The love story of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Queen Elizabeth II: interesting facts The family of Elizabeth 2
“In general, no one taught me to be a queen: my father died too early and it happened so unexpectedly - I had to immediately get involved in the business and at the same time try not to lose face in the dirt. I had to grow up to the position that I took. It was fate, it should have been accepted and not grumbled. I think continuity is very important. My job is for life."
Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain
I wonder what it's like to celebrate your birthday for more than 50 years twice a year? This question can be answered by Queen Elizabeth II, who was born on April 21, 1926 in London, and for many years her birthday has been celebrated throughout the United Kingdom not only on April 21, but also on the 3rd Saturday of June.
The title of Her Royal Majesty in the United Kingdom is: "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other Possessions and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."
Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father, King George VI. The coronation took place on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth was only 25 years old when she became queen, and has been so for several decades now.
Birthdays are celebrated every year at Windsor Castle. It begins with a walk around the city (if this action, of course, can be called that). A 21-shot salute is certainly given, which sounds at noon.
Throughout her reign, the queen has been criticized more than once not only by British Republicans, but also by various British media, as well as by the general public. Nevertheless, Elizabeth II was able to maintain the prestige of the British monarchy, and her popularity in the UK is at its best.
Royal
Elizabeth II (English Elizabeth II), full name - Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (English Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; April 21, 1926, London) - Queen of Great Britain from 1952 to the present.
Elizabeth II comes from the Windsor dynasty. She ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 at the age of 25 after the death of her father, King George VI.
She is the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations and, in addition to Great Britain, the queen of 15 independent states: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica. He is also head of the Anglican Church and supreme commander of the British armed forces.
Coats of arms in different periods of time and in different countries
Coat of arms of Princess Elizabeth (1944-1947)
Coat of arms of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (1947-1952)
Royal coat of arms in Great Britain (except Scotland)
Royal coat of arms in Scotland
Royal coat of arms in Canada
The full title of Elizabeth II in Great Britain sounds like "Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other kingdoms and territories, the Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith."
During the reign of Elizabeth II, in all countries recognizing the British monarch as their head of state, laws were passed according to which in each of these countries the British monarch acts as head of this particular state, regardless of his titles in Great Britain proper or in third countries. Accordingly, in all these countries, the title of the queen sounds the same, with the name of the state replaced. In some countries, the words "defender of the faith" are excluded from the title. For example, in Australia, the title sounds like this: "Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the grace of God the Queen of Australia and her other kingdoms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth."
On the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, Elizabeth II also bears the title of Duke of Normandy, on the Isle of Man - the title of "Lord of Maine".
Story
Elizabeth II is the oldest British (English) monarch in history. She is currently the second longest-serving head of state in history (after Queen Victoria) and also the second longest-serving head of state in the world (after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand). She is also the world's oldest female incumbent head of state, and in Europe the oldest incumbent head of state.
He is the oldest reigning monarch in the world since January 24, 2015, after the death of King Abdullah ibn Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia.
During the reign of Elizabeth II, a very wide period of British history falls: the process of decolonization was completed, which was marked by the final collapse of the British Empire and its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. This period also included many other events, such as the long ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Queen Elizabeth II, 1970
public perception
At the moment, the majority of Britons positively assess the activities of Elizabeth II as a monarch (about 69% believe that the country would be worse without the monarchy; 60% believe that the monarchy contributes to raising the country's image abroad and only 22% were against the monarchy).
Despite the positive attitude of most of her subjects, the queen was repeatedly criticized throughout her reign, in particular:
In 1963, when a political crisis arose in Britain, Elizabeth was criticized for having personally appointed Alexander Douglas-Home as Prime Minister of Great Britain.
In 1997, for the lack of an immediate reaction to the death of Princess Diana, the queen fell not only with the anger of the British public, but even of many major British media (for example, The Guardian).
In 2004, after Elizabeth II beat a pheasant to death with a cane, a wave of indignation from environmental organizations swept across the country about the actions of the monarch.
Elizabeth II is the last representative of the so-called "old school" of monarchs: she strictly adheres to centuries-old traditions and ceremonies and never deviates from the rules of established etiquette. Her Majesty never gives interviews or makes press statements. She is in front of everyone, but at the same time is the most closed celebrity on the planet.
Childhood
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in the London district of Mayfair in the residence of the Earl of Strathmore at Brewton Street, house number 17. Now the area has been rebuilt, and the house no longer exists, but a memorial plaque has been erected on this site. She got her name in honor of her mother (Elizabeth), grandmother (Maria) and great-grandmother (Alexandra).
Eldest daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York (future King George VI, 1895-1952) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002). Her paternal grandparents were King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary, Princess of Teck (1867-1953); by mother - Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore (1855-1944) and Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon (1883-1938).
At the same time, the father insisted that the first name of the daughter be like that of the duchess. At first they wanted to give the girl the name Victoria, but then they changed their minds. George V remarked: “Bertie discussed the girl's name with me. He named three names: Elizabeth, Alexandra and Mary. The names are all good, I told him so, but about Victoria, I absolutely agree with him. It was redundant." The christening of Princess Elizabeth took place on May 25 in the chapel of Buckingham Palace, later destroyed during the war years.
Queen Elizabeth II, 1930
In 1930, Elizabeth's only sister, Princess Margaret, was born.
The future queen received a good education at home, mainly in the humanities. She loved horses and equestrian sports since childhood. And also from childhood, unlike her more eccentric sister Margaret, she had a truly royal character. In the biography of Elizabeth II, Sarah Bradford mentions that the future queen from childhood was a very serious child, who even then had a certain understanding of the duties that fell on her as the heir to the throne, and a sense of duty. Since childhood, Elizabeth loved order, so, for example, when she went to bed, she always put slippers next to the bed, never allowing herself to scatter things in the room, as is typical for many children. And already as a queen, she always made sure that no extra light burned in the palace, personally turning off the lights in empty rooms.
Queen Elizabeth II, 1926
Photo of 1929, Elizabeth is 3 years old here
Princess Elizabeth in 1933
King George VI and (1895-1952) and Elizabeth Angela, Duchess of York (1900-2002), with their daughter, the future Queen - Princess Elizabeth, 1929
The Queen and her daughters, October 1942
princess at war
The Second World War began when Elizabeth was 13 years old. On October 13, 1940, she made her first radio appearance, addressing children affected by the disasters of the war. In 1943, her first independent appearance in public took place - a visit to the regiment of the Guards Grenadiers. In 1944, she became one of the five "state councilors" (persons entitled to perform the functions of the king in the event of his absence or incapacity). In February 1945, Elizabeth joined the "Auxiliary Territorial Service" - women's self-defense units - and was trained as an ambulance driver, receiving the military rank of lieutenant. Her military service lasted five months, which gives reason to consider her the last participant in the Second World War who has not yet retired (the penultimate one was Pope Benedict XVI, who served as an anti-aircraft gunner in the German armed forces).
Princess Elizabeth (left, in uniform) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace (left to right) her mother Queen Elizabeth, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI and Princess Margaret, May 8, 1945
Wedding
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her distant relative, who, like her, is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria - Prince Philip Mountbatten, son of the Greek Prince Andrew, who was then an officer in the British Navy. She met him at the age of 13, when Philip was still a cadet at the Dortmouth Naval School. Becoming her husband, Philip received the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their "diamond wedding" - the sixtieth anniversary of their marriage. For the sake of such an occasion, the Queen allowed herself a little liberties - for one day they retired with her husband for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young Princess Elizabeth visited him.
Four children were born in their family: the heir to the throne - the eldest son Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales (born 1948); Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 1950); Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York (born 1960), Edward Anthony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex (born 1964).
On December 29, 2010, Elizabeth II became a great-grandmother for the first time. On this day, her eldest grandson, Princess Anne's eldest son Peter Phillips, and his Canadian wife, Autumn Kelly, had a daughter. The girl became 12th in the British line of succession.
With newborn Prince Charles, December 1948
Coronation and beginning of reign
King George VI, Elizabeth's father, died February 6, 1952. Elizabeth, who at that time was on vacation with her husband in Kenya, was proclaimed Queen of Great Britain.
The coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. This was the first televised coronation of a British monarch, and is credited with having contributed significantly to the rise of television broadcasting.
After that, in 1953-1954. The queen made a six-month tour of the Commonwealth, British colonies and other countries of the world. Elizabeth II became the first monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand.
Elizabeth II after her coronation in 1953
The Queen with her six ladies-in-waiting
From left to right:
Lady Moira Hamilton (now Lady Moyra Campbell), Lady Anne Cox (now Lady Glenconner), Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill (now Lady Rosemary Muir), Lady Mary Bailey-Hamilton (now Lady Mary Russell), Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond- Willoughby (now Baroness de Willoughby de Eresby), Lady Jane Van Tempest-Stuart (now The Honorable Lady Rayne)
Young Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen began her political activities, which included the opening of Parliament and the reception of prime ministers. In the fifties of the twentieth century, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip made many visits to the territory of the United Kingdom and the countries of the Commonwealth.
In the 1960s, the Queen of England made her historic visit to West Berlin at the height of the Cold War, and also invited Japanese Emperor Hirohito on an official visit to Britain. Despite the turbulent social and political situation, she celebrated her silver jubilee in 1977. The celebrations were a success, thousands of people celebrated the anniversary of Elizabeth II across the country.
Mature years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II
Five years later, Britain was involved in hostilities against the Falklands, during which Prince Andrew served in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot. In the eighties of the twentieth century, the first grandchildren of the Queen were born - Peter and Zara Phillips, the son and daughter of Anna, Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips.
