”’Yes, I suppose it does,‘” Margaret quoted Elizabeth as saying. Princess Margaret recalled asking her sister whether this meant that Elizabeth would one day be queen. She was not born to be queen - her father’s elder brother, Prince Edward, was destined for the crown, to be followed by any children he had.īut in 1936, when she was 10, Edward VIII abdicated to marry twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, and Elizabeth’s father became King George VI. She never tired of the companionship of her beloved Welsh corgi dogs.Įlizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21, 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. A horse owner, she rarely seemed happier than during the Royal Ascot racing week. Of her personality, the public saw relatively little. Her image, which adorned stamps, coins and banknotes, was among the most reproduced in the world.īut her inner life and opinions remained mostly an enigma. Through countless public events, she probably met more people than anyone in history.
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Married for more than 73 years to Prince Philip, who died in 2021 at age 99, Elizabeth was matriarch to a royal family whose troubles were a subject of global fascination - amplified by fictionalized accounts such as TV series “The Crown.” She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She headed the 54-nation Commonwealth, built around Britain and its former colonies. It was a promise she kept across more than seven decades.ĭespite Britain’s complex and often fraught ties with its former colonies, Elizabeth was widely respected and remained head of state of more than a dozen countries, from Canada to Tuvalu.
When Elizabeth was 21, almost five years before she became queen, she promised the people of Britain and the Commonwealth that “my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” 6, 2022, she presided at a ceremony at Balmoral Castle to accept the resignation of Boris Johnson as prime minister and appoint Truss as his successor. The same month she became the second longest-reigning monarch in history, behind 17th-century French King Louis XIV, who took the throne at age 4. But she remained firmly in control of the monarchy and at the center of national life as Britain celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with days of parties and pageants in June 2022. She became less visible in her final years as age and frailty curtailed many public appearances.
She endured through 15 prime ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss, becoming an institution and an icon - a fixed point and a reassuring presence even for those who ignored or loathed the monarchy. 6, 1952, Elizabeth reigned over a Britain that rebuilt from war and lost its empire joined the European Union and then left it and transformed from industrial powerhouse to uncertain 21st century society. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well.” And we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. “We are trying to do all we can to help out gallant soldiers, sailors and airmen.
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“We children at home are full of cheerfulness and courage,” she said with a blend of stoicism and hope that would echo throughout her reign. As Princess Elizabeth, she made her first public broadcast in 1940 when she was 14, sending a wartime message to children evacuated to the countryside or overseas. The queen’s life was indelibly marked by the war. It is not known whether he will choose to call himself King Charles III or some other name. With the death of the queen, her 73-year-old son Charles automatically becomes monarch, though the coronation might not take place for months. WHYY thanks our sponsors - become a WHYY sponsor
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