"Who did Elizabeth Washington marry?" is one of the questions AnswersElizabeth II asks.
The Queen of the United Kingdom is Elizabeth II.[b]
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's first child was born in Mayfair, London.She was the heir presumptive when her father ascended the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936.During the Second World War, she served in the auxiliary Territorial Service.In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince Andrew.
When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth became head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Pakistan.She has reigned as a constitutional monarch through a number of political changes.As territories gained independence and became republics, the number of her realm changed.Her historic visits include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and meetings with five popes.Her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees in 1977 and 2012 have been significant events.She was the first British monarch to reach a jubilee.She is the longest-reigning British monarch.She is the longest-serving female head of state in the history of the world, and the oldest living monarch.
After the breakdown of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis, and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiment and press criticism of the royal family.Her popularity and support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom has been high.
King George V's son, the Duke of York, was the second son of the King.Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was the youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.She was born at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair.She was christened in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on May 29th, naming her after her mother, father and mother's mother.She was called "Lilibet" by her family at first, but later became known as "George V" due to her grandfather's illness.[8]
Princess Margaret was born in 1930.The two princesses were educated at home by their mother and their governess.Lessons focused on history, language, literature, and music.Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years in 1950 that displeased the royal family.The book describes Elizabeth's orderliness and her attitude of responsibility."Elizabeth was described as a character when she was two years old," said others.In an infant, she has an air of authority.Margaret Rhodes described her as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved".There are no comments at this time.
Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her father and uncle.She was not expected to become queen as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession.She became second in line to the throne after her father when her grandfather died in 1936.Edward abdicated after his proposed marriage to a divorcee caused a constitutional crisis.Elizabeth became heir presumptive when her father became king.She would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession if her parents had a later son.[17]
Elizabeth received private tuition in constitutional history from Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton College, and learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses.The 1st Buckingham Palace Company was formed to allow her to socialize with her own age peers.She became a Sea Ranger later.[19]
Elizabeth's parents traveled to Canada and the US in 1939.When they traveled to Australia and New Zealand in 1927, Elizabeth stayed in Britain because her father thought she was too young.She looked sad as her parents left.She and her parents made the first royal transatlantic telephone call on 18 May.[21]
Britain entered the Second World War in 1939.It was suggested by Lord Hailsham that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should be relocated to Canada.Their mother said that the children wouldn't go without her.I will not leave without the King.The King will stay.The princesses stayed in Scotland until Christmas 1939, when they moved to Norfolk.They lived at Royal Lodge, Windsor, from February to May 1940, before moving to Windsor Castle for most of the next five years.The princesses staged pantomimes at Christmas to raise money for the Queen's Wool Fund.In 1940, the 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast, addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities.She said that they were trying to help the sailors, soldiers, and airmen, as well as bear their own share of the danger and sadness of war.We know that all of us will be fine.[28]
Elizabeth made her first public appearance on a visit to the Grenadier Guards in 1943, a year after she was appointed colonel.As she approached her 18th birthday, parliament changed the law so she could act as one of five Counsellors of State in the event of her father's incapacity or absence abroad.In February 1945, she was appointed as a second subaltern in the auxiliary Territorial Service.She was given the rank of junior commander five months after training as a driver and mechanic.[32]
On Victory in Europe Day, Elizabeth and Margaret mingled with the crowds in the streets of London.In a rare interview, Elizabeth said, "We asked my parents if we could go out and see ourselves."We were terrified of being recognised.All of us were swept along on a tide of happiness and relief, I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down the street.[35]
Welsh nationalism was quelled by affiliating Elizabeth more closely with Wales.Fear of being associated with conscientious objectors in the Urdd at a time when Britain was at war was one of the reasons why Elizabeth's proposals were abandoned.She was supposed to be made Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday.The King rejected the idea because he felt that the title belonged to the wife of the Prince of Wales, who had always been the heir apparent.In 1946, she became a member of the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards.[38]