In 1992, a catastrophe occurred, as a result of which a fire destroyed part of Windsor Castle. That same year, the marriages of Prince Charles, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne were annulled. The Queen called 1992 a "terrible year". In 1996, the marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was annulled. Tragedy followed in 1997 when Diana died in a car accident.
2002 was a sad year for Queen Elizabeth II of England, as her sister Princess Margaret died.
Reign of Queen Elizabeth II
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of England, many changes were made in the UK. The Queen successfully fulfills her political duties as head of state, head of the Commonwealth of Nations, ceremonial duties, as well as visiting duties within and outside the UK.
Elizabeth II introduced many reforms to the monarchy. In 1992, she proposed taxes on profits and capital gains. She opened official royal residences to the people, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, in order to fund the upkeep of the royal family.
She supported the abolition of male primogeniture and single inheritance, which means that now the eldest child can inherit the throne, regardless of gender.
In 2012, the Queen of England celebrated her 60th birthday, with celebrations taking place across the country, once again demonstrating the love of the British.
The style of clothing of the English Queen Elizabeth II
The style of the English queen can be conditionally divided into two periods: the style of the young queen - the style is conservative and elegant, and the style of the elderly queen, I would call it the style of "merry grandmother" or even "rainbow style", because of the incredible number of changing colors in her costumes and hats . However, the English queen has always loved colors.
Throughout her life, the main elements of the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth II were: dresses or suits of medium length, which necessarily cover the knee, coats and raincoats of A-line cut, plus floor-length dresses for special occasions, as well as hats, always in tone with the suit, gloves, closed shoes , a brooch on a jacket and a string of pearls. The Queen of England also always preferred short haircuts. Favorite colors are pink, lilac and indigo.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Odeon Cinema on October 31, 1955. (Photo: Monty Fresco/Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth II becomes Queen after the death of her father in February 1952, and her coronation took place on June 2, 1952. At that time, namely in the 1940s and 1950s, Norman Hartnell sewed dresses for the princess, and then the queen. And Elizabeth more than once appeared in public in dresses with puffy skirts made of duchesse satin or silk. The design of her wedding dress in ivory and embellished with silver threads is also by Norman Hartnell, however, as is the design of the coronation dress.
From the mid-1950s and throughout the 60s, Hardy Amis sewed for the Queen. It is he who brings a sense of simplicity to the queen's outfits, but this simplicity is only external, because behind it lies a very complex cut. He sewed his first dresses for the Queen back in 1948, when Elizabeth asked him to create a wardrobe for a trip to Canada.
Since the 1970s, Ian Thomas, a former assistant to Norman Hartnell and now the owner of his own salon, has been sewing for the Queen. Its distinguishing feature was the flying chiffon dresses that appeared in the wardrobe of the queen. After his death and until the late 1980s, Maureen Rose of Ian Thomas' design house sewed for Queen Elizabeth.
From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, the wardrobe of the English queen was replenished with outfits from John Anderson, because after his death, his partner Carl Ludwig Rese became the queen's court designer.
Since 2000, the youngest, by age, of Her Majesty's court designers, Stuart Parvin, a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art, has been sewing for Elizabeth II. In 2002, Angela Kelly became his assistant.
The Queen of England is 86 years old. But she still steadily fulfills all the duties assigned to her and appears in public, invariably following her style.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their children, Prince Andrew (center), Princess Anne (left) and Charles, Prince of Wales near Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Queen Victoria's husband purchased Balmoral Castle in 1846. Queen Victoria visited Scotland frequently with her family, especially after the death of her husband in 1861, and Balmoral is still a favorite holiday destination for the royal family. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images). September 9, 1960
Hobby
The Queen's interests include dog breeding (including Corgis, Spaniels and Labradors), photography, horseback riding, and travel. Elizabeth II, maintaining her prestige of the Queen of the Commonwealth, travels very actively around her possessions, and also visits other countries of the world (for example, in 1994 she visited Russia). She has more than 325 foreign visits to her credit (during her reign, Elizabeth visited more than 130 countries). I have been gardening since 2009. In addition to English, he is also fluent in French.
Interesting Facts
Elizabeth II does not give interviews. Nevertheless, interesting facts about this outstanding woman periodically flash in the press, which allow us to look at the most famous reigning lady of our time from an unexpected angle, we have chosen the most striking, in our opinion, moments.
The celebration of the royal birthday in 1981 was overshadowed by an unpleasant event: in the vicinity of the horse on which Elizabeth was sitting, taking the parade, shots rang out, making everyone around shudder. The queen, to the delight of the public, did not even raise an eyebrow and managed to stay in the saddle.
Her self-control came in handy a year later, when, while waiting for the police, for several minutes she had to conduct a conversation with a madman who managed to get into the chambers.
In 1945, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, the future Queen of England, served as a mechanic in a reserve battalion of the British army with the rank of junior officer. Obviously, the example of a "combat" grandmother inspired the young princes William and Harry, who also did not evade military service.
Family values for Elizabeth II is not an empty phrase. For the sake of her son's happiness, she stepped over rigid rules and blessed the second marriage of the Prince of Wales Charles to socialite Camilla Parker-Bowles, despite the hype about this.
On April 17, 2013, for the second time in the history of her reign, the Queen attended the funeral of a British politician: she said goodbye to Margaret Thatcher.
Despite the solid image, the queen is not alien to female coquetry and small weaknesses. Rogue paparazzi more than once caught the moment when she at social events, not embarrassed by the crowd and her high position, publicly corrected her makeup. Etiquette is etiquette, and a real queen should look gorgeous!
The Queen's passion is horses and Corgi dogs. In her youth, Elizabeth rode well, but now she pays more attention to charming red dogs, which, thanks to her, have become one of the symbols of the British monarchy.
Elizabeth II is the oldest English monarch in history and the second longest-serving British monarch. She is also the oldest female current head of state.
In honor of Elizabeth II, the rose variety Rosa "Queen Elizabeth" was named.
Films about Elizabeth II
In 2004, the film Churchill: The Hollywood Years was released - "Churchill Goes to War!", Where the role of Elizabeth was played by Neve Campbell.
In 2006, the biopic The Queen was released. The role of the queen was played by actress Helen Mirren. The film is a BAFTA winner in the Best Film category. Actress Helen Mirren, who played the title role in the film, won the Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival for Best Actress. In addition, the film was nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture.
In 2009, the 4th channel of British television (Channel 4) filmed a 5-episode fictional mini-series "The Queen" ("The Queen", directed by Edmund Coulthard, Patrick Reams). The Queen at different periods of her life was played by 5 actresses: Emilia Fox, Samantha Bond, Susan Jameson, Barbara Flynn, Diana Quick.
On July 27, 2012, the television broadcast of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in London began with a video featuring James Bond (Daniel Craig) and the Queen (cameo). At the end of the video, they both parachute from a helicopter over the arena of the Olympic Stadium. On April 5, 2013, for this role, the Queen was awarded the BAFTA Award for the best performance of the role of a James Bond girl.
In architecture
The Queen Elizabeth Avenue in Esplanade Park in Singapore is named after the Queen.
The famous Big Ben, the symbol of London, has been officially called the “Elizabeth Tower” since September 2012.
A bridge in Duford, completed in 1991, is also named after the Queen.
On August 1, 2013, the Elizabeth II Olympic Park was opened in London.
Lifetime monuments
She was born on April 21, 1926 in the London area of Mayfair in the family of British monarchs from the Windsor dynasty. Father - Prince Albert, Duke of York (future King George VI, 1895-1952). Mother - Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (future Queen consort Elizabeth, 1900-2002).
Grandparents of the future queen: on her father's side - King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary, Princess of Teck (1867-1953); mother - Claude George Bowes-Lyon, Earl of Strathmore (1855-1944) and Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon (1883-1938). She also has a younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose (1930-2002).
The princess's christening took place on May 25, 1926 in the chapel of Buckingham Palace. The future queen received the names in honor of her mother - Elizabeth, grandmother - Mary and great-grandmother - Alexandra.
Elizabeth was born when her grandfather, King George V, reigned, and her uncle Edward was considered the heir to the throne. At birth, she became the third in the list of heirs to the throne, after her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII), and her father, Prince Albert, and received the title of Duchess of York. The girl's father did not really count on the crown - it was assumed that his older brother would eventually marry and acquire heirs.
The princess received a good education at home. She studied the history of the constitution, jurisprudence, religious studies, art history and independently taught French. From a young age, she practiced horseback riding and was interested in horses.
When the future queen turned 10 years old, leapfrog began on the throne: grandfather George V died, uncle Edward reigned for only 10 months and exchanged the crown for the opportunity to marry his beloved American woman Wallis Simpson. After his abdication, the crown went to Prince Albert, Elizabeth's father, who took the name George VI.
Initially, it was assumed that the throne would be inherited by Albert's younger brother, Henry, but he preferred to lead the free life of the Duke of Gloucester and renounced his rights in advance in favor of Elizabeth. The princess became heir to the throne and moved with her parents from Kensington to Buckingham Palace. At the same time, she remained in the role of "supposed heir", since if George VI had a son, he would have inherited the throne.
World War II began when Princess Elizabeth was 13 years old. On October 13, 1940, she made a radio address to children affected by the disasters of the war. In 1943, her first independent appearance in public took place - a visit to the regiment of the Guards Grenadiers. In 1944, she became one of five "Counselors of State" entitled to act as the King in the event of his absence or incapacity. In February 1945, the future queen joined the women's self-defense units and was trained as an ambulance driver, receiving the military rank of lieutenant.
During a visit by King George VI to the Naval College at Dartmouth, Elizabeth met her future husband, Philip. They had known each other since 1934, but it was after this meeting that a correspondence began between them, and in 1946 Philip asked the king for permission to marry the heir to the throne.
