The modern Queen of England Elizabeth 2, whose biography is a description of the life of a person who has witnessed a variety of eras, has been on the throne since 1952. Her reign is the longest in UK history.
Family and childhood
On April 21, 1926, the future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 was born. It is difficult to imagine the biography of a member of the ruling dynasty without her family tree. The girl was the daughter of Prince Albert, who bore the title of Duke, and his wife Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. The child's father was the son of King George V.
When the monarch passed away in 1936, the throne was inherited by the eldest son Edward VIII (Uncle Elizabeth). However, he ruled in a matter of months. According to the laws of the state, he had to marry a person equal to him in belonging to an aristocratic family. However, the king preferred to tie the knot with a divorced woman from a non-royal circle - Bessie Simpson. It was the fact that she had been married twice already that outraged the government, which suggested that Edward abdicate. He really gave up power, and the throne unexpectedly passed to his younger brother, who accepted the crown name of George VI.
This castling made ten-year-old Elizabeth the heiress of the world's largest British empire. If George had a boy, then the title would have passed to him, but this did not happen. The future Queen Elizabeth 2 in childhood was in the center of public attention as a representative of the new generation of the ruling Windsor dynasty.
Heiress to the throne
Queen Elizabeth 2's early biography matched her status as Princess of York. Together with her parents, she lived in Kensington. One of her main passions since childhood was horseback riding. The Queen was faithful to this hobby throughout her youth. At the same time, the girl was taught a full range of sciences. Widespread knowledge was an indispensable attribute for members of the Windsor dynasty, as they personified all the best that the monarchy could give to the state. Particular emphasis in the education of Elizabeth was placed on the humanities: religious studies, jurisprudence and art history. The child showed remarkable interest in the French language, which was encouraged by teachers.
The biography of Elizabeth 2 made a sharp turn when she became the heiress of her father, king. Together with her parents, she moved to Buckingham Palace. Three years later, the Second World War began, and a carefree life ended with the first volleys of German guns on the continent.
Britain supported Poland and, together with its main ally, France, declared war on the Third Reich. Despite the fact that the main political decisions were made by the government and parliament, the royal family has become an important symbol of the unity of the nation in front of the growing Nazi threat. Elizabeth 2 in her childhood was faced with absolutely childish dangers and impressions that all of her peers had to endure.
During the Second World War
Despite the fact that Hitler did not dare to send ground troops to the British Isles, his aircraft conducted regular bombing of British cities. Particularly stubborn and frequent attacks were in the early years of the war, when the Wehrmacht triumphantly occupied almost all of Europe. Elizabeth's father regularly visited the troops. Already in 1940, the heiress first spoke to compatriots in a public speech addressed to the children of the country.
The future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 grew up in such an atmosphere. The biography of the child became a significant cast of the era. In 1943, she first visited the troops, having been in the grenadier regiment. A few months before the surrender of Germany, Elizabeth joined the army and became the driver of the auxiliary ambulance in the women's self-defense unit. The princess received the rank of lieutenant, and since today she is the current monarch, her military rank remains in force. This means that Elizabeth is the last participant in World War II, who did not retire on a military pension, all over the world.
Wedding with Philip
With the advent of peace, the future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 returned to her standard responsibilities. The biography of the princess in 1947 was marked by a wedding with Philip Mountbatten.
In the first half of the 20th century, all ruling European dynasties were closely intertwined. Philip was the grandson of the Greek king George I, as well as a member of the Danish royal family and a descendant of the British Queen Victoria. The newlyweds met in childhood in the 30s. After his marriage, Philip received the honorary title of Duke of Edinburgh. Despite the fact that he was born back in 1921, he is still in good health and regularly fulfills his dynastic duties. It is interesting that the Queen’s husband did not accept the title of Prince Consort, habitual for his position, but remained the Duke of Edinburgh.
Philip and Elizabeth gave birth to four offspring: Charles, Anna, Andrew, and Edward. All of them today have children and grandchildren, who, in turn, make up the vast royal family of Great Britain. Charles, as the eldest son, became the heir to his mother in 1952, when she took the royal throne, and remains to this day.
Coronation
Queen Elizabeth 2 ascended the throne under unusual circumstances. In 1952, she and her husband went to Kenya, at that time a colony of Great Britain, on vacation. It was in this exotic country that the heiress to the throne received the sad news of the death of her father George V, who had ruled the country for sixteen years.
