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08.09.23, 12:23 2023-09-08T12:23:26+03:00
On April 21 at 2:40 am, their first child, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, was born to Prince Albert and his wife Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Then no one imagined that just 26 years later he would ascend to the British throne. In reality, there were few prerequisites for it. Albert is the second son of King George V and has an older brother, Edward, who would take the crown after his father. If everything had gone as planned and Eduardo had had children, they would have pushed Alberto and his daughters even further back in the line of succession.
Three-year-old Princess Elizabeth, or Lilibet as her family called her, appeared for the first time on the cover of the world’s press. On April 29, the American magazine Time published a touching photograph of a baby with curly hair and a statement: “She has set the baby trend in yellow.”
At the wedding of Greek Princess Marina in Westminster Abbey, eight-year-old Princess Elizabeth meets her distant relative, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, who is 13 years old at the time, for the first time. Of course, then it’s not about mutual feelings.
On January 20, King George V dies from bronchitis and his eldest son, Edward, is automatically proclaimed the new monarch. The next day, his beloved Wallis Simpson, formally married, begins divorce proceedings. It is clear to everyone that the American seriously counts on the title of Queen Consort. The British government is dismayed by the situation; A constitutional crisis begins in Great Britain. As a result, Edward’s reign lasted 326 days and ended with his abdication before the official coronation ceremony. This moment completely changed the life of 10-year-old Princess Elizabeth. Her father becomes king and she becomes heir to the throne.
In the summer, George VI, his wife and daughters visited the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. One of the cadets in charge of accompanying the royal family is Prince Philip. After this trip, a correspondence begins between Isabel and Felipe, which over the years becomes a romance.
During World War II, the king’s wife and daughters were offered evacuation to Canada, but remained in London. Princess Elizabeth visits Guard regiments, talks on the radio with British children and joins the self-defense unit, and then trains as an ambulance driver and serves (!!!) for five months. They say that on the day Britain celebrated the victory, 19-year-old Elizabeth, along with her 15-year-old sister Margaret, were released from the palace into the city so they could enjoy this moment with ordinary residents and currents. London.
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Prince Philip asks George VI for the hand of his eldest daughter. And although the young man was warmly welcomed into the royal family, the monarch was in no hurry to give his consent to the marriage. He wants to make sure of the seriousness of the lovers’ intentions and proposes a condition: there will be an engagement, but only in six months, when Elizabeth turns 21.
Having awaited her 21st birthday, Elizabeth legally wears a ring on her ring finger, created by the house of Garrard from a sketch by Prince Philip. And on November 20, the future queen’s wedding will take place at Westminster Abbey. The celebration is relatively modest, without excesses. In post-war London, a lavish wedding would have been viewed ambiguously.
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Almost exactly one year after the wedding, on November 14, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s first child is born. The prince’s name is Charles. It must be said that he waited the longest in British history for the moment of his own accession to the throne.
On August 15, the couple gives birth to a daughter, Princess Anne.
At the beginning of the year, Isabel and Felipe go on a tour of African countries. During the trip, on February 6, George VI died. Elizabeth is proclaimed Queen of Great Britain. Philip is the first to learn of his father’s death. He decides to independently report this to the 25-year-old princess before she hears the news on the radio or from one of her employees. The trip is immediately interrupted, Elizabeth and Philip immediately return to London.
June 2: Westminster Abbey and official coronation of Elizabeth II. For the first time in history it was broadcast live. Some 27 million people in the United Kingdom watched the ceremony on television and a further 11 million listened to it on the radio. After this, around three million people lined the road along the royal chariot route.
The first serious political test for the young queen. In October, Britain, France and Israel invaded Egypt to seize control of the Suez Canal. Five months later, the international conflict ended in complete failure for the United Kingdom and its allies, as a result of which Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned and the Queen had to appoint a new head of government by her own decree. This was the conservative Harold Macmillan.
On February 19, Elizabeth gives birth to her third heir, Prince Andrew. He becomes the first child born to a reigning monarch in over a century. At the same time, Andrew is under much less pressure than his older brother and sister, so he grows up as a fairly free child.
On March 10, Isabel and Felipe’s fourth child, Eduardo, is born.
On 21 October an event occurred which, perhaps more than any other during the reign, shook attitudes towards the monarchy. In the town of Aberfan, south Wales, an avalanche of mud, water and debris from a coal mine buried a primary school. As a result, 116 children and 28 adults died. Prince Philip immediately arrived at the scene of the tragedy, but the Queen did not make an official address to the nation or schedule a visit, explaining that she did not want to distract special services from rescue and recovery work. This caused a complete misunderstanding on the part of the subjects. Eight days later, Elizabeth finally arrived in Aberfan. According to numerous recollections of her loved ones, she considered her behavior after the disaster and the decisions she made to be the biggest mistake of her life.
This year Margaret Thatcher appointed a woman as the first female prime minister in British history. Which, I must say, has a difficult relationship with Elizabeth, but, of course, respectful. Thatcher would lead the British government for 11 years, until 1990.
On July 29, 750 million people in 74 countries watched with bated breath an event that was supposed to be the beginning of a fairy tale, but ultimately only caused much suffering. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Queen called 1992 a “terrible year” (annus horribilis): Prince Charles separates from Diana, Princess Anne divorces her first husband, Mark Philipps, and Prince Andrew divorces his wife Sarah Ferguson. Additionally, Windsor Castle, beloved by the queen, was severely damaged by fire.
Four years later, after numerous scandals and mutual accusations, the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was officially dissolved. This period turned out to be the most destructive for the reputation of the royal family, because during the trial between the spouses, the public learned very unpleasant facts about their biography.
On August 31, Princess Diana dies. Elizabeth II, despite all the contradictions with her daughter-in-law, finds the strength to make an official appeal to the nation and orders that the funeral be celebrated with all royal honors. It is true that during the first five days she was silent. During this time, a continuous stream of criticism from the press and citizens came to her speech.
Another tragic year for Elizabeth II. On February 9, her younger sister, Princess Margaret, dies, and a month and a half later, on March 30, the Queen Mother, who has been with her daughter all these years, dies. That same year, the Queen cancels the Golden Jubilee of her reign: 50 years on the throne.
Prince William, second in line to the throne, will finally marry his lover Kate Middleton. Young, active and clearly in love, the couple is becoming a symbol of a new stage in the popularity of the British royal family.
A special year. Elizabeth II becomes the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The previous record belonged to Queen Victoria.
Since the beginning of the year, reports about the poor health of the Queen’s beloved husband, Prince Philip, have actively appeared in the press. In February he was hospitalized and underwent heart surgery. On April 9, Felipe died, two months before his centenary.
Filming by Annie Leibovitz on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Elizabeth II
After the death of her husband, the queen began to appear less frequently in public and transferred more and more official responsibilities to her children and grandchildren. In June, Britain celebrated the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s reign on a grand scale. The 96-year-old monarch missed some celebrations for health reasons.
The last time Elizabeth II was seen was on September 6, 2022: at Balmoral Castle she officially accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and confirmed Liz Truss as head of government. Two days later, Buckingham Palace announced that the queen was under medical supervision. Her children will immediately fly to Scotland and in the afternoon the entire world will officially learn that Queen Elizabeth II has died at the age of 96. Her son, Charles, 73, will take the throne.
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