Princess Elizabeth, now Queen Elizabeth, is the Head of the British Commonwealth of Nations and, in addition to Great Britain, Queen of 15 independent states: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica. He is also the head of the Church of England and the Supreme Commander of the British Armed Forces.
Elizabeth II is the last representative of the so-called "old school" of monarchs: she strictly adheres to age-old traditions and ceremonies and never deviates from the rules of established etiquette. Her Majesty never gives interviews or statements in the press. She is in full view, but at the same time is the most closed celebrity on the planet.
Childhood
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Maria was born in London's Mayfair district and was named after her mother (Elizabeth), grandmother (Mary) and great-grandmother (Alexandra). Eldest daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York (future King George VI, 1895-1952) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002).
The future queen received a good education at home, mainly in the humanities. Since childhood, she loved horses and equestrian sports. And also from childhood, unlike her more eccentric sister Margaret, she had a truly royal character. In the biography of Elizabeth II Sarah Bradford, it is mentioned that the future queen from childhood was a very serious child, who already then had a certain understanding of the responsibilities that fell on her as the heir to the throne and a sense of duty. Since childhood, Elizabeth loved order, so she, for example, going to bed, always put slippers next to the bed, never allowing herself to scatter things in the room, as is inherent in many children. And already as a queen, she always made sure that no extra light burned in the palace, personally turning off the lights in empty rooms.
Princess at war
World War II began when Elizabeth was 13 years old. On October 13, 1940, she spoke on the radio for the first time - with an appeal to children affected by the scourge of war. In 1943, her first independent appearance in public took place - a visit to the regiment of guards grenadiers. In 1944, she became one of the five "state advisers" (persons who have the right to perform the functions of the king in the event of his absence or incapacity). In February 1945, Elizabeth joined the "Auxiliary Territorial Service" - the women's self-defense squads - and trained as a driver-mechanic of an ambulance, receiving the military rank of lieutenant. Her military service lasted five months, which gives reason to consider her the last not yet retired participant in the Second World War (the penultimate was Pope Benedict XVI, who served as an anti-aircraft gunner in the German armed forces).
Wedding
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 Prince Andrew of Greece, 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. After becoming her husband, Philip received the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, celebrated their "Diamond Wedding", the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage. For the sake of such an occasion, the queen allowed herself a little liberty - for one day they retired with her husband for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young princess Elizabeth visited him.
Four children were born in their family: the heir to the throne - the eldest son Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales (born in 1948); Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 1950) Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York (born 1960), Edward Anthony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex (born 1964).
On December 29, 2010, Elizabeth II became a great-grandmother for the first time. On this day, her eldest grandson - the eldest son of Princess Anne Peter Phillips - and his Canadian wife Otam Kelly had a daughter. The girl became 12th in the British line of succession to the throne.
Coronation and beginning of reign
King George VI, Elizabeth's father, died on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth, while vacationing with her husband in Kenya, was proclaimed Queen of Great Britain. The coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. This was the first televised coronation of a British monarch and is believed to have contributed significantly to the rise in popularity of television broadcasts.
Young Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen began her political activities, which included the opening of Parliament and the reception of prime ministers. In the fifties of the twentieth century, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made many visits to the territory of the United Kingdom and the countries of the Commonwealth.
In the sixties, the Queen of England made her historic visit to West Berlin at the height of the Cold War, and also invited the Japanese Emperor Hirohito on an official visit to Britain. Despite the turbulent social and political situation, she celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977. The celebrations were a success, with thousands of people celebrating the jubilee of Elizabeth II across the country.
The mature years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Five years later, Britain took part in the hostilities against the Falkland Islands, during which Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the first grandchildren of the Queen were born - Peter and Zara Phillips, the son and daughter of Anna, the royal princess and Captain Mark Phillips.
In 1992, a catastrophe occurred, as a result of which a fire destroyed part of Windsor Castle. In the same year, the marriages of Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne were dissolved. The Queen called 1992 "a terrible year." In 1996, the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was dissolved. Tragedy followed in 1997 when Diana died in a car accident.
2002 was a sad year for Queen Elizabeth II of England, as her sister Princess Margaret died.
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of England, many changes were made in Great Britain. The Queen successfully fulfills her political duties as head of state, head of the Commonwealth of Nations, ceremonial duties, and duties of visits within the UK and abroad.
Elizabeth II introduced many reforms to the monarchy. In 1992, she proposed introducing taxes on profits and capital gains. She opened official royal residences to the people, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, in order to fund the maintenance of the royal family.
She supported the abolition of male primogeniture and single inheritance, which means that now the eldest child can inherit the throne, regardless of gender.
In 2017, the Queen of England celebrated her sixty-fifth anniversary of her reign with celebrations across the country, once again demonstrating the love of the British.
Personal life
Elizabeth II does not give interviews. Nevertheless, the press periodically flashes interesting facts about this extraordinary woman, which allow us to look at the most famous reigning person of our time from an unexpected side, we have chosen the brightest, in our opinion, moments.
Among the interests of the queen are dog breeding (among them corgi, spaniels and labradors), photography, horse riding, as well as travel. Elizabeth II, maintaining her prestige as the queen of the Commonwealth, travels very actively through her possessions, and also visits other countries of the world (for example, in 1994 she visited Russia). She has more than 325 foreign visits (during her reign, Elizabeth visited more than 130 countries). Since 2009, she began to engage in gardening. Besides English, he is also fluent in French
Despite her solid image, the queen is no stranger to female coquetry and small weaknesses. Slick paparazzi more than once caught the moment when she at social events, without being embarrassed by the crowd and her high position, publicly corrected her makeup. Etiquette is etiquette, and a real queen should look gorgeous!