Before marriage, Philip adopted the surname Mountbatten (an Anglicized version of his mother's surname Battenberg) and converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism. In addition, he renounced the titles of "Prince of Greece" and "Prince of Denmark" and accepted British citizenship.
On November 20, 1947, 26-year-old Philip Mountbatten and 21-year-old Elizabeth were married. After the official coronation of Elizabeth, which took place in 1953, Philip, an officer in the British Navy, a member of the Greek and Danish royal families and great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria, received the titles of Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich from King George VI.
Four children were born in the family of Elizabeth and Philip: Prince Charles (11/14/1948), Princess Anne (08/15/1950), Prince Andrew (01/19/1960) and Prince Edward (03/10/1964).
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died of lung cancer. Elizabeth, who was on vacation at that time, was proclaimed Queen of Great Britain and head of the British Commonwealth of Nations, which includes 15 independent states: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea , Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica.
According to British tradition, Queen Elizabeth II became Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces.
On June 2, 1953, the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II took place at Westminster Abbey. It was the first televised coronation of a British monarch.
In 1953-1954, Elizabeth II made a six-month tour of the states of the Commonwealth of Nations, the British colonies and other countries of the world. She became the first monarch to visit New Zealand and Australia.
Between 1957 and 1961, Elizabeth II visited the United States and Canada as Queen of Canada, spoke at a session of the UN General Assembly, attended the opening session of the Canadian Parliament for the first time in history, and also traveled to India, the Vatican, Pakistan, Iran, Ghana and Cyprus .
On April 29, 1970, during a trip to Australia, an assassination attempt was made on Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. On the way of the train, in which the monarchs were, there was a large wooden log. The Queen and her husband narrowly escaped a train accident.
In 1976, Elizabeth II, being the Queen of Canada, solemnly opened the XXI Olympic Games in Montreal.
In 1981, another attempt was made to assassinate Elizabeth II. During the military parade, the queen rode on horseback in front of a crowd of people. Suddenly, several shots rang out from the crowd in her direction. Police and spectators quickly apprehended the assailant. It turned out to be a seventeen-year-old unemployed man with a starting pistol loaded with blanks.
On July 29, 1981, the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer took place (1961). The marriage was accompanied by scandals, mutual betrayals and brought many problems to the royal family. Charles and Diana had two sons: William, Duke of Cambridge (06/21/1982) and Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales (09/15/1984).
In 1992, the Queen's children - Prince Andrew and Princess Anne - divorced their spouses, Windsor Castle was badly damaged by fire, funding for the royal court was severely reduced, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana began to live separately.
In 1996, at the insistence of Elizabeth II, an official divorce was signed between Charles and Diana. On August 31, 1997, Lady Diana tragically died in a car accident in Paris. Prince Charles rekindled his relationship with his longtime lover Camilla Parker Bowles (1947), who married on April 9, 2005.
In 2002, Elizabeth II celebrated her golden jubilee - the 50th anniversary of her tenure on the British throne.
On February 9, 2002, the younger sister of Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, died, and on March 30, 2002, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, died.
In 2010, Elizabeth II spoke for the second time at a meeting of the UN General Assembly.
On April 9, 2011, the Queen's grandson Prince William of Wales married Kate Middleton (nee Katherine Elizabeth Middleton), the daughter of an air traffic controller and flight attendant, who later founded their own mail order business. They met in 2001 while studying at St. Andrews University. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth II granted the newlyweds the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
On December 3, 2012, an official representative of the British royal court announced that William's wife was pregnant, and on July 22, 2013, Kate gave birth to her first child, who was named George (George) Alexander Louis. He received the name George (George) in honor of King George VI, Alexander - in honor of the middle name of Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary), Louis (Louis) - in honor of Louis Mountbatten - military leader, uncle Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
In 2012, the XXX Olympic Games were held in London, which were solemnly opened by Queen Elizabeth II. In the same year, a new law was approved, changing the order of succession, according to which male heirs lose priority over women.
During 2012, in the UK and the states of the British Commonwealth of Nations, a solemn celebration of the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Elizabeth II - the diamond jubilee of the Queen's reign - was held.
In her years of honor, Elizabeth II continues to fulfill all the duties inherent in her high position. However, age makes itself felt and the queen decided to shift part of the work onto the shoulders of her eldest son, Prince Charles.
In 2013, for the first time in 40 years, Elizabeth II refused to go to the summit of the heads of the countries of the British Commonwealth, held in Sri Lanka. Instead, Prince Charles went to the summit, which indicates the beginning of the transfer of royal powers to him.
The transfer of the throne will take place in stages, according to the principle of “gradual succession”. It lies in the fact that Elizabeth II will continue to work and give audiences, but gradually the queen will begin to abandon some of the traditional duties of the monarch, which Prince Charles will begin to perform. The British court society considers this move "wise" and "natural". The first step was the merger of the press services of Elizabeth II and Prince Charles.
Ranks
▪ Royal title of Elizabeth II in Great Britain: “Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other kingdoms and territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”.
▪ Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces (since 1952)
▪ Chief of the Australian Civil Air Force (since 1953)
▪ Honorary Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (since 1953)
▪ Chief of the New Zealand Territorial Air Force (since 1953)
▪ Captain-General of the youth organization of the Ministry of Defense of Great Britain, the United Cadet Forces (since 1953)
▪ Chief of the Royal Tank Regiment (since 1953)
▪ Honorary Colonel of The Queen's Own Warwickshire and Wochestershire Yeomanry (since 1956)
▪ Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces (since 1968)
▪ Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Defense Force (since 1990)
Awards
(in total, Elizabeth II has more than 50 awards, the most significant are listed)
▪ King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935)
▪ King George VI Coronation Medal (1937)
▪ Defense Medal (1945)
▪ Military medal 1939–1945 (1945)
▪ Badge of the Armed Forces (1951)
▪ Knight First Class of the Order of King George V (1952)
▪ Knight First Class of the Order of King George VI (1952)
▪ Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter (1952)
▪ Commander of the Order of the Imperial Order of the Indian Crown (1952)
▪ Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (1952)
▪ Sovereign of the Order of Canada (1967)
▪ Sovereign of the Order of Military Merit of Canada (1972)
▪ Sovereign of the Order of Australia (1975)
▪ Sovereign of the Order of Barbados (1980)
▪ Sovereign of the Order of New Zealand (1987)
▪ Honorary Bachelor of Music from the University of London (1946)
▪ Honorary Doctor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford (1948)
▪ Honorary Doctor of Music 1949 from the University of Wales (Wales, 1949)
▪ Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, 1951)
▪ Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of London (1951)
Family
Husband - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (06/10/1921)
Father - George VI, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia and South Africa (1895 - 1952)
Mother - Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom as Queen Elizabeth (1900 - 2002)
Sister - Princess Margaret Rose (08/21/1930 - 02/09/2002)
Son - Prince of Wales Charles (11/14/1948), the first heir to the throne
Daughter - Princess Anna (08/15/1950), eleventh heir to the throne
Son - Prince Andrew, Duke of York (02/19/1960), fifth heir to the throne
Son - Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (03/10/1964), eighth heir to the throne
Daughter - Princess Diana of Wales (07/01/1961 - 08/31/1997)
Daughter - Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (07/17/1947)
Grandson - William, Duke of Cambridge (06/21/1982), second heir to the throne
Grandson - Prince Henry (Harry) of Wales (09/15/1984), fourth heir to the throne
Great-grandson - George Alexander Louis (22.07.2013), son of Prince William and Kate Middleton
Great-granddaughter - Charlotte Elizabeth Diana (02.05.2015), daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton
Great-grandson - Louis Arthur Charles (04/23/2018), son of Prince William and Kate Middleton
Hobby
Breeding dogs (among them Corgis, Spaniels and Labradors), photography, horseback riding, traveling
The form of government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been a parliamentary monarchy for several centuries. Queen Elizabeth 2 has been on the throne since February 6, 1952. This name is associated with the greatness and power of the country. But what is the true role of Elizabeth in government and why are the British so proud of their permanent ruler?
On April 21, 1926, Prince Albert, Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon had a daughter, the future Queen of England. In London, where the family lived, a memorial plaque was installed on Brewton Street. The heiress was christened Elizabeth (in honor of her mother) Alexandra (in honor of her great-grandmother) Maria (in honor of her grandmother). The British monarch belongs to the Windsor dynasty.
Prince Albert, Elizabeth's father, second in line to the throne, became King George VI after his elder brother Edward VIII abdicated. Thus, Elizabeth acquired the status of "heir presumptive" ("supposed heir"). This means that if later the king had a son, then the throne would belong only to him.
In 1947, the marriage of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain with Philip Mountbatten, an officer of the British Navy, a native of the Greek and Danish royal families, is significant. The great-great-grandson of the British Queen Victoria and the Russian Emperor Nicholas I, in order to marry Elizabeth, Philip had to become a naturalized citizen of Great Britain, change Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and give up such titles as “Prince of Denmark” and “Prince of Greece”. For all this, George VI honored him with the title Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich.
George VI died on February 6, 1952. At this time, Elizabeth and her husband were just on a journey. Princess Elizabeth returned from Kenya as queen. The coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II, which took place on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey, was broadcast on television for the first time, and photos were published in all newspapers. The first to take the oath of allegiance to the new queen was her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen has four children: three princes - Charles, Andrew, Edward and Princess Anne, all of them in the photo below.
Formal government
Today, Queen Elizabeth performs two important functions - she rules the state and the nation. As head of state, she performs such duties as participating in the annual opening ceremony of Parliament, weekly meetings with prime ministers, receiving foreign ambassadors and delegations, making official visits to foreign countries to maintain her country's diplomatic and economic relations with others.