Princess Elizabeth went on her first overseas tour with her parents in 1947.In a broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, she said she would devote her whole life to her country and her family.[39]
Prince Philip and Elizabeth met in 1934 and 1937.They are third cousins through Queen Victoria.Elizabeth said she fell in love with Philip after another meeting at the Royal Naval College in July of 1939.Their engagement was announced on 9 July 1947.[42]
Philip was foreign-born, had no financial standing, and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links.Some of the King's advisors didn't think he was good enough for her.He didn't have a home or kingdom.The papers played music on Philip's foreign origin.Elizabeth's mother had reservations about the union, and teased Philip as "The Hun", according to later biographies.The Queen Mother told Tim Heald that Philip was an English gentleman.[47]
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten took the name of his mother's British family after he converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism.The Duke of Edinburgh was created just before the wedding.Elizabeth and Philip were married in 1947.There were 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world.The material for Elizabeth's gown was designed by Norman Hartnell, who was based in Britain.It was not acceptable for Philip's German relations to be invited to the wedding in post-war Britain.The Duke of Windsor was not invited.[52]
Prince Charles was Elizabeth's first child.The King issued letters patent allowing her children to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess, to which they otherwise would not have been entitled as their father was no longer a prince.Princess Anne was born in 1950.[55]
The couple leased Windlesham Moor, near Windsor Castle, until July 1949, when they moved to Clarence House in London.Between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed in the British Crown Colony of Malta as a Royal Navy officer.Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten, had a rented home in the hamlet of Gwardamana where he lived intermittently with Elizabeth.The children were in Britain.[56]
George VI's health declined and Elizabeth stood in for him at public events.In case the King died while she was on tour, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, carried a draft accession declaration.Elizabeth and Philip embarked on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in early 1952.On 6 February 1952, after a night at the Treetops Hotel, they returned to their home, Sagana Lodge, and learned of Elizabeth's accession to the throne after the death of the King.The new queen was told the news by Philip.She chose to remain Elizabeth, "of course", after Martin Charteris asked her to choose a regnal name.The royal party returned to the United Kingdom after she was proclaimed queen.The Duke of Edinburgh and her moved into Buckingham Palace.61
It was thought that the royal house would be named after the Duke of Edinburgh, in line with the custom of a wife taking her husband's name on marriage.The name House of Mountbatten was advocated by the Duke's uncle.The House of Edinburgh was suggested by Philip.On 9 April 1952 Elizabeth issued a declaration stating that the House of Windsor would remain the name of the royal house.The Duke is not allowed to give his name to his children.Philip and Elizabeth's male-line descendants who do not carry royal titles were christened Mountbatten-Windsor after the death of Queen Mary in 1953.[64]
Margaret told her sister that she wanted to marry Peter and have two sons from his previous marriage.Charteris said that the Queen was sympathetic towards the Princess, but she thought the affair would peter out given time.The Church of England did not allow remarriage after divorce and senior politicians were against the match.Margaret would have been expected to give up her right of succession if she had contracted a civil marriage.Margaret decided to abandon her plans.[67]
The coronation on June 2, 1953, went ahead as planned despite the death of Queen Mary.The ceremony in Westminster Abbey was televised for the first time.The floral emblems of Commonwealth countries were embroidered on Elizabeth's gown.73
The British Empire became the Commonwealth of Nations after Elizabeth's birth.By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was established.In 1953, the Queen and her husband embarked on a seven-month round-the-world tour, visiting 13 countries and covering more than 40,000 miles by land, sea and air.She was the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand.Three-quarters of the population of Australia were estimated to have seen her during the tour.The Queen has made hundreds of state visits to other countries and tours of the Commonwealth throughout her reign.[80]
The British and French prime ministers discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth.The Treaty of Rome was signed by France after the proposal was never accepted.In November of 1956, Britain and France invaded Egypt in a failed attempt to capture the canal.The Queen was opposed to the invasion according to Lord Mountbatten.Two months later, he resigned.81
The lack of a formal mechanism for choosing a leader of the Conservative Party meant that the Queen had to decide who to commission to form a government.The Lord President of the Council is Lord Salisbury.The British Cabinet, as well as the Chairman of the 1922 Committee, were consulted by Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir, the Lord Chancellor.[83]
