, who was 63 years old at the time, was appointed to the post. In May of the same year, the Queen received Eleanor Roosevelt, and in October she made visits to Canada and the United States. Elizabeth II also became the first monarch to wish her subjects a Merry Christmas on television.
In 1960, the couple's second son, Prince Andrew, was born. He became the first child in the last century to be born to a reigning monarch. The following year the Queen continued her active travels. She visited Nepal, Pakistan, Vatican City, Ghana, Cyprus, India, Turkey, Iran and Italy.
At the same time, a new page began in the biography of Elizabeth 2’s sister, Margaret. The girl married a descendant of a Welsh noble family. Margaret was repeatedly called the "rebel princess". She often appeared in the company of rockers, visited London clubs and constantly had affairs. Since the eighties, she has had health problems and an addiction to alcohol and smoking. The biography of Elizabeth 2's sister Margaret ended tragically in 2002. She died of a stroke.
In the summer of 1961, the Queen received the Kennedys, and in 1962, only Jacqueline, who went on tour on behalf of her husband. In 1965, members of the Kennedy family, together with Elizabeth, would open a number of memorial sites in the UK dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy.
In the summer of 1961, Elizabeth met the world's first astronaut. A lunch was held in honor of Yuri Gagarin, which was attended by the royal couple, their children, as well as the Queen's sister and Prince Philip's uncle. In 1969, the first man to land on the moon, American Neil Armstrong, was received at Buckingham Palace.
In March 1964, the last child of Elizabeth II was born. Prince Edward will later abandon the traditional military career for boys born into the royal family. He will pursue a liberal arts degree and work for theater production companies.
In 1970, the biography of Queen Elizabeth II of England was replenished with new diplomatic meetings and visits. She met with American President Richard Nixon and traveled to New Zealand and Australia. During the journey, a new practice of communicating with subjects was introduced. The couple walked the streets and talked with a huge number of people.
The following year, the Japanese Emperor was received in Great Britain, and in mid-1972 the couple and their daughter Anna visited socialist Yugoslavia. There they met with Josip Broz Tito. In September of the following year, the queen's husband made an unofficial visit to the USSR. He met with Leonid Brezhnev, Alexei Kosygin and Nikolai Podgorny. Philip arrived in Moscow as president of the International Equestrian Federation.
In 1974, a crisis began to brew in Great Britain. This required intervention on the part of the queen. No single political party received a majority of the votes, but the result was that Harold Wilson was appointed Prime Minister.
In 1975, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to pay an official visit to Japan; two years later she inaugurated the Olympic Games and received American President Jimmy Carter. In 1978, the leader of socialist Romania and his wife Elena visited the UK. In 1980, Elizabeth met with the Pope at the Vatican. In 1982, the Pope visited Great Britain in person (for the first time in 450 years).
In 1986, the Queen learned of civil war in the colony of Aden. At that moment she was on her yacht Britannia. Elizabeth II decided to enter territorial waters and took on board more than a thousand evacuees.
The reign of Elizabeth II in the late 90s and early 2000s
According to the Queen herself, 1992 was a “terrible year.” In the biography of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, then, indeed, new sad pages appeared. Princess Anne was going through a divorce from her husband, Princes Andrew and Charles also separated from their lovers, but at that time still unofficially. That same year, Windsor Castle was badly damaged by fire, funding for the court was reduced, and the queen began to be required to pay income taxes.
In 1995, the Queen visited Russia on an official visit, and the following year received Bill Clinton and his wife at Buckingham Palace. At the same time, the divorce of Princess Diana and Prince Charles was officially announced. A year later, the princess died tragically in a car accident. This came as a shock to the ruling family and ordinary citizens.
The Queen's fiftieth anniversary on the throne
Ceremonial events marking Elizabeth's fifty years on the throne were held in 2002. This is the golden anniversary. Unfortunately, Elizabeth's sister Princess Margaret died that same year. The biography of the mother of Queen Elizabeth 2 was tragically interrupted in the same year. Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon died at 101 from a severe cold. All of England took this hard. The biography of Elizabeth 2 continued. In 2007, she became the first royal to celebrate a diamond wedding (sixty years of marriage) and the oldest British monarch in history.
Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee
The Diamond Jubilee was celebrated in 2012 in the UK and Commonwealth countries. Today, the queen rules sixteen states (twelve of them were dominions at the time of Elizabeth's coronation). Elizabeth became the second British monarch to celebrate this anniversary. The first was Queen Victoria. Many celebratory events were planned. Parliament, as an anniversary gift, invited the Queen to attend the meeting as an observer. This happened for the first time.
Role in political and social life
It seems that the biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England (and the photos confirm this) is only receptions, visits and participation in social events. This is partly true. Elizabeth performs exclusively representative functions and has virtually no visible influence on state affairs. But throughout the entire period of her reign, she quite strengthens the authority of the monarchy. The Queen's duties include visiting different countries, meeting high-ranking guests, reading annual messages to ministers, knighting, presenting awards and receiving ambassadors. Every day, Elizabeth II watches the news and personally responds to several random letters that her subjects send to her in huge quantities.
Family and succession to the throne
In short, the biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England throughout her life was focused on maintaining the authority of the monarchy and performing representative functions. At the same time, she managed to give birth to two children while on the throne. In total, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, have four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, Edward. The Queen has nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. First in line of succession is Charles, followed by his son, Prince William, and his grandchildren (George, Charlotte, Louis).