Most of the official powers of the monarch or the so-called "royal prerogatives" Queen Elizabeth of England performs only nominally, after a preliminary meeting with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers - persons responsible to the House of Commons of Parliament. In practice, most of the prerogatives are exercised by British Cabinet Ministers.
The Prime Minister is formally appointed by the monarch (the “kiss of hands” ceremony), but in reality he is the head of the party who won the elections to Parliament. If none of the parties receives a majority, Queen Elizabeth has the right to appoint the prime minister herself. She took advantage of this opportunity only once, appointing Harold Wilson to the post of Labor Prime Minister in 1974.
The monarch can use the right (on the advice of the prime minister) to issue a decree on the resignation of either ministers or the entire Cabinet (but British kings never use this prerogative). All laws considered by Parliament are made in the name of the monarch and take effect only after his formal approval. Also, the monarch has the formal right to convene, dissolve the Parliament, and prolong its action. But in reality, the Parliament, as stated in the Parliament Act of 1911, is elected for a term of 5 years and is dissolved automatically at the end of this term.
They take an oath of allegiance to the king, passports are issued on his behalf to the British, the name of the country's anthem also speaks of the importance and reverence of the monarch - "God save the Queen." The Queen is depicted on banknotes, coins and postage stamps. As the head of the Royal Armed Forces, and has the formal right to wage war or conclude a peace agreement, ratify agreements and conclude treaties of international importance. Despite their venerable age, the royal family continues to perform their official duties.
The monarch in England is the Source of justice, therefore he appoints judges, the Source of honor, therefore he appoints (not without the participation of the Prime Minister) peers, awards various orders, knighthoods and many other honors. While heading the Church of England, the monarch also appoints (again at the suggestion of the prime minister) archbishops and bishops.
Since 1760, the maintenance of the royal family has been financed according to the Civil List. That is, the income from the Crown Estate (royal inheritance) goes to the UK budget, and then allocated to the needs of the royal family. Even the monarch formally owns his estate, since it cannot be sold, but only transferred to the heir to the throne. The earldom of Lancastershire is formally held by the current monarch. Income from it goes to replenish the "personal purse" of the ruler and is spent on needs, according to tradition, not recorded in the Civil List.
Pride of the Nation
The public life of the future queen of England as a monarch began in the 40s. For the first time, she spoke on the radio to the children of England, who suffered from the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1943, she officially appeared in public, meeting with the Guards Grenadiers. Later, Elizabeth was included in the list of five persons who were allowed to perform the functions of the monarch in the event that something happened to her father. And in the year of the Great Victory, the future monarch received the military rank of lieutenant and a working specialty - a driver of a Red Cross car.
As Head of the Nation, Queen Elizabeth II performs an important function of cultural and social significance, ensuring national identity, symbolizing the unity and pride of the nation. It gives the people of the UK a sense of stability and confidence in the future. The ruler of England constantly visits various parts of the United Kingdom. The presence of the Queen is obligatory at solemn ceremonies dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of those killed in wars, at major sporting events.
Many remember the opening of the London Olympics in 2012 when the Queen appeared in a video with James Bond. The Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, which took place in 1976, were also opened by her as head of state of Canada. Thousands of congratulatory messages for subjects are sent out by the royal office, they are addressed to those who celebrate the centenary and wedding anniversary (60 years). Every year on Christmas Day, Queen Elizabeth II addresses her subjects with a speech.
Do you know that…
The queen does not have a passport. The British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, but she cannot issue it to herself. All other members of the royal family, including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, hold British passports.
Queen Elizabeth II is the only person in the country who is allowed to drive a car without a driver's license and registration number.
Other official and unofficial titles of the queen: "kotuku" - "white heron" (in the Maori language), "Mrs. Quin" (in the pidgin language in Papua New Guinea). In the Isle of Man she is the Empress of Maine, in the Channel Islands she is the Duchess of Normandy, and in the Duchy of Lancaster she is the Duchess of Lancaster.
Do you know how many thrones Queen Elizabeth II has? There are 9 in total. One is located in the House of Lords, 2 in Westminster Abbey and 6 more are located in Buckingham Palace.
The queen should be above political battles, not publicly expressing her political views and communicating with all the prime ministers of the state with the utmost correctness. This also applies to members of the royal family, so their political views always remain unknown.
Queen Elizabeth II is patron of over 620 charities.
Since William the Conqueror, Queen Elizabeth II is Britain's 40th monarch.
The British Queen has had over 30 Corgis. She received her first dog of this breed, named Susan, as a gift for 18 years. All other pets are descendants of the beloved Susan. The queen unwittingly became the creator of a new breed of dog - the dorgi, which was the result of mixing her corgi with Princess Margaret's dachshund.
In 1976, Queen Elizabeth II sent her first email, and in 1997, the first official royal website was created.
Queen Elizabeth II is also a major employer: about 1,200 people work in royal residences (from kitchen workers to personal secretaries).
Over 3 million letters were received by the Queen of England during her entire reign.
At the moment, Queen Elizabeth II continues to be one of the main symbols of England and the whole of Great Britain. Being in power for more than 65 years, she reliably strengthened the authority of the British monarchy, and also became a real role model and a source of pride for millions of Britons.
He is the oldest current head of state in the world.
The reign of Elizabeth II covered a very wide period of British and world history. The process of decolonization was completed, which was marked by the final collapse of the British Empire and its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. Under Elizabeth II, Britain entered and left the European Union. Among other events of this period, it is worth noting the Falklands War, the participation of Great Britain in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under these conditions, Elizabeth II was able to maintain the prestige and popularity of the British monarchy.
Elizabeth received a good education at home, mostly in the humanities - she studied the history of the constitution, jurisprudence, religious studies, art history, and also (virtually independently) French. From a young age, Elizabeth was interested in horses and practiced horseback riding. She has been faithful to this hobby for many decades.
At birth, Elizabeth became the Princess of York and was third in the line of succession to the throne after her uncle and father. Since Prince Edward was young enough to be expected to marry and have children, Elizabeth was not initially considered a viable candidate for the throne. However, Edward was forced to abdicate eleven months after the death of George V in January 1936. Prince Albert (George VI) became king, and 10-year-old Elizabeth became heir to the throne and moved with her parents from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace. At the same time, she remained in the status of "heir presumptive" ("supposed heir"), and if George VI had a son, he would have inherited the throne.
“I want to make one statement now. Very simple. I declare before you all that my whole life, whether long or short, will be dedicated to serving you and that great empire to which we all belong."
In May 1948, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip made their first official visit abroad, to Paris.
In early 1952, Princess Elizabeth and Philip went on a visit to the Commonwealth countries, which was interrupted by the death of the king.
On April 24, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II granted British Prime Minister Winston Churchill membership in the Knight's Order of the Garter, which gave him the right to the title "sir".
After that, in November 1953 - May 1954. the queen undertook a six-month tour of the Commonwealth states, British colonies, and elsewhere in the world. Elizabeth II became the first monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand. In addition, she visited Fiji, Tonga, Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Yemen (Aden), Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar, having traveled 43,618 kilometers.
November 22 - December 8, 1956 in Melbourne, Australia, the XVI Olympic Games were held, which were opened by the husband of Elizabeth II, Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne in October 1957
In May 1957, the Queen received the former First Lady and widow of the 32nd US President Franklin Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, at Buckingham Palace.
In October of the same year, Elizabeth made her first visits to the United States and Canada as Queen of Canada. During these visits, she spoke at a session of the UN General Assembly, met with the current US President Dwight Eisenhower and former US President Herbert Hoover (was US President in 1929-1933), and also attended the opening of the 23rd session of the Canadian Parliament (for the first time in history with the participation of the British monarch).
On December 25, 1957, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to congratulate subjects on Christmas on television (since 1932, monarchs have congratulated subjects on the radio).
In 1958, Elizabeth II was the first in the UK to make a trunking call (automatic distribution of communication channels between subscribers).
On June 5, 1961, Elizabeth II received the Kennedy couple at Buckingham Palace - US President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline.
On July 15, 1961, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain received the first cosmonaut in the world, Yuri Gagarin, at Buckingham Palace. In honor of him, a lunch was arranged, which was attended by the Queen herself, her husband Philip and their children - Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew (he was only a year old at that time), as well as Prince Philip's uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten and the Queen's sister Princess Margaret.
In July 1976, Elizabeth II solemnly opened (as Queen of Canada) XXI Olympic Games in Montreal, and even before their opening, she went on a visit to the United States, where she met with American President Gerald Ford and took part in the celebration of the 200th anniversary of US independence.
In May 1977, Elizabeth II received US President Jimmy Carter at Buckingham Palace.
On June 8, 1982, the Queen received US President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy at Windsor Castle.
In October 1986, Elizabeth II and Prince Philip paid an official visit to socialist China, where they met with the country's leader Deng Xiaoping. This was the first visit to China by a British monarch.
In November 1992, Elizabeth II received Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin in London.
On October 17-20, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain visited Russia on her only state visit. During the visit, the Queen of Great Britain visited such historical and cultural places of Moscow and St. Petersburg as the State Hermitage Museum, leaving an entry in the book of honored guests of the museum, the Peter and Paul Fortress, the Moscow classical gymnasium No. 20, the Moscow Kremlin, Red Square, the center for the rehabilitation of children - Disabled Research Institute of Prosthetics. G. Albrecht, Bolshoi Theater, and also opened a memorial stone at the construction site of the new building of the British Embassy in Moscow.
In the same year, the Queen visited the British Mosque for the first time - the Islamic center in Scunthorpe (Lincolnshire). In addition, Elizabeth II became the first member of the royal family to receive a gold disc: the recording of the “Party in the Palace” concert, arranged in honor of the 50th anniversary of her reign, sold 100,000 copies.
