Queen Elizabeth II Biography

Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth of York on 21 April 1926, in Mayfair, London, England, United Kingdom, to Albert Frederick Arthur George (George VI) and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon. Elizabeth II is the grand-daughter of King George V and Queen Mary.

Elizabeth, along with her sister Margaret, started her education at home, and learned history, French, mathematics, geography, dancing, singing, and art.

Her unruffled childhood took a decisive turn when her grandfather King George V passed away and her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne to be with his lady love and twice divorcee Wallis Simpson. Consequently, Elizabeth’s father was crowned king and she became the crown princess and next in line to the throne.

At the outbreak of the ‘Second World War,’ London was subjected to heavy bombardment. Subsequently, Elizabeth and her sister were shifted to ‘Balmoral Castle,’ Scotland where they stayed until the Christmas of 1939. They were later sent to ‘Sandringham House,’ Norfolk amidst growing concern over their safety.

Until May 1940, she stayed at the ‘Royal Lodge,’ Windsor, and was later shifted to ‘Windsor Castle,’ where she spent several years

She was appointed the colonel-in-chief of the ‘Grenadier Guards’ in 1942. A year later, she made her first solo public appearance and visited the infantry regiment. She also served as one of the five counselors of state in July 1944 when her father King George VI went on a trip to Italy.

Princess Elizabeth started accompanying her parents on official trips within England as well as abroad.

She was inducted into the ‘Welsh Gorsedd of Bards’ at the ‘National Eisteddfod of Wales’ in 1946. A year later, on her first official trip with her parents, she traveled to various Southern African countries.

In 1951, owing to her father’s declining health, she visited Canada and the USA in his stead.

When she was on a trip to Kenya, Australia, and New Zealand along with her husband, her father King George VI passed away. Subsequently, she was proclaimed as the sovereign of the Commonwealth realms in February 1952.

After her return from Kenya, it was anticipated that the royal house would bear the name of her husband and henceforth be known as the ‘House of Mountbatten.’

However, at the insistence of Queen Mary and the then-British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Elizabeth retained the name ‘House of Windsor.’ Her coronation took place at ‘Westminster Abbey’ on 2 June 1953. It was the first ever coronation ceremony to be televised.

During an impasse within the ‘Conservative Party,’ the queen was bestowed with the responsibility of appointing the leader of the party. Paying heed to the advice of the British cabinet and Winston Churchill, she appointed Harold Macmillan.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the African and the Caribbean countries were rapidly decolonizing and becoming sovereign states. During the Australian constitutional crisis, her decision not to interfere in the constitutional matter of the country helped speed up Australian Republicanism.

Following the victory of the 1991 ‘Gulf War,’ the queen addressed a joint session of the United States Congress, becoming the first British monarch to do so. During her speech in 1992, she described the year as ‘annus horribilis,’ meaning the horrible year; the year commemorated her 40th anniversary as the queen.

In 2002, the queen celebrated her golden jubilee as monarch, and embarked on a trip across her realm, starting from Jamaica in the Caribbean. In 2010, she addressed the ‘United Nations’ for the second time. A year later, she visited the Republic of Ireland, becoming the first British monarch to do so.

2012 witnessed Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee as the queen of England. In July 2012, she opened the ‘Olympics’ and ‘Paralympic’ games. Later in the year, she also became the first sovereign, after King George III, to participate in the peace-time Cabinet meeting.

She became the first British monarch to celebrate sapphire jubilee (65th anniversary) in 2017.

In 2018, the leaders of the Commonwealth of Nations announced that she will be succeeded by Charles as head of the Commonwealth.

While riding a horse near the ‘Buckingham Palace,’ as part of a parade during her birthday celebrations in June 1981, she was shot by a teenager named Marcus Sarjeant. The next year, another man broke into her personal bedchamber with an intention of hurting her. Fortunately, she didn’t get hurt on both the occasions.

After Princess Diana’s death in 1997, her silence generated a lot of speculations. Also, the rumor that she had declined a public funeral for Diana hurt public sentiment.

Media reports claimed that the queen was “exasperated and frustrated” by the policies of the then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair; a claim that generated a lot of controversy.

Elizabeth got married to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, her second cousin through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousin through Queen Victoria, on 20 November 1947 at ‘Westminster Abbey.’

Her first son, Prince Charles, was born on 14 November 1948. A couple of years later, she gave birth to Princess Anne. Prince Andrew was born in 1960 and Prince Edward, her fourth child, was born in 1964.

In 1969, she declared Prince Charles as her successor and bestowed upon him the title ‘Prince of Wales.’ Prince Charles got married to a 19-year-old Diana Spencer in 1981.

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's marriage lasted 73 years until the death of Prince Philip on 9 April 2021.

Queen Elizabeth II died on 8 September 2022, at her Balmoral retreat in the Scottish highlands. She was 96, and succeeded by her son Charles III.

With the announcement of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, 'Operation London Bridge' was set in motion. It is the name of a funeral plan for the Queen. The plan 'Operation London Bridge' includes her death announcement, the period of official mourning and the details of her funeral. This plan was created more than 60 years ago and revised several time before her death. Along with 'Operation London Bridge,' there is an additional plan detailing the action if the Queen were to die in Scotland. This is called 'Operation Unicorn.'

On 4 April 2013, Queen Elizabeth II received an honorary ‘BAFTA’ for supporting the film industry. She was called "the most memorable Bond girl yet" at the award ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth II had a strong affinity for Corgis and owned several of them during her reign.

She was the first British monarch to have sent an email, which she did in 1976 during a visit to an army base.

The Queen was fluent in French and often used the language during her diplomatic engagements with French-speaking leaders.

She held the record for the longest-reigning British monarch, surpassing Queen Victoria's reign in 2007.

Queen Elizabeth II was known for her practical fashion sense, often opting for bright colors and bold patterns to ensure she stood out in a crowd.