The biography of the daughter of Elizabeth 2 is of some interest. Princess Anne survived several assassination attempts; she serves as a member of the royal house of Britain. After graduating from school, the royal princess constantly organized meetings and participated in several funds to help those in need. The daughter of Queen Elizabeth II visited Russia more often than other members of the royal seven. She officially represented her state at the Olympic Games in the Russian Federation.
Queen Elizabeth II has been the face of the English monarchy for more than 65 years. It is difficult to imagine the Queen of England in any other way, as her appearance, taste, style, manners, character and features correspond to her current role. But Elizabeth’s chances of becoming a monarch were assessed as insignificant.
Not a beauty, but very sweet, diligent and inquisitive, and at the same time quite decisive and adventurous. All these extraordinary traits may have predetermined Elizabeth's life path. Random factors also played a significant role, because no one could have imagined that her uncle Edward would abdicate the throne in the name of love, and her father, King George VI, would die early enough due to illness.
But the stars aligned so that, having become queen at a very young age, Elizabeth II is today the oldest monarch in Europe.
Her life was not boring, it had everything - a happy childhood, an active youth filled with ardent love and quite serious trials, maturity, during which the queen did everything to restore respect and honor to the monarchy in Great Britain.
Elizabeth in her youth
The future queen was born in April 1926 to the couple Prince Albert, Duke of York - the youngest son of the reigning King George V, and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
5 months
About 2 years
With sister and mother, 1931
Lilibet, Elizabeth's affectionate name, was a sweet and obedient girl.
1932
She was distinguished by perseverance and a thirst for knowledge. The girl received a home education in the humanities, and, of course, a high level worthy of a princess. The princess was taught by the best teachers, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the rector of Eton, and a French governess. Much attention was paid to the study of languages, history, religious studies, the study of the constitution and law.
From an early age, Lilibet adored horses, she herself deftly stayed in the saddle and loved watching races.
The future queen carried this passion, like her love for dogs, throughout her life.
1936
Studying was easy for Lilibet, and in her youth she mastered the French language perfectly; she managed to realize her sharp mind, erudition and natural adventurism after being a scout and a sea ranger.
Elizabeth's speech on the radio, 1940
During the Second World War
18 years
Husband Prince Philip
The future queen met her future husband, Prince Philip, at the age of 13.
Philip was of “blue blood”: his father was a Greek prince, his mother was a German princess. But his family came under repression after the overthrow of the monarchy in Greece, was forced to flee the country, and the young prince lived in different countries from infancy, having a noble origin, external beauty and stateliness as an asset, and a completely empty bank account as a liability.
The young princess's love for Philip, having flared up once, lasted throughout her life. Allegedly, Lilibet herself proposed to the prince.
Her parents did not really approve of her choice, since the prince was not only poor, but also bore a German title, which was not welcomed at the English court, was very handsome, which evoked thoughts of possible betrayals in the future, and, moreover, had a very peculiar feeling humor.
However, Elizabeth was able to insist on her decision and her parents agreed to this marriage. By agreement with the bride's father, the newlyweds waited until Elizabeth turned 21, after which a magnificent wedding took place in Westminster Abbey, which was broadcast on television for the first time.
Despite the fact that Prince Philip received a high status, in this marriage he was forced to part with many important things for himself - to abandon the Orthodox religion of his parents, moving to the Anglican Church, to change the name of his grandfather Battenberg to the English manner - Mountbatten, to quit smoking, and later abandon his career as a naval officer. And yet, this marriage can be called happy, although, of course, no one knows for certain about the true feelings of the spouses.
This video tells the story of the life of Queen Elizabeth 2:
A year after the wedding in 1948, the couple had their first child, Prince Charles, and in 1950, Princess Anne.
With Charles 1949
With Anna 1950
The young parents did little to raise their children, since Philip expressed a desire to continue serving in the garrison in Malta, and Elizabeth, like a true loving wife, followed him, leaving the children under the care of their grandparents in London.
Coronation of Elizabeth
In 1952, the measured life of the married couple changed radically. In February of that year, due to a serious illness, the current monarch, George VI, passed away, who at one time became king also by coincidence - due to his abdication of the throne due to his great love for the commoner King Edward VIII. Elizabeth became heir to the throne and was urgently summoned for coronation from a trip with her husband to Kenya. The new queen was crowned on July 2, 1953, after which she went on a long royal tour of the countries.
One of the goals of this tour was to raise the prestige of the crown. In addition, from her youth, Elizabeth was passionate about the idea of general welfare, so charity became a second task.
1955
1957
1959
Queen Elizabeth II devoted her entire life to raising the prestige of the monarchy in the state and beyond.
It was under her that the royal family came out of the shadows and all significant family and state events were covered on television. And of course, no state events took place without her participation. Being the embodiment of true femininity, the queen at any age appeared to the public as the embodiment of elegance, fashion and style.
Already in her high status, the Queen gave birth to two more children - Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.
With Andrew and Anna in 1960
With Edward in 1964
Prince Consort Philip, being a minor figure in the state, devoted more time to raising children, while continuing to serve in the Admiralty.
1968
1972
1979
1986
1997
Queen Elizabeth II now
Having reached a venerable age, Queen Elizabeth is full of strength and energy. She is the longest reigning monarch in British history. Her main hobbies have remained unchanged since childhood - dogs and horses, and in adulthood the Queen of England also became interested in gardening.
As before, Elizabeth’s main activities are representational functions and charity. Nevertheless, the Queen is fully aware of the political situation in the country, but according to established tradition, the monarchy is above this and does not influence political battles, maintaining neutrality.
She and Prince Philip celebrated 70 years of marriage.