On November 20, 2007, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding (60 years), and on December 20 of the same year, the Queen became the oldest British monarch in history, overtaking her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria (1819-1901).
In October 2011, the Queen paid an official visit to Australia.
On December 25, 2012, the Queen's Christmas speech was televised, broadcast for the first time in 3D.
In 2013, for the first time in 40 years, Elizabeth II refused to go to the summit of the heads of the countries of the British Commonwealth, held in Sri Lanka. Britain was represented at the summit by Prince Charles, which testifies to the gradual transfer of Elizabeth's powers to her son.
On September 9, 2015, Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning ruler of Britain in its history.
In April 2016, the Queen's 90th birthday was solemnly celebrated in the UK. In honor of this, Elizabeth II sent her message on Twitter to those who congratulated her on her birthday.
In February 2017, the Sapphire Jubilee was celebrated in Britain, which marked the 65th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II. To this date, the Royal Mint issued a series of coins with the Queen's profile into circulation.
On November 20, 2017, Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip became the first royal couple to celebrate their 70th platinum wedding anniversary.
On April 20, 2018, Commonwealth leaders announced that the Queen's successor as head of the Commonwealth would be her son, Prince Charles.
On May 19, 2018, the wedding of Prince Harry (the second grandson of Elizabeth II) and Meghan Markle took place in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
June 2, 2018 marks the 65th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. By this date, a commemorative investment gold coin of 10 pounds was put into circulation, on both sides of which the profile of the queen is depicted. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first child - Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who became the eighth great-grandson of Elizabeth II and Prince Consort Philip.
In accordance with the British tradition of a parliamentary monarchy, Elizabeth II performs mainly representative functions, with little or no influence on the government of the country. However, during her reign, she successfully maintains the authority of the British monarchy. Her duties include visiting various countries on diplomatic visits, receiving ambassadors, meeting with high-ranking government officials (especially with the prime minister), reading annual messages to parliament, presenting awards, knighting, and more. Also, the queen daily looks through the main British newspapers and, with the help of servants, answers some letters that are sent to her in huge quantities (200-300 pieces daily). At the same time, there is a practice that every day several letters are selected at random and read to the queen, and in this case she personally dictates the answers to them. In addition, there are other forms of communication between the queen and her subjects. For example, since 1956, small informal dinners of the queen and her spouse with prominent people have been practiced (usually 6-8 guests and 2 courtiers are present). In general, under Elizabeth, the forms of communication between the monarch and his subjects became much more diverse than under her predecessors, which was facilitated by the development of information technology. It was under her that the British monarchy acquired pages on Facebook. If the mandatory weekly meeting cannot take place, then the Queen and the Prime Minister communicate over a dedicated telephone line protected from eavesdropping.
Apparently, these meetings play a prominent role in the decision-making process. In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher wrote of her weekly meetings with Queen Elizabeth:
Anyone who thinks that they [meetings] are a mere formality or social convention is deeply mistaken. In fact, they take place in a relaxed business atmosphere, and Her Majesty always demonstrates her ability to cover a wide range of issues and her wide experience.
The Queen is more knowledgeable on most matters than meets the eye. In addition, the Queen has regular meetings with other Commonwealth ministers and prime ministers when they are in the UK on a visit. Also, during her stay in Scotland, she meets with the First Minister of Scotland. British ministries and diplomatic missions send her regular reports.
Throughout her time on the throne, the Queen maintained correct relations with all prime ministers. At the same time, she always remained true to the tradition of the English kings of modern times - to be above political fights. As a constitutional monarch, Elizabeth II should not publicly express her political likes or dislikes. She has always carried out this rule, acting not in public - therefore her political views remain unknown.
Three times during her reign, the queen had constitutional problems with the formation of the British government. In 1957 and 1963, with no clear mechanism for electing a leader in the Conservative Party, it was up to the Queen to decide whom to entrust with the formation of a government after the resignations of Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan. In 1957, Anthony Eden refused to advise the Queen on whom to appoint as his successor, and she turned to Winston Churchill for advice, as the only Conservative prime minister alive at the time (following the precedent followed by the resignation of Andrew Bonar Law in 1923 by King George V consulted Lord Salisbury's father and former Prime Minister Arthur Balfour). In 1963, Harold Macmillan himself advised to appoint Alec Douglas-Home as his successor, and in 1974, after the resignation of Edward Heath as a result of an unclear election outcome, Elizabeth II appointed opposition leader Harold Wilson as prime minister. In all these cases, the Queen acted according to the British constitutional tradition, according to which she should not take any important decisions without the advice of her ministers and privy councillors.
Although it is customary that the Queen does not interfere in politics, but due to the fact that during her long reign she had the opportunity to work with many prime ministers and leaders of other countries, her advice is always taken seriously.
Also, Elizabeth II is actively involved in charity and social activities. The Queen of Britain is a trustee of more than 600 different public and charitable organizations.
In addition to duties, Elizabeth II also has certain inalienable rights as a monarch (royal prerogatives). For example, she can reject the candidacy of the prime minister (which seems unsuitable to her) and so on. These prerogatives are not always a mere formality. For example, the prerogative "the right to consult, the right to encourage and warn" is expressed in the fact that Elizabeth receives a number of documents for study, which the Privy Council collects for her. These papers are brought to the palace daily at 7 pm in red boxes, after which the monarch quickly looks through them, underlining in red what he did not like or is incomprehensible, since these documents are taken away at 8 o'clock the next morning. The Queen's remarks are usually heeded. In addition, the Queen receives reports from 15 Commonwealth countries, which she meets and sends back.
Such amounts cause dissatisfaction with the Republican-minded part of the British population, which considers it necessary to cut them.
Supporters of the preservation of the monarchy point out that these expenditures generate a large profit in the form of tourist income, which is attracted by the ceremonials of the British monarchy. In 2011, British Chancellor of the Exchequer J. Osborne said that the monarchy annually brings more than £500 million to the state budget).
Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the FaithDuring the reign of Elizabeth II, in all countries that recognize the British monarch as their head of state, laws were passed according to which (English), regardless of their titles proper in the UK or in third countries. Accordingly, in all these countries, the title of the queen sounds the same, with the name of the state replaced. In some countries, the words "defender of the faith" are excluded from the title. For example, in Australia, the title sounds like this: "Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the grace of God the Queen of Australia and her other kingdoms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth".
During her reign, some of these countries became republics. At the same time, as a result of the process of decolonization, numerous British colonies gained independence. In some of them, the Queen of Great Britain retained the status of head of state, in others she did not.
Newly independent states that abandoned the monarchy some time later:
Elizabeth II in Great Britain and Commonwealth countries, as well as in other states. In addition, she is a holder of various domestic British awards, as well as a number of various awards from foreign countries.
Despite active communication with subjects, Elizabeth strictly observes royal ceremonial. For example, the queen does not like to be touched first. It was noted that when visiting hospitals, exhibitions and other official events, Elizabeth was very polite, but she never took off her gloves and did not touch anyone. Even at regular tea parties in the park of Buckingham Palace, the Queen and her family members have a separate tent, where only especially important guests are allowed. A certain alienation of the queen from other people is observed when she communicates with the press. Despite the fact that under Elizabeth II, communication between the monarch and his subjects increased dramatically, the queen herself did not give a single interview during her entire reign. The queen sometimes does not forgive violations of the protocol even to the heads of other states. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his state visit to the UK in 2003, was 12 minutes late for a meeting with the Queen. In response, Elizabeth II came to Putin's farewell with a delay of exactly 12 minutes. In Scotland, the royal standard and the procedure for raising it was changed with the consent of Elizabeth II and brought into line with the Lyon King of Arms Act 1672, which was enshrined in a regulation adopted by the Scottish government in April 2010.
The majority of Britons positively assess the institution of a constitutional monarchy. According to a 2012 survey, approximately 69% believe that the country would be worse off without a monarchy; 60% believe that the monarchy contributes to raising the country's image abroad, and only 22% were against the monarchy.
Despite the positive attitude of most of her subjects, the queen was repeatedly criticized throughout her reign, in particular:
Among the queen's interests is breeding dogs (among them corgis (see the article royal corgi), Olympic Stadium. On April 5, 2013, the queen was awarded the BAFTA award for this role, for the best performance of the role
Who is Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born April 21, 1926) is the Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand since February 6, 1952. She is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the Queen of 12 countries that gained their independence after her accession to the throne. Among them: Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Brief biography of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth was born in London, she was the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She was educated at home. Her father ascended the throne following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936. From that moment on, she became the most likely heir to the throne. She began public duties during World War II, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947 she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, former Prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom they had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess of Great Britain, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
Elizabeth's many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and meetings with five popes. She witnessed major constitutional changes such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation and the decolonization of Africa. During her reign there were many different wars and conflicts in which many of her kingdoms and territories were involved. She is the oldest reigning monarch in the world and also Britain's longest-lived queen. In 2015, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, in terms of the duration of the reign, and became the longest-reigning monarch of Britain, the longest-reigning queen and female head of state in world history. In October 2016, she became the longest-reigning monarch and head of state of modern times since the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.
Events of personal significance to the Queen include the birth and marriage of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her coronation in 1953, and the celebration of major dates such as her silver, gold and diamond jubilees in 1977, 2002 and 2012 respectively. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to celebrate her sapphire jubilee. Sad moments in her life were the death of her father in 1952 at the age of 56, the murder of her uncle Prince Philip, Lord Mountbatten in 1979, the breakdown of her children's marriages in 1992 (her "terrible year"), the death in 1997 of her son's ex-wife , Diana, Princess of Wales, and the death of her mother and sister in 2002. Elizabeth periodically faced republican sentiment and criticism of the royal family in the press. However, support for the monarchy remains at a very high level, as does her personal popularity.
