Elizabeth II – biography, photos, facts, family, kids, governing, height and weight 2021

Elizabeth II biography

Elizabeth II is one of the most influential women in the world, the head of the Windsor dynasty, who has been the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for more than 65 years. She is a flexible politician who is able to defend her opinion; she is a symbol of her country and enjoys particular popularity and love of the people.

Childhood and family

Elizabeth II is the eldest daughter of Prince Albert, born on April 21, 1926, at Bruton Street in Mayfair mansion during the reign of George V, who was her grandfather. The full name of the monarch is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. The girl received the name in honor of her mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

In 1936, after two decades of reign, King George, who loved his granddaughter very much, died. The throne passed to Edward VIII. In the name of love for the beautiful Wallis Simpson, a divorced American woman, he abdicated the throne. The story of Edward and Miss Simpson is considered one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century, and it was this story that led Elizabeth’s father to the British throne. He was crowned as George IV in May 1937.

The next contender for the throne was considered Henry, the brother of George IV, but he refused the role of heir to the throne in favor of Princess Elizabeth, who at that time was barely 11 years old.

As befits a princess, Elizabeth studied the humanities and the exact sciences, but she paid special attention to the law, including international, and received a decent education without leaving the palace. The princess’s pride was her excellent knowledge of French, which she learned on her own.

During World War II, the future queen drove and repaired cars

In 1940, Princess Elizabeth first spoke on the radio: the thirteen-year-old girl from Buckingham Palace supported children, who had suffered from Nazi bombings. Princess Elizabeth’s sincere words instilled hope in the British people, and she won sympathy even among the citizens, who were critical of the crown.

In 1943, the princess officially took up the position of adviser. Contrary to popular belief, Elizabeth did not perform military service but was in the women’s self-defense detached force, she learned to drive an ambulance, thereby setting an example for women in Britain.

In 1947, on her birthday, Elizabeth again spoke on the radio, assuring the British people that her whole life would be devoted to Britain. In the same year, her marriage to Philip, Prince of Denmark took place.

The gradually aggravating health of her father and the unfavorable forecasts of the doctors required the almost constant presence of the future queen during official receptions, meetings, and negotiations. By the beginning of 1951, no one had any doubts that he had only a few months left to live, and Elizabeth unofficially took up her duties as a monarch.

Queen Elizabeth with her husband in her youth

Coronation

The news of the death of George IV overtook the princess in Kenya, where, together with her husband, she spent several days at the Treetops Hotel, nestled among the branches of a huge centuries-old tree. According to some data, on February 7, 1952, in the hotel’s guest registration book a record appeared that for the first time in the entire history of civilization the princess climbed a tree but came down from it like a queen.

The coronation of the young queen took place on June 2, 1953, in the ancient cathedral of Westminster Abbey. The ceremony was broadcast on national British television, which contributed to the growth in popularity of the new monarch. Millions of Britons literally froze at the television sets, trying not to miss the slightest detail of the most spectacular and beautiful event in the history of Britain.

In spite of the fact that in the post-war years the economy had just begun a long period of recovery, a huge amount of money was allocated from the treasury for the festive decoration of the streets. The snow-white satin dress for the coronation ceremony was created by the court tailor Norman Hartnell. It was embroidered with the national emblems of Britain and the Commonwealth countries ‒ English roses, Canadian maple leaves, and Irish clover, as well as other flowers that have symbolic meaning for Britain.

In the golden open ceremonial carriage harnessed with eight grey horses, the queen and her husband proceeded to Westminster Abbey, where the royal festive wedding ceremony took place.

Reign

In strict accordance with the existing tradition of parliamentary monarchy, the Queen performs functions that are exclusive representative in nature, and she does not have the right to exert influence over the governance of the country. After the coronation, Elizabeth II made a six-month tour of the British colonies, countries of the Commonwealth, and many countries of the world.