It took several months to organize the coronation, which would become a symbol of the beginning of the reign of the new monarch. The ceremony was held in a traditional place for her - Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth 2 became the new queen. When the young 25-year-old ruler ascended the throne, the views of the whole world were turned to her in the literal sense of the word, because it was then for the first time at such an event that cameras broadcasting the event were used.
Early years of rule
British Queen Elizabeth 2 traveled a lot in her youth. She did not leave this habit from the first days of her reign. With the accession to the throne, the ruler visited the countries that were members of the Commonwealth of British Colonies. In the 50s and 60s, the process of granting independence to these states located in all parts of the world began. Most of them were in Africa. In addition, for the first time in history, the British monarch visited Australia and New Zealand. This person was Queen Elizabeth 2. A fascinating biography of the ruler was superimposed on her unique status, which attracted the attention of the whole world to her person.
The queen did not forget about internal affairs at home. She regularly met with representatives of parliament and discussed the agenda. In 1957, the first political crisis erupted in the ruling party in the era of its presence on the throne. Then it was the conservatives. Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned. Since the party did not have worked out mechanisms for electing its leader, the queen had to take responsibility into her own hands.
In her first steps in power, Elizabeth often consulted with the legendary Winston Churchill. After consultations with a skilled politician, it was decided to propose Harold Macmillan, who was accepted. He became the 65th British Prime Minister from 1957 to 1964.
Relations with the Commonwealth of Nations
Even in his youth, it became clear that the further fate of Queen Elizabeth 2 would be connected only with the service of her native country. She became the ruler in that era when in other countries the power of the monarchs was already either swept away by revolutions, or became only a decorative appendage.
In the UK, things were different. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were several empires that were somewhat similar to its state structure. For example, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. In all these countries, monarchical institutions of power were dismantled after bloody wars. Great Britain escaped this.
However, after the Second World War it was clear that imperial consciousness would have to be abandoned. Even under the father of Elizabeth George VI, India gained independence - the pearl of the British crown. Now the young ruler had to consistently abandon the remaining vestiges of the past imperial era.
The most important tool for realizing this goal was the Commonwealth of Nations. British diplomacy did everything possible to establish friendly relations with its former colonies, while giving them a platform for equal conversation. Particularly many problems were in the African region, where, after the departure of the British authorities, revolutions and civil wars began.
Traditionally, Elizabeth devoted a lot of time to her country's relations with Canada. Until 1982, the British government had some weight in making decisions within that country. After the reforms, such a system remained in the past, which was another step towards abandoning the former British policy of interfering in the affairs of its former colonies. Nevertheless, Elizabeth still remains the nominal queen of Canada. In 1976, as the monarch, she opened the Olympic Games in Montreal. Many years later, she will take part in the same ceremony in London. The opening of the Olympics took place in 2012.
As for the current state of the Commonwealth of Nations, Elizabeth still remains the head of this system, although all organizational issues can be resolved without her participation, while the queen is a symbolic figure.
The tragedies of the royal family
Over the years, the personal life of the royal family, whose head is Elizabeth, has been gaining more and more unpleasant and shocking news. In 1979, terrorists from the Irish Republican Army killed the uncle of Prince Philip Louis Mountbatten. He was not only a close relative of the Queen, but was an important statesman under George VI, in particular, was the last Viceroy of India.
Mountbatten was on his yacht when a radio-controlled bomb planted by terrorists exploded on it. Several of his relatives and an Irish boy working on the ship died along with him. On the same day, the reprisal of the radicals was supplemented by their organized attack on British soldiers, which killed 18 people.
A couple of years after this terrible tragedy, the heir to the throne, Elizabeth's son Charles married Diana Spencer. The Princess of Wales was very popular among the people thanks to her charitable and social activities.
The couple had two children - William and Harry. The eldest son is the next contender for the royal title after his father. However, the family life of Charles and Diana still failed. They had a difficult relationship. In the early 90's, the prince began dating another woman. This state of affairs was unacceptable for Elizabeth, who believed that the couple's confused personal life casts a shadow over the entire royal family. On her initiative in 1996, Charles and Diana divorced. This created a huge social scandal.
No sooner had the passion subsided than in 1997 the shocking news of the death of Diana in a car accident in Paris shocked Britain. A few years after this event, Prince Charles married his longtime girlfriend Camille Parker Bowles for the second time . The wedding took place in 2005, when his children from his first marriage had already grown up and lived an independent life.
