Queen Elizabeth II, in full Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, was born in London on April 21, 1926, to the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2022) Queen Elizabeth II, in full Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, was born in London on April 21, 1926, to the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
The eldest daughter of the would-be king and queen, she stood third in line to the throne after Edward, prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and her father.
Princess Elizabeth was educated at home like many girls from wealthy families at that time. After her father ascended to the throne, she started to study constitutional history and law as preparation for her future role. She also studied art and music, learned to ride, and was tutored in royal etiquette by her mother.
King George V died in 1936, leaving the throne to his eldest son, Elizabeth's uncle, who soon abdicated in order to marry the woman he loved. The throne was passed to Princess Elizabeth's father who acceded as King George VI.
Princess Elizabeth, the heir presumptive at the mere age of 10, attended her parents' coronation in Westminster Abbey in 1937 alongside her 7-year-old sister, Princess Margaret Rose.
In 1940, at the height of the Nazi German bombing campaign against the UK, the young princesses were moved for their safety to Windsor Castle, where they spent most of the war years.
Elizabeth made her first public speech in October 1940, with a radio address to the evacuee children of the Commonwealth. She was appointed Colonel of the Regiment of the Grenadier Guards on her 16th birthday in April 1941 and inspected the regiment, in what was her first public engagement.
The princess began accompanying her royal parents on UK tours in March 1944 and was introduced to the Privy Council upon turning 18 in April of that year, taking up some of royal functions.
The future queen became the first royalty to join the military in 1945, enlisting with the Women's Auxiliary Territory Service under the name Elizabeth Windsor. She underwent a six-week auto mechanic-training course. Her military service as a mechanic ended with Japan's surrender later that year.
In July 1947, the palace announced Princess Elizabeth's engagement to Philip, the Greek-born prince of Greece and Denmark, who renounced his right to the Greek and Danish thrones and became a British subject, taking his mother's surname, Mountbatten. The couple were married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.
King George VI died on February 6, 1952 after a prolonged illness. Princess Elizabeth was on a tour in a remote part of Kenya when the news reached her. She flew back to the UK as queen and immediately took on responsibilities that came with her new title. The coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II, 96, is the second-longest reigning monarch in European history after French King Louis XIV. She has been reigning for more than 70 years. She also topped her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in 2015 when she marked 62 years on the British throne.
Elizabeth II's marriage to Prince Philip lasted for 73 years. The duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021 aged 99. They had four children together and are succeeded by eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. The couple's eldest son, 73-year-old Prince Charles of Wales, is first in line to the British throne.
The queen has outlasted 14 British prime ministers, swearing in Liz Truss as the 15th head of the British government under her reign at Balmoral castle on Tuesday, September 6. She has been staying at her Scottish summer residence in Balmoral since her health began deteriorating.