During her reign, the Queen met with politicians, entrepreneurial leaders, scientists, and cultural figures. Among celebrities who were honored to visit Buckingham Palace in different years were Elizabeth Taylor, Yuri Gagarin, and The Beatles, as well as presidents of different countries.

Fearing that the reputation of the British royal house would suffer from the rumors that have grown over the unhappy marriage of Elizabeth’s son, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, as well as caring for the happiness of her son, the Queen insisted on a divorce, the procedure of which was started in 1996. Some part of British society did not approve of the queen’s act, but later the British had to admit that she was right.

In the media, Elizabeth II was repeatedly called the queen of human hearts. The humanity and kindness of this woman, remaining true to her solemn oath, which she took back in 1953, is the key to her popularity among the people. As head of the Windsor dynasty, the Queen remembers the sad events associated with the marriage of Prince Charles to the unloved girl, and, according to her, she bears personal responsibility for the welfare of her family members. That is why she for so long did not give her permission for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who, firstly, is an actress (which is not the most acceptable profession for a princess), and secondly, has already been legally married.

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The news of the first in the history of the royal family same-sex marriage between Ivar Mountbatten, the cousin of Duke Philip, and his beloved James Coyle made a lot of noise. The marriage ceremony took place in 2018 in the county of Devon, however, neither the Queen nor her husband was present.

Elizabeth II personal life

In his youth, Prince Philip, the grandson of the King of Greece, was a tall and well-proportioned blond, who was amazingly handsome. In 1937, at a tea party in Dartmoor, the young man did not immediately notice a thirteen-year-old girl, who couldn’t avert her rapturous glance from him. After the end of the reception this girl, Princess Elizabeth, locked herself in her room and wrote a letter to the handsome prince.

Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding

The friendship that began with the exchange of letters turned into love. King George did not approve of his daughter’s choice: it is known that he did not like the friendship of Philip’s father, Prince Andrew of Greece, with Adolf Hitler. In addition, the prince was poor, and he had nothing but the title, blue blood, and tender love for Elizabeth.

Prince Charles and Princess Anna with their parents

In early 1940, Elizabeth and Philip secretly got engaged, and the king had to give in and allow marriage, which was destined to become one of the happiest and longest marriages in modern history. The relationship of Queen Elizabeth and Duke Philip is considered to be exemplary, but few people realize that for the sake of his Queen, Philip renounced the royal title and changed the Orthodox faith, in which he had been baptized, into Catholicism.

In 1948, Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles. The second child was Princess Anna, who was born 2 years later. The third child of the royal family, Prince Andrew, was born in 1960, and the fourth one, Prince Edward, was born in 1964.

Elizabeth II with her husband Philip and children

Since her youth, the Queen’s main hobbies have been horse riding and dog breeding. She has a special love for the corgi dog breed, which is considered the royal dog throughout Europe.

Queen Elizabeth II now

Despite her age, Elizabeth continues to fulfill her duties and represent the interests of Britain in different countries of the world. In 2017, defending the right to her own opinion, she openly blamed Mr.Trump for his inappropriate behavior, as well as Kim Jong-un’s warlike policy, and in 2018, she expressed the hope that she would wait until the time when Russia would be ruled not by Mr. Putin, but by another person "who had not lost touch with reality".

As enshrined in the traditions of constitutional monarchy, the queen must not interfere in politics, however, the authority of Elizabeth II and her long reign allowed her to influence the course of events in a certain way. Queen Elizabeth II is the most influential woman in the world, but, as many researchers note, she has never used her influence for personal purposes.

In 2019, the Republican part of the British population was dissatisfied with the growth of grants for the maintenance of Queen Elizabeth II-the amount reached 82 million pounds, and the total expenses of the court amounted to 300 million.

The Queen's Coronavirus broadcast

In April 2020, Elizabeth II addressed the nation in connection with the coronavirus pandemic in the UK – this was the fifth extraordinary appeal in all 68 years of her reign.

Elizabeth II, biography, news, photos

Photos: Elizabeth II