Early years of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth was born at 02:40 GMT on 21 April 1926 during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. Her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), was the King's second son. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth), was the youngest daughter of the Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She was born by caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London home at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. She was baptized by the Archbishop of York of the Anglican Church, Cosmo Gordon Lang, in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on May 29. She was named Elizabeth after her mother, Alexandra after the mother of George V, who had died six months earlier, and Mary after her paternal grandmother. Close relatives called her "Lilibet", as she herself called herself in childhood. Her grandfather George V cherished and cherished her, and during his serious illness in 1929, her regular visits to him were covered in the popular press. In addition, later biographers noted that these visits greatly lifted his spirits and helped in his recovery.
Elizabeth's only sister, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. The princesses were educated at home under the guidance of their mother and governess, Marion Crawford, known informally as "Crawphy". The lessons mainly covered history, languages, literature and music. Miss Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood called "Little Princesses" in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeth's love for horses and dogs, her accuracy and special responsibility. Others also remarked on this: Winston Churchill called Elizabeth at the age of two "a strong character. She has such influence and self-reflection that it is very surprising in a child." Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as "a cheerful little girl, but fundamentally prudent, and well brought up."
Succession to the British throne
During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne after her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, no one expected her to become queen as the Prince of Wales was still young. Many believed that he would marry and have children of his own. After her grandfather's death in 1936, and after her uncle became Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne after her father. Later that year, Edward abdicated after his marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson led to a constitutional crisis. As a result, Elizabeth's father became king, and she became the heir presumptive. Had her parents had a son after her, she would have lost her position as first heir, as her brother would become the direct heir and surpass her in the line of succession.
Education of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth was privately tutored in constitutional history by Henry Marten, Associate Provost of Eton College, and studied French under numerous native-speaker governesses. The Girl Scout Company, the first company at Buckingham Palace, was set up specifically so that she could connect with girls her own age. She later enlisted in the military as a Marine Ranger.
In 1939, Elizabeth's parents traveled to Canada and the United States. As in 1927, when her parents toured Australia and New Zealand, Elizabeth remained in Britain because her father thought she was too young to make public tours. Elizabeth "looked tearful" when her parents departed. They corresponded regularly and also held the first royal transatlantic telephone calls on 18 May.
Elizabeth II during World War II
In September 1939, Great Britain entered World War II, which lasted until 1945. During the war, many children from London were evacuated to avoid constant aerial bombardment. A proposal by high-ranking politician Lord Hailsham to evacuate the two princesses to Canada was rejected by Elizabeth's mother, who stated: "The children will not go without me. I will not leave without the king. And the king will never leave the country." Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret stayed at Balmoral Castle in Scotland until Christmas 1939 and then moved to Sandringham Palace in Norfolk. From February to May 1940, they lived in the royal country house in Windsor, after which they moved to Windsor Palace, where they lived for almost the entire next five years. At Windsor, the princesses performed pantomimes on stage at Christmas to help the Royal Woolen Trust, which bought yarn to knit military clothing. In 1940, 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio appearance on the BBC's "Children's Hour" and addressed other children who had been evacuated from the cities. She stated: "We are trying to do everything possible to help our valiant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we also try to share with them the dangers and sorrows of war. All of us, each of us knows that in the end everything will be fine" .
In 1943, at the age of 16, Elizabeth made her first public appearance alone on a visit to the Guards Grenadier Regiment, in which she had been appointed colonel the year before. On the eve of her 18th birthday, Parliament changed the law so that she could act as one of the five state councilors in the event of her father's inability to perform his functions or his absence from the country, as for example during his visit to Italy in July 1944. In February 1945, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service as an honorary second junior officer with personal number 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was promoted to honorary junior commander five months later.
At the end of the war, on the day of the celebration of victory in Europe, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret mingled anonymously with the crowds of celebrating on the streets of London. Elizabeth later said in one of his rare interviews: “We asked our parents for permission to go and see for ourselves. I remember we were very scared that they would recognize us ... I remember crowds of strangers holding hands and walking down the Whitehall, we were all just riding a wave of happiness and relief."
During the war, a plan was devised to suppress Welsh nationalism by forging closer ties with Elizabeth to Wales. Proposals, such as appointing her steward of Caernarvon Castle, or head of the Welsh Youth League ("Urdd Gobaith Cymru"), were rejected for various reasons, among which was the fear of linking Elizabeth to those who refuse to perform military service, while Britain was at war. Welsh politicians offered to make her the Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday. The Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, supported the idea, but the King rejected it because it seemed to him that such a title belonged exclusively to the wife of the Prince of Wales, and the Prince of Wales was always the heir apparent. In 1946, she was admitted to the Welsh Bard Society at the National Eistetfod Festival in Wales.
In 1947, Princess Elizabeth made her first overseas tour, accompanying her parents on a trip to South Africa. During a radio tour broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, she promised the following: "I declare to you all that my entire life, whether long or short, will be devoted to the service of you and our great royal family. to which we all belong."
Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and 1937. They are second cousins to King Christian IX of Denmark and fourth cousins to Queen Victoria. After another meeting at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in July 1939, Elizabeth, although she was only 13 years old, said that she had fallen in love with Philip, and they began to correspond. She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on July 9, 1947.
The engagement was not without controversy. Philip had no financial standing, was of foreign origin (although he was a British subject who served in the Royal Navy during World War II), and his sisters married German nobles with Nazi connections. Marion Crawford wrote: "Some of the king's advisers felt that he was not good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some newspapers played long and tediously the card of Philip's foreign origin." Later biographies reported that Elizabeth's mother initially opposed the union, calling Philip "The Hun". However, the Queen Mother later told biographer Tim Hild that Philip was "an English gentleman."
Before marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and became Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, taking the surname of his mother's British family. Shortly before the wedding, he became the Duke of Edinburgh and received the title of His Royal Highness.
Elizabeth and Philip were married on November 20, 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They received 2500 wedding gifts from all over the world. Since England had not yet fully recovered from the devastation of the war, Elizabeth needed coupons to buy material for her wedding dress, which was designed by Norman Hartnelloom. In post-war Britain, it was unacceptable for the Duke of Edinburgh to invite his German relatives, including his three surviving sisters, to a wedding. The Duke of Windsor, former King Edward VIII, was also not invited.
Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, on November 14, 1948. A month earlier, the king had issued a charter of grant allowing his children to use the title of crown prince and princess, which they otherwise would not have been entitled to, since their father was no longer crown prince. The second child, Princess Anne, was born in 1950.
After their marriage, the couple rented Windlesham Moor estate near Windsor Castle until July 1949, when they settled at Clarence House in London. At various times between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh lodged in Malta, a British Crown colony, as a serving officer in the Royal Navy. He and Elizabeth periodically lived in Malta for several months in the village of Guardamanga, at the Villa Guardamangia, a house rented by Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten. The children stayed in the UK.
Reign of Elizabeth II
The beginning of the reign of Elizabeth II
During 1951, George VI's health deteriorated and Elizabeth often stood in for him at public events. When she visited Canada and met with President Harry S. Truman in Washington, D.C., in October 1951, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, had with him a draft declaration of her assumption of office in the event of the king's death during her trip. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip went on a business trip to Australia and New Zealand via Kenya. On February 6, 1952, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after spending a night at the Treetops Inn, when news arrived of the king's death and consequently Elizabeth's immediate accession to the throne. Philip told the bad news to the newly-made queen. Martin Charteris asked her to choose a throne name. She "of course" decided to remain Elizabeth. She was proclaimed queen of all her kingdoms and territories, after which the royal couple hastily returned to the United Kingdom. She and the Duke of Edinburgh moved to Buckingham Palace.
After Elizabeth's accession to the throne, it seemed likely that the royal house would take on her husband's surname, becoming the House of Mountbatten. It is customary for a wife to take her husband's surname after marriage. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Elizabeth's grandmother, Queen Mary, advocated that the name Windsor be retained. Thus, on April 9, 1952, Elizabeth issued a declaration stating that the royal house would continue to bear the name of the Windsors. The Duke complained: "I am the only person in the country who has no right to give his name to his own children." In 1960, following the death of Queen Mary in 1953 and the resignation of Churchill in 1955, the male heirs of Philip and Elizabeth who did not hold royal titles were given the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.
Coronation of Elizabeth II
In preparation for her coronation, Princess Margaret informed her sister that she would like to marry Peter Townsend, a divorced man 16 years older than Margaret, with two sons from a previous marriage. The queen asked them to wait a year. According to Martin Charteris, "Naturally the Queen sympathized with the Princess, but I believe that she thought, she hoped that time would pass and this connection would fade away." High-ranking politicians were against this union, and the Church of England did not allow remarriage after a divorce. If Margaret entered into a civil marriage, it would be expected that she would have to renounce her right to inherit. In the end, she and Townsend decided to abandon their plans. In 1960, she married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, who became the Earl of Snowdon a year later. They divorced in 1978; she never remarried.
Despite the death of Queen Mary on March 24, the coronation proceeded as planned on June 2, 1953, as Mary had requested before her death. For the first time, the coronation ceremony was televised from Westminster Abbey. The exceptions were the rituals of anointing and communion. Elizabeth's coronation dress was embroidered at her direction with Commonwealth floral symbols: the English Tudor rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh leek, the Irish shamrock, the Australian locust, the Canadian maple leaf, the New Zealand silver fern, the South African protea, the lotus flowers symbolizing India and Ceylon, as well as Pakistani wheat, cotton, and jute.