The first major personal criticism of the Queen came in 1957 after the crisis in Egypt.Lord Altrincham accused her of being out of touch in a magazine he owned and edited.Altrincham was slapped by a member of the public who was appalled by his comments.The Earl of Home was appointed as prime minister in 1963, six years after Macmillan resigned.The Queen was criticized for appointing the prime minister on the advice of a small number of ministers.In 1965, the Conservatives adopted a formal mechanism for electing a leader.[87]
She spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in 1957 on behalf of the Commonwealth.She became the first monarch of Canada to open a parliamentary session when she opened the 23rd Canadian Parliament.In her capacity as Queen of Canada, she visited the United States and Canada.In 1961, she toured Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran.Even though her host, President Nkrumah, who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for assassins, she dismissed fears for her safety.The Queen is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as a film star.Extremists within the Quebec movement were reported to be planning Elizabeth's assassination before her tour through parts of Quebec in 1964.The Queen's calmness and courage in the face of the violence were noted.[94]
In 1959 and 1963, Elizabeth did not perform the State Opening of the British parliament because of her pregnancies with Princes Andrew and Edward.She instituted new practices while performing traditional ceremonies.During her tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970, she met ordinary members of the public.[98]
The decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s.As part of the transition to self-government, over 20 countries gained independence from Britain.Ian Smith, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, in opposition to moves towards majority rule, declared independence in 1965, while expressing "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth.The international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia despite the Queen dismissing him.The British government achieved entry to the European Community in 1973.[98]
The British Prime Minister advised the Queen to call a general election in the middle of her tour of the Pacific Rim because he wanted her to return to Britain.The Conservatives could stay in office if they formed a coalition with the Liberals.Labour's Harold Wilson was asked by the Queen to form a government after discussions on forming a coalition foundered.100
At the height of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, the Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, was dismissed from his post by the Governor-General, Sir John Kerr.Speaker Gordon Scholes appealed to the Queen to reverse Kerr's decision as he had a majority in the House of Representatives.She said she wouldn't interfere in the decisions made by the Governor-General.Australian republicanism was fueled by the crisis.[101]
The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth's accession took place in 1977.There were many parties and events throughout the Commonwealth.The Queen's popularity was re-affirmed by the celebrations despite negative press coverage of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon.In 1978, the Queen had to endure a state visit to the United Kingdom by the communist leader and his wife, Elena, who she thought had "blood on their hands".The assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the Irish Republican Army was one of two blows that came in the following year.[106]
The Queen was concerned that the crown had little meaning for Pierre Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister.Tony Benn said the Queen found Trudeau disappointing.Trudeau's antics, such as sliding down banisters at Buckingham Palace and pirouetting behind the Queen, seemed to confirm his republicanism.In 1980, Canadian politicians went to London to discuss the patriation of the Canadian constitution and found the Queen better informed than the British politicians.The failure of Bill C-60 would have affected her role as head of state.The monarchy was retained even though the British parliament was removed from the Canadian constitution.Trudeau said in his memoirs that the Queen favored his attempt to reform the constitution and that he was impressed by the wisdom she showed in private.[108]
Six shots were fired at the Queen as she rode her horse down The Mall in London, six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.The shots were blanks.Marcus was sentenced to five years in prison and was released after three.The Queen's skill in controlling her mount was praised.[115]
During her visit to New Zealand in October, the Queen was the target of another attack.According to New Zealand Security Intelligence Service documents, Christopher John Lewis fired a shot from the fifth floor of a building overlooking the parade, but missed.Lewis was sentenced to three years in jail for discharging a firearm, but he was never charged with attempted murder or treason.He tried to escape from a mental hospital in order to kill Charles, who was visiting the country with Diana and their son.[ 112]
The Queen was proud of her son, Prince Andrew, who was serving with British forces during the war.On 9 July, she woke up in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find a man in the room with her.After two calls to the Palace police switchboard, assistance arrived.After hosting US President Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visiting his California ranch in 1983, the Queen was angered when his administration ordered the invasion of Grenada.115
