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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the unexpected Monarch who set a new royal standard

The death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II brings to an end a glorious reign which is unsurpassed in British history. The Queen’s rule spanned two centuries and saw unparalleled political and social changes but her message of service remained the same throughout seven decades.

The longest reigning Monarch in British history was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21st 1926 at a smart townhouse in Mayfair. Her father, Albert, was then Duke of York and second in line to the throne of his father, King George V.  Her mother, Elizabeth, was one of the most popular members of the Royal Family and the couple doted on their young daughter who was known, at birth, as Princess Elizabeth of York.

In 1930, Princess Elizabeth was joined by a sister, Princess Margaret, and the two girls were educated at home by a governess. They were extremely close to their paternal grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary. In January 1936, King George V died and was succeeded by his elder son who became King Edward VIII. His decision to abdicate, to marry Wallis Simpson, in December 1936 turned his brother, Albert, into King George VI and his niece into the heir to the throne.

Princess Elizabeth began royal engagements with her parents as her new role took hold. In 1939, at the outbreak of World War Two, a decision was taken for the King and his family to remain in England rather than leave as the Blitz on London began. The young Princess Elizabeth went to live at Windsor Castle with her sister. It was from there that she made her first public speech in 1940, reaching out to children around the country and the Commonwealth as they lived through the first year of war. Princess Elizabeth turned 18 in 1944 and joined the WTS. She appeared with her family, in her uniform, on the balcony at Buckingham Palace at the end of the War.

In 1947, she announced her engagement to Prince Philip and the couple married at Westminster Abbey on November 20th 1947. The new Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh welcomed their first child, a son called Charles, on November 14th 1948. The succession was further secured by the birth of a daughter, Anne, in August 1950.

Princess Elizabeth headed to Kenya to carry out a tour on behalf of her ailing father at the end of January 1952. On February 6th that year, George VI died and his throne passed to his daughter. On February 7th 1952, Winston Churchill led dignitaries to greet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as she arrived home.

Her Coronation took place on June 2nd 1953 and The Queen soon began a series of tours that would take her around the many countries that she ruled. Along with the Duke of Edinburgh, she took on a wide range of patronages and military associations as her reign began.

The early part of her reign was also marked by major change as a series of countries decided they no longer wanted to be ruled by the Monarch. Elizabeth II saw more nations leave her rule than any of her predecessors.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh welcomed two more children. Prince Andrew was born in 1960 while Prince Edward joined the family in 1964. In 1969, Her Majesty formally invested her eldest son as Prince of Wales. Charles, along with Anne, began to accompany their parents on tours and engagements.

In 1977, The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee against a backdrop of political unrest. However, the event turned out to be hugely popular and a staging post in her long reign. Four years later, there was another outpouring of public support for her Monarchy as the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer. The birth of a son, Prince William, in 1982, cemented the succession to the throne of Elizabeth II.

By then, The Queen’s reign was well established and she was one of the most experienced Heads of State in the world. She carried out a programme that included at least two annual State Visits, incoming and outgoing, and a diary that encompassed hundreds of public engagements as well as her constitutional work.

Her Majesty was served by fifteen Prime Ministers in her long reign and held weekly meetings with all of them. She was famously devoted to her red boxes, containing matters of state, and although the details of her conversations with her Premiers were never revealed, many spoke later of her calm advice and great wisdom.

Family issues proved more problematic. The late 1980s saw endless media speculation about the state of the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their decision to separate, at the end of 1992, followed a tumultuous few years in which their personal lives, and those of Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, threatened to overshadow the work the royals did. The end of 1992 also saw Windsor Castle catch fire. The devastating blaze took hours to put out and left The Queen desolate. Soon afterwards, she gave one of the most memorable speeches of her reign in which she described the year as her ‘’annus horribilis’’.

But Her Majesty was never anything other than determined to continue. The Duke of Edinburgh oversaw the rebuilding of Windsor while The Queen agreed to pay taxes and to open Buckingham Palace to the public.

However, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car crash in Paris, on August 31st 1997, led to a huge wave of public anger against the Monarchy. The Queen made an unprecedented TV address, praising Diana, and ordered the flag on Buckingham Palace to be lowered to half mast. She led the Royal Family outside as Diana’s coffin passed and all bowed their heads to the princess. The Queen had stabilised her throne again.

The 21st century brought new challenges but The Queen entered the 2000s with public favour on her side. The deaths of her mother and sister just before her Golden Jubilee in 2002 brought a wave of sympathy and Her Majesty’s steadfast devotion to duty became a central tenet of the Monarchy.

She became a great grandmother for the first time in December 2010 with the birth of a daughter to her grandson, Peter Phillips.

The marriage of her grandson, Prince William, to Catherine Middleton in 2011 began a year of outstanding support for the Monarchy. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 was followed by the London Olympics. The birth of a son, George, to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2013 meant The Queen now had three generations to follow her but she showed no signs of slowing down. A heavy schedule of engagements and continued constitutional work followed.

On September 9th 2015, Elizabeth II became the longest reigning Monarch in British history, overtaking her great, great grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Her Majesty began to trim back her diary and passed some patronages on to younger members of her family. However, her place at the centre of British life remained secure. In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, she gave a widely praised speech in which she told the country ‘’we will meet again.’’ ‘

The loss of her beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, came in April 2021 and The Queen followed lockdown rules to grieve alone. She later spoke of her deep grief at the loss of Prince Philip in a highly personal Christmas speech.

By 2022, The Queen was scaling back her activities greatly and mobility issues meant that many were cancelled or changed. But she took part with great joy in her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, appearing alongside her three direct heirs on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to the cheers of hundreds of thousands.

On the actual anniversary of her accession, February 6th 2022, she issued a brief statement in which she referred to one of her most famous speeches. As she turned 21, in 1947, she had said ‘’ I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service’’. As she became the only British Monarch to reign for 70 years, she renewed that promise and signed her statement ‘’Your Servant, Elizabeth R.’’

Her service remained unstinting. Two days before she died, she appointed a new Prime Minister, asking Liz Truss to form a government at Balmoral.

Her Majesty was taken ill on September 7th 2022 and died on September 8th 2022. She is succeeded by her eldest son, Charles.

HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II, 1926 – 2022, REIGNED 1952 – 2022

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.