The role of Elizabeth II in the political life of Great Britain
From the very birth of Elizabeth, the British Empire continued to transform itself into the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of her accession to the throne in 1952, she had already become the head of several independent states. In 1953, the Queen and her husband embarked on a seven-month world tour, visiting 13 countries and traveling over 40,000 miles by land, sea, and air. She became the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand to visit those countries. During her visit there were huge crowds wishing to see her. It has been estimated that about three-quarters of the Australian population saw the Queen. Throughout her reign, the Queen made hundreds of state visits to other countries and trips to Commonwealth countries. She is the head of state who traveled the most.
In 1956, British and French Prime Ministers Sir Anthony Eden and Guy Mollet discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth. The proposal was not accepted, and the following year France signed the Treaty of Rome, which marked the beginning of the European Economic Community, the predecessor of the European Union. In November 1956, England and France invaded Egypt in an attempt to seize the Suez Canal, which ultimately proved completely unsuccessful. Lord Mountbatten claimed that the Queen was opposed to the invasion, although Eden denied this. Eden resigned two months later.
The absence of a formal mechanism for electing a leader within the Conservative Party meant that after Eden's resignation, the Queen had to decide who to commission to form the government. Eden recommended that she enlist the help of Lord Salisbury, Lord President of the Council. Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir, who was then Lord Chancellor, consulted with the British Cabinet, Winston Churchill, and the Chairman of the 1922 Committee Backbenchers, whereby the Queen appointed a recommended candidate: Harold Macmillan.
The Suez crisis and the choice of Eden's successor led in 1957 to the first serious criticism of the Queen's personality. Lord Altrincham, in his journal, of which he was editor, accused the Queen of being "out of touch with real life." Altrincham was condemned by public figures, and a simple citizen, shocked by his comments, even hit him. Six years later, in 1963, Macmillan resigned and advised the Queen to appoint the Earl of Hume as Prime Minister. She followed this advice. The Queen was again criticized for appointing the prime minister on the advice of a small number of ministers, or a single minister. In 1965, the Conservatives approved a formal mechanism for electing a leader, thereby freeing her from participation in this matter.
In 1957, she made a state visit to the United States, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth. During the same visit, she opened the 23rd Parliament of Canada, becoming the first monarch of Canada to open a session of Parliament. Two years later, exclusively in her role as Queen of Canada, she again visited the United States and Canada. In 1961 she traveled to Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Iran. During a visit to Ghana in the same year, she allayed fears for her safety, although her host President Kwame Nkrumah, who succeeded her as head of state, became a target for assassins. Harold Macmillan wrote: "The Queen was determined ... She does not tolerate being treated like ... a movie star ... She really has a "male core" hidden ... She loves her duties and is determined to be a queen." Before her tour of some areas of Quebec in 1964, there were reports in the press that extremists within the Quebec separatist movement were planning an assassination attempt on Elizabeth. No attempt was made to attack, but while she was in Montreal, a riot broke out. The press noted in the queen "calmness and courage in the face of violence."
The only exceptions during her reign when the Queen did not participate in the opening ceremonies of the British Parliament were the periods of her pregnancies with Prince Andrew and Edward in 1959 and 1963. In addition to participating in traditional ceremonies, she also introduced new traditions. In 1970, during a tour of Australia and New Zealand, her first royal walk and meeting with ordinary citizens took place.
Decolonization of the British Empire
The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the pace of decolonization in Africa and the Caribbean. More than 20 countries have gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith, in opposition to the movement towards a majoritarian system, unilaterally declared independence from Great Britain, however, without abandoning the expression of "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth. Although the Queen dismissed him with an official statement and the international community imposed sanctions on Rhodesia, his regime endured for more than a decade. As Britain's ties with its former colonies weakened, the British government sought to join the European Community, and achieved this goal in 1973.
In February 1974, British Prime Minister Edward Heath advised the Queen to call a general election in the middle of her tour of the Austronesian Pacific Rim and demanded that she fly back to the UK. The elections resulted in a hung parliament. Heath's conservatives did not win a majority, but could have remained in office if they had formed a coalition with the Liberals. Heath only resigned when discussions about forming a coalition failed, after which the Queen asked the leader of the opposition, Labor Harold Wilson, to form a government.
A year later, in the midst of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was relieved of his post by Governor General Sir John Kerr after the opposition-controlled Senate rejected Whitlam's budget proposals. Since Whitlam had a majority in the House of Representatives, Speaker Gordon Scholes petitioned the Queen to reverse Kerr's decision. She refused, stating that she would not interfere in the decisions reserved by the Australian Constitution to the Governor General. The crisis served as a powerful source of Republican sentiment in Australia.
Elizabeth II in the eyes of the British
In 1977, Elizabeth celebrated the silver jubilee of her accession to the throne. There were celebrations and events throughout the Commonwealth, many of which coincided with her travels around the country and abroad. The festivities brought back the popularity of the Queen, despite the fact that almost at the same time the press was negatively covering the divorce of Princess Margaret from her husband. In 1978, the Queen accepted a state visit to the United Kingdom by Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena, although she privately believed "their hands were covered in blood". The following year brought with it two blows: the first was the exposure of Anthony Blunt, the Queen's former art appraiser, as a communist spy; the second was the assassination of her relative and brother-in-law Lord Mountbatten by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.
By the late 1970s, the Queen was concerned that the Crown meant "little" to Pierre Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, according to Paul Martin Sr. Tony Benn noted that the Queen found Trudeau "quite disappointing." Trudeau's supposed Republican leanings seemed to be borne out by his antics, such as rolling down the railings of Buckingham Palace and pirouettes behind the Queen's back in 1977, and abolishing various Canadian royal symbols during his term. In 1980, Canadian politicians sent to London to discuss the patriation of the Canadian constitution found the Queen "better informed... than any of the British politicians or officials". She was especially interested after the failure of Bill C-60, which would have affected her role as head of state. Patriation abolished the role of the British Parliament in the Canadian constitution, but the monarchy was retained. Trudeau wrote in his memoirs that the Queen supported his attempt to reform the constitution, and that he was impressed by "the tact she showed in public" and "the wisdom she showed in private."
Attempts on the life of Queen Elizabeth II
In 1981, during a banner-raising ceremony, six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, the Queen was shot six times at close range as she rode down Mole Street on her horse, a Burmese. The police later discovered that they had fired blanks. The 17-year-old attacker, Marcus Sargeant, was sentenced to five years in prison and released after three. Many subsequently praised the queen's composure and her skill in riding.
From April to September 1982, the Queen was concerned about the fate of her son Prince Andrew, who served in the British forces during the Falklands War, but was also proud of him. On July 9, the Queen woke up in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find a man had broken into the premises. It was Michael Fagan. Remaining calm even after two calls to the switchboard of the Palace police, she spoke to Fagan, who was sitting at the foot of her bed, until help arrived seven minutes later. After she hosted US President Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visited his California ranch in 1983, the Queen was outraged when his administration ordered an attack on Grenada, one of her Caribbean possessions, without prior notice. .
The heightened media interest in the royal family's beliefs and private lives during the 1980s led to a series of sensational stories in the press, not all of which were true. As Kelvin McKenzie, editor of The Sun, told his staff, “Give me a one-day scoop on the royal family. Don't worry if it isn't true as long as it doesn't make too much noise." Donald Threlford, editor of The Observer, writes on September 21, 1986: "The Royal Soap Opera has now reached such a height of public interest that that the line between fact and fiction has been completely blurred... it's not just that some newspapers don't check the facts or accept denials: they don't really care if the stories are true or not. July 1986, the Queen was concerned that Margaret Thatcher's economic policies were contributing to social stratification, as well as high unemployment, a series of riots, the brutality of mining strikes, and Thatcher's refusal to impose sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa.Sources of rumors include the royal Assistant Michael Shea and Commonwealth Secretary-General Sridath Ramphala.However, Shea argued that his remarks were taken out of context and embellished with speculation. Thatcher allegedly said that the Queen would vote for the Social Democratic Party, political opponents of Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher's biographer John Campbell argued that "the report was a piece of journalistic intrigue." Denying reports of tension between the two, Thatcher later expressed her personal admiration for the Queen, and the Queen presented her with two awards - membership in the Order of Merit and the Order of the Garter - as a personal gift. This happened after she was replaced as prime minister by John Major. Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney claims that Elizabeth was a "power behind the scenes" in the elimination of apartheid.
Criticism of the British Queen Elizabeth II
In 1987 in Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically controversial constitutional amendments, drawing criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau. That same year, the elected government of Fiji was overthrown in a military coup. As monarch of Fiji, Elizabeth supported the efforts of the Governor General, Ratu Sir Penay Nganilau, to establish executive power and negotiate a settlement. Coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka overthrew Nganilau and declared Fiji a republic. By early 1991, Republican sentiment in the UK was on the rise over speculative estimates of the queen's private wealth that contradicted palace estimates and reports of love affairs and adultery among the queen's relatives. The participation of young members of the royal family in the charity show "Royal Knockout" (It's a Royal Knockout) was ridiculed, and the queen became the object of satire.
British Royal Family in the 1990s
In 1991, as a result of the coalition's victory in the Gulf War, the Queen became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the United States Congress.
In her speech on November 24, 1992, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne, Elizabeth called 1992 her "terrible year." In March, her second son, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his wife, Sarah, separated; in April, her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain Mark Phillips. During a state visit to Germany in October, angry demonstrators in Dresden threw eggs at her, and in November a serious fire broke out at Windsor Castle, one of her official residences. The monarchy came under increased criticism and scrutiny from the public. In an unusually personal speech, the Queen says that any institution should expect criticism, but suggests that it be done with "a touch of humor, gentleness and understanding." Two days later, Prime Minister John Major announced reforms to the royal finances planned last year, including the fact that the Queen would pay income tax from 1993 onward and a reduction in the civil list. In December, Prince Charles and his wife Diana officially divorced. The year ended in litigation as the Queen sued The Sun for copyright infringement when it published the text of the royal annual Christmas address two days before the official broadcast. The newspaper was forced to pay her legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity.