There were a lot of sensational stories in the press during the 1980s, not all of which were true.The editor of The Sun told his staff to give him a Sunday for Monday to splash on the Royals.Don't worry if it's not true, as long as there is no fuss about it afterwards.The boundary between fact and fiction has been lost as the royal soap opera has reached such a pitch of public interest.According to The Sunday Times of 20 July 1986, the Queen was worried that Margaret Thatcher's economic policies fostered social divisions and that she was alarmed by the violence of the miners' strike.The sources of the rumour included a royal aide and a Commonwealth Secretary-General, but the aide claimed his comments were taken out of context.Thatcher claimed that the Queen would vote for the Social Democratic Party.John Campbell, Thatcher's biographer, claimed that the report was a piece of journalism.The Queen gave two honours in her personal gift to Thatcher after her replacement as prime minister, after Thatcher lied about acrimony between them.Brian Mulroney, Canadian prime minister between 1984 and 1993, said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid.[123]
The Queen became a target of satire by the end of the 1980s.The involvement of younger members of the royal family in a charity game show was ridiculed.In Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically divisive constitutional amendments, prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau.The elected government was deposed in a coup.Elizabeth supported the attempts of the Governor-General to assert power and negotiate a settlement.Sitiveni Rabuka was the leader of the coup that deposed Ganilau.There are 127 words.
In 1991, after coalition victory in the Gulf War, the Queen became the first British monarch to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.[128]
In a speech to mark her Ruby Jubilee on the throne, Elizabeth called 1992 her annus horribilis.Press estimates of the Queen's private wealth, as well as reports of affairs and strained marriages among her extended family, led to a rise in Republican feeling in Britain.Her second son, Prince Andrew, and his wife, Sarah, separated in March, while her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain MarkPhillips during a state visit to Germany in October.The public scrutiny of the monarchy increased.In a speech, the Queen said that any institution must expect criticism, but suggested that it be done with a touch of humor, gentleness and understanding.Two days later, Prime Minister John Major announced reforms to the royal finances, including the Queen paying income tax from 1993 onwards.Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, separated in December.The Queen sued The Sun newspaper for publishing the text of her Christmas message two days before it was broadcast.The newspaper was forced to give money to charity.[137]
In the years that followed, public revelations on the state of Charles and Diana's marriage continued.Even though republicanism was a minority viewpoint in Britain, the Queen had high approval ratings.The institution of the monarchy and the Queen's wider family were the focus of criticism.She wrote to Charles and Diana at the end of 1995 saying that a divorce was desirable.[141]
A year after the divorce, Diana was killed in a car crash.The Queen and her family were on a holiday.The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh took Diana's two sons to church because they wanted to attend.The royal family's seclusion and the failure to fly a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace were covered up by the Queen and Duke for five days.Pressured by the hostile reaction, the Queen agreed to return to London and do a live television broadcast on the day before Diana's funeral.She expressed admiration for Diana and her feelings for the two princes.The public hostility evaporated as a result.146
The Queen and her husband held a reception in 1997 to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary.She praised Philip for his role as a consort and referred to him as her strength and stay.[147]
Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee in 2002.The media speculated whether the Jubilee would be a success or a failure after her sister and mother died.She undertook an extensive tour of her realm, which began in Jamaica in February, where she called the farewell banquet "memorable" after a power cut plunged the King's House, the official residence of the governor-general, into darkness.In 1977 there were street parties and monuments were named to honor the occasion.A million people attended each day of the three-day main Jubilee celebration in London, and the enthusiasm shown by the public for the Queen was greater than many journalists had expected.[151]
In 2003 the Queen had surgery on her knees.She hurt her back in the summer and missed the opening of the new stadium.[151]
In May 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported that the Queen was "exasperated and frustrated" by the policies of the British prime minister, Tony Blair, and that she had raised concerns over rural.She admired Blair's efforts to achieve peace in Northern Ireland.She was the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary.On 20 March 2008, at the Church of Ireland St Patrick's Cathedral, the Queen attended the first Maundy service held outside England and Wales.[156]
In 2010, Elizabeth addressed the UN General Assembly again in her capacity as Queen of all Commonwealth nations and Head of the Commonwealth.She was introduced as "an anchor for our age" by the UN Secretary General.During her visit to New York, she opened a memorial garden for British victims of the September 11 attacks.The Queen has visited Australia 16 times since 1954.She made the first state visit to the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch in May 2011.160
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee marked 60 years on the throne, and celebrations were held throughout her realm, the wider Commonwealth and beyond.Elizabeth released a message on Accession Day.
