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‘The end of an era’ – A brief history of Queen Elizabeth II’s early life and ascension to the throne
After ascending to the throne in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II surpassed Victoria’s record reign and died as the longest-reigning monarch.
The late Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: Instagram
Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor – popularly known as Queen Elizabeth II – was the Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms at the time of her passing.
She was born in Mayfair, London, on 21 April 1926 as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. She was 96 at the time of her passing.
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Queen Elizabeth II’s early life
According to Britannica, her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive.
During World War II Queen Elizabeth II and her beloved sister, Princess Margaret Rose, spent much of their time living mostly at Balmoral Castle in Scotland as well as at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Windsor Castle.
They were tucked safely away from the violence, but this also meant that they were separated from their parents.
Balmoral Castle in Scotland had a special place in the Queen’s heart and she often travelled there as she did when she fell ill in September 2022.
Early in 1947, when she was just 21, her betrothal to her distant cousin Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of the Royal Navy, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, was announced.
The announcement came shortly after Princess Elizabeth returned from a trip to South Africa with her parents.
The pair were married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November that year.
They had their first child, Prince Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George), the following year on 14 November while they lived at Buckingham Palace.
Ascension to the throne
While on tour performing their royal duties, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip received word that King George VI died on 6 February 1952 after a spell of ill health.
She spent the first three months of her reign in what Britannica calls “comparative seclusion” mourning her father.
She later moved from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace and her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953.
Upon her ascension to the throne, her son Prince Charles became heir apparent and was duly named prince of Wales on 26 July 1958.
The Queen’s other children
She had a daughter named Princess Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise), born 15 August 1950 and created princess royal in 1987.
She had another son, Prince Andrew (Andrew Albert Christian Edward), born 19 February 1960 and created duke of York in 1986.
Queen Elizabeth then gave birth to Prince Edward (Edward Anthony Richard Louis) on 10 March 1964, and created rarl of Wessex and Viscount Severn in 1999.
Controversies
Much of the criticism levelled against Queen Elizabeth II stemmed from her acceptance of the changing nature of tradition and the things she allowed in an effort to present a less-stuffy and less-traditional image of the monarchy.
The televising of the royal family’s domestic life in 1970 and the formal dissolution of her sister’s marriage in 1978 are among the things that she allowed that were considered “modern.”
In the 90s, all her children divorced their partners as well.
Britannica further reports that as the country struggled with a recession in the 90s, resentment over the royals’ lifestyle mounted, and in 1992, Elizabeth although personally exempt, agreed to pay taxes on her private income.
The Jubilee
In February 2022, she marked a major milestone when the United Kingdom held celebrations heralding the 70th year of her reign.
Events were held throughout the Commonwealth, however, the biggest festivities took place in London.
This comes after Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 marking 60 years on the throne.
By September 2015, she had surpassed Victoria’s record reign of 63 years and 216 days and died as the longest-reigning monarch.
In 2016, Netflix debuted a television series about the Windsors titled The Crown and it is one of the most popular biographical shows in the world.
In April 2021, she lost her husband of more than seven decades after Prince Phillip died.
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