In later years, public revelations about the state of affairs in Charles and Diana's marriage continued. Even though support for republicanism in England seemed to be greater than at any time in living memory, republican views were still in the minority, and the queen herself enjoyed high popularity ratings. Criticism was directed at the very institution of the monarchy and the Queen's more distant relatives, rather than her own behavior and actions. After consulting with her husband and Prime Minister John Major, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, and her private secretary, Robert Fellows, she wrote to Charles and Diana in late December 1995, insisting on a desirable divorce.
Death of Princess Diana
In 1997, a year after the divorce, Diana died in a car accident in Paris. The Queen was on holiday with her family in Balmoral. Diana and Charles' sons, Princes William and Harry, wanted to attend the church, so the Queen and Prince Philip took them along that morning. After that one public appearance, for five days the Queen and Duke shielded their grandchildren from undue press interest by leaving them at Balmoral Castle where they could mourn at home, but the royal family's reclusiveness and refusal to lower the flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace sparked public outrage. Under pressure from a hostile backlash, the Queen decided to return to London and perform live on September 5th, the day before Diana's funeral. On the air, she expressed her admiration for Diana and spoke about her feelings "like a grandmother" of the two princes. As a result, much of the public hostility faded away.
Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain
In 2002, Elizabeth celebrated her golden jubilee. Her sister and mother died in February and March, respectively, and the media theorized whether the anniversary celebrations would succeed or fail. She again undertook an extensive tour of her holdings, starting in Jamaica in February, where she hosted an "unforgettable" farewell banquet even as a power outage plunged the official government residence, Kings House, into darkness. As in 1977, there were street celebrations and celebrations, and monuments were named after the event. Millions of people attended every day of the three-day celebration of the main anniversary in London, and the public's fervent interest in the Queen's personality was even greater than many journalists expected.
Although she has been generally healthy throughout her life, in 2003 the Queen underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees. In October 2006, she missed the opening of the new Emirates Stadium after pulling back muscles that had been bothering her since the summer.
In May 2007, The Daily Telegraph, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Queen was "vexed and upset" by the policies of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, concerned about the excessive presence of British military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that she expressed concern about Blair's problems with the countryside. However, it was said that she admired Blair's efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland. On March 20, 2008, the Queen attended the first ever service held at St Patrick's Cathedral, the Anglican Church of Ireland in Armagh, during Holy Week. The service was held outside of England and Wales. At the invitation of Irish President Mary McAleese, the Queen made her first state visit to the Republic of Ireland in May 2011 as a British monarch.
The Queen addressed the United Nations for the second time in 2010, again in her role as Queen of all Commonwealth dominions and head of the Commonwealth. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called her "the saving anchor of our era." During her visit to New York, which followed a tour of Canada, she officially opened a memorial garden for the British victims of the 9/11 attacks. The Queen's visit to Australia in October 2011, her sixteenth visit since 1954, was described in the press as her "farewell tour" due to her age.
Elizabeth II - the symbol of the British Empire
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 marked 60 years of government. Celebrations were held throughout its kingdoms, throughout the Commonwealth, and beyond. In a message published on Ascension Day, Elizabeth wrote:
"In this special year, I again dedicate myself to serving you, and I hope that we all remember the need for unity and the creative power of family, friendship and good neighborliness ... In this anniversary year, I want to thank everyone for the great successes that have been made since since 1952, and look forward to the future with a clear head and a warm heart."
She and her husband embarked on an extensive tour of the UK, while her children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours of other Commonwealth states on her behalf. On June 4, commemorative beacons were lit around the world. On December 18, the Queen became the first British monarch to attend a peacetime Cabinet meeting since George III did so in 1781.
The Queen, who opened the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, also opened the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This fact made her the first head of state to open two Olympiads in two different countries. For the London Olympics, she played herself in a short film as part of the opening ceremony alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond. On April 4, 2013, she received a BAFTA honorary award for her support of the film industry, and was also named "the most memorable Bond girl to date" at the awards ceremony.
On March 3, 2013, Elizabeth was admitted to the King Edward VII Hospital as a precautionary measure after she developed symptoms of gastroenteritis. She returned to Buckingham Palace the next day. A week later, she signed a new charter for the Commonwealth. Due to her age and the need to limit travel, in 2013 she decided not to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the first time in 40 years. At the Sri Lanka summit, her son, Prince Charles, represented her.
Records of Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become the longest-lived British monarch in December 2007, and the longest-reigning British monarch on September 9, 2015. In Canada, she was noted as "the longest-reigning monarch in the country's modern history." (King Louis XIV of France ruled Canada (New France) longer.) She is also the longest-reigning queen regnant in history, and the oldest reigning monarch in the world. She became the longest-serving head of state in modern times following the death of Thailand's King Bhumibol on 13 October 2016. On February 6, 2017, she became the first British monarch to celebrate a sapphire jubilee.
The Queen is not about to abdicate, although Prince Charles is expected to take on more of her workload as Elizabeth, who celebrated her 90th birthday in 2016, has fewer public engagements.
The role of Queen Elizabeth II in public life
Since Elizabeth rarely gives interviews, little is known about her personal feelings. As a constitutional monarch, she did not express her own political views from a public platform. She does have a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and takes her coronation oath seriously. In addition to her official religious functions as the head of the Anglican Church, she is personally a member of this church, as well as the national church of Scotland. She has shown support for interfaith relations and has met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes: Pius XII, John XXIII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. She often displays a personal touch as she speaks of her faith in her annual Christmas address to the Commonwealth. In 2000, she spoke about the theological significance of the millennium, marking the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus:
"For many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me, the teachings of Christ and my personal responsibility to God represent some framework in accordance with which I try to live. Like many of you, I received great comfort in difficult times by listening to the word of God, and following the example of Christ."
She is a patron of over 600 organizations and charities. Her main interests are equestrianism and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Her cherished love for corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first Corgi her family had. From time to time, scenes of her laid-back family life got into the press. The Queen and her family sometimes cook meals together and then wash the dishes afterwards.
In the 1950s, as a young woman at the beginning of her reign, Elizabeth was portrayed as a glamorous "fairy queen". After the trauma of World War II came a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement, ushering in a "new Elizabethan era". 1990s, attempts were made to portray a more modern image of the monarchy in the television documentary The Royal Family, as well as by showing on television the formal introduction of Prince Charles to the office of Prince of Wales.In public, she usually wears mostly plain coats and decorative hats, make her stand out from the crowd.
Elizabeth II approval ratings
In 1977, people celebrated her silver jubilee with great enthusiasm, but in the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased as the personal and work lives of Elizabeth's children came under intense media scrutiny. Elizabeth's popularity sank to its lowest point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace was opened to the general public. Dissatisfaction with the monarchy peaked after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity and support for the monarchy recovered after she delivered a live speech to the world five days after Diana's death.
In November 1999, a referendum held in Australia on the future of the Australian monarchy decided to retain the monarchy, rather than choose a head of state through indirect elections. Opinion polls in the UK in 2006 and 2007 found strong support for Elizabeth, and in 2012, her Diamond Jubilee celebration, approval ratings reached 90 percent. In referendums in Tuvalu in 2008 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009, the proposal to become republics for these countries was rejected.
Media portrayals of the British Queen
Elizabeth has been portrayed in various media by many famous artists, including Pietro Annigoni, Peter Blake, Chinwe Chunkwuogo-Roy, Terence Kaneo, Lucian Freida, Damien Hirst, Juliet Punnett, and Tai-Shan Shirenberg. Famous photographers who captured Elizabeth include Cecil Beaton, Yusuf Karsh, Annie Leibovitz, Lord Lichfield, Terry O'Neill, John Swannell, and Dorothy Wilding. The first official portrait of Elizabeth was painted by Marcus Adams in 1926.
State of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth's personal fortune has been the subject of speculation over the years. Jock Colville, her former private secretary and director of her bank Coutts, estimated her net worth in 1971 at £2 million (equivalent to about £25 million today). In 1993, Buckingham Palace called estimates of £100 million "grossly exaggerated". She inherited an estate valued at £70 million from her mother in 2002. A wealthy list published by The Sunday Time in 2015 estimated her personal wealth at £340m. With such indicators, she is in 302nd place among the richest people in the UK.
The British Royal Collection, which includes thousands of historical works of art and jewelry from the British Royal Family, is not personally owned by the Queen, but is under her royal protection, as are her official residences such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Duchy of Lancaster. The property portfolio was valued in 2014 at £442 million. Sandringham Palace and Balmoral Castle are privately owned by the Queen. The property of the British crown - with land holdings of 9.4 billion pounds in 2014 - is under her protection and cannot be sold or acquired by Elizabeth in personal possession.
Titles of Elizabeth II
Titles and awards of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth holds many titles and honorary military posts throughout the Commonwealth. She is the sovereign of many orders in her own countries, and has received honors and awards from all over the world. In each of her kingdoms, she has a certain title, and it sounds the same: Queen of Jamaica and other kingdoms and territories in Jamaica, Queen of Australia and her other kingdoms and territories in Australia, etc. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are crown dependencies rather than separate realms, she is known as Duke of Normandy and Lord of Man, respectively. Additional titles name her Defender of the Faith and (Duke of) Lancaster. When talking to the queen, it is customary to first address her Your Majesty, and then, ma'am.
Coat of arms of Elizabeth II
From April 21, 1944, until her accession to the throne, Elizabeth's coat of arms consisted of a diamond, which depicted the coat of arms