In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness.I hope that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great advances that have been made since 1952 and to look forward to the future with a clear head and warm heart.161
Her children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours of other Commonwealth states on her behalf as she undertook an extensive tour of the United Kingdom.On 4 June, Jubilee beacon were lit around the world.The Queen and her husband celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in November.She was the first British monarch to attend a peacetime Cabinet meeting since George III in 1781.[169]
The first head of state to open two Olympic Games in two countries was the Queen, who opened the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.She played herself in a short film with Daniel Craig as James Bond for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.She was called the "most memorable Bond girl yet" at the award ceremony after she received a BAFTA for her patronage of the film industry.Elizabeth was admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital as a precautionary measure after developing symptoms of a stomach bug.She went back to Buckingham Palace the next day.She signed the new Charter of the Commonwealth a week later.She did not attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the first time in 40 years because of her age and the need to limit travelling.Prince Charles was present at the summit.She had surgery on her eye in May.She gave up driving on public roads in March due to a car crash involving her husband.[174]
On December 21, 2007, the Queen surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the female head of state in the world.She became the oldest monarch after King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died.She became the longest-reigning current monarch and the oldest current head of state after the death of King Bhumibol of Thailand on 13 October 2016On 6 February, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Jubilee, and on 20 November she celebrated her Platinum wedding anniversary.The Queen's consort, Prince Philip, retired from his official duties in August.She will surpass Louis XIV of France as the longest-reigning monarch of a state in verified world history on 27 May 2024.[188]
Prince Charles has taken on more of the Queen's duties as she carries out fewer public engagements.She will be succeeded by Charles as the head of the Commonwealth.The Queen wanted Charles to follow her in the role.Plans for her death and funeral have been prepared by the British government.[192]
Elizabeth rarely gives interviews, so little is known of her feelings.She has not expressed her political opinions as a monarch.She takes her oath seriously and has a deep sense of religious and civic duty.She is a member of both the national Church of Scotland and the church of england, as well as being the Supreme Governor of the established church.She has met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes, and demonstrated support for inter-faith relations.A personal note about her faith is included in her annual Christmas message.She said in 2000.
Our beliefs are important to many of us.Before God provides a framework in which I try to lead my life, I need the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability.I have drawn great comfort from Christ's words and example.[197]
She is a patron of over 600 charities.According to the Charities Aid Foundation, Elizabeth has raised over four billion dollars for her patronages.Her main hobbies include equestrianism and dogs.Her love of corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first corgi owned by her family.Scenes of a relaxed, informal home life have occasionally been witnessed; she and her family, from time to time, prepare a meal together and do the washing up afterwards.[203]
At the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen".After the trauma of the Second World War, it was a time of progress and achievement.The accusation that her speeches sounded like those of a "priggish schoolgirl" was rare.Royal Family and Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales were made in the late 1960s to portray a more modern image of the monarchy.In public, she wore mostly solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd.[212]
The crowds and celebrations at her Silver Jubilee in 1977 were genuinely enthusiastic, but the public criticism of the royal family increased as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny.Her popularity fell to a low point in the 1990s.She paid income tax for the first time and Buckingham Palace was open to the public.Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of the former Princess of Wales, Diana, but Elizabeth's popularity rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days later.[212]
The retention of the Australian monarchy in preference to an indirectly elected head of state was supported in a 1999 referendum.In 2006 and 2007, polls showed strong support for Elizabeth, and in 2012 her Diamond Jubilee year, her approval ratings hit 90 percent.In 2008 and 2009, there were referendums on whether to become republics.[216]