The 80s
Despite the scandals and tragedies that shook Buckingham Palace from time to time, Elizabeth successfully managed her royal duties for several decades. The British monarch, by tradition, was also the head of the Church of England, which was formed during the reformation in the 16th century.
In the old days, there was a long conflict between Catholics and Protestants. In a new era, the time has come for a historic reconciliation meeting between the heads of two churches - the pope and the Queen of England. John Paul arrived in London in 1982. The Queen of England herself met him. Photos of these people flew around the world.
Then the Falkland War broke out between Britain and Argentina. The queen did not take any formal decisions related to tactics and strategy. However, this conflict could not pass by her. Elizabeth's youngest son, Andrew, served in the British Army during this conflict and was a member of the helicopter crew.
The war began due to the uncertainty of ownership of the Falkland Islands, located off the coast of Argentina. After nearly three months of naval battles, Britain won and retained this archipelago.
Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher
While Elizabeth did not make decisions related to the war, this burden fell on the shoulders of another influential British - Margaret Thatcher. She was the leader of the conservative party and the prime minister of the country from 1981-1990. For the tough character and determination of the politician received the nickname "Iron Lady". Thus, in the 80s a female tandem was formed, which was at the head of the British state.
According to laws and traditions, the head of government held a working meeting every week, attended by Elizabeth 2. The Queen of Great Britain and her dynasty maintained close relations with Thatcher. Periodically, rumors circulated throughout the country that there were fundamental disagreements between the Prime Minister and the monarch in domestic and foreign policy. These conversations were actively exaggerated by the press. Despite this, Thatcher herself and Elizabeth's officials every time refuted such judgments.
At the same time, in the 80s, British society was going through hard times. This was primarily due to the tense social situation. Due to the policies of economy, privatization and monetarism, which was an adherent of Thatcher, the country was wandering on the brink of an economic crisis. Such measures were necessary for government reform. The Queen, thanks to her status, as a rule, found herself on the side of a wave of public criticism.
Diamond Anniversary of the reign
In 2012, the diamond anniversary of the reign (60 years) came, which was celebrated by the Queen of England. Photos of the festivities of the country fell on the editorials of newspapers around the world. Elizabeth became the second after Queen Victoria, who managed to live to this significant date.
The climax of the holiday was the parade of several hundred ships descending the Thames in London. According to statistics, this is the largest water procession in history. On June 4, a ceremonial music concert was held at the walls of Buckingham Palace. The Queen was personally congratulated by such legendary British performers as Paul McCartney, Elton John and others.
The year before, the biography of Elizabeth 2 and the entire royal family was marked by another joyful event. The eldest grandson of the ruler and heir William were married. His wife was Katherine Middleton. In 2013, Elizabeth became the great-grandmother for the third time. William had a son and heir to the throne, George.
Queen's modern status
The eventful biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England is an example of the life of a monarch who, over the years, more and more abandoned his former privileges and became a state figure performing representative functions. Today, the ruler continues to follow the traditions of her tenure. Once a year, she organizes a speech in front of parliament.
The Queen also regularly meets with ambassadors and diplomatic delegations. In previous years, she often traveled to various corners of the planet, but with age, the intensity of travel decreased. However, more recently, in 2011, Elizabeth went to Ireland. It was a historic visit. Great Britain and its western neighbor have been in conflict for many centuries. In the 20th century, the Irish struggle for independence (including in Northern Ireland) took the form of terrorist attacks, witnessed by Elizabeth 2. England herself, however, she overcame this crisis and established relations with Dublin.
Over the decades of being on the throne, the ruler acquired her own style in dealing with parliament. As a rule, she tries to stay away from political fights between parties and supporters of different programs.
But it was the cold-blooded and impregnable queen who had to make important decisions when crises occurred in parliament. For example, this happened in 1957 and 1963. In both cases, the prime minister resigned, and the ruling party could not decide on a successor. Then the queen herself elected the chairman of parliament. Each time, this allowed to defuse the situation on Downing Street.
Today in the UK, every citizen of the country knows about everything that Queen Elizabeth of England is connected with. 2. Biography, full name and other facts from her life are well known to everyone. She managed, despite the fickleness of the modern era, to maintain the authority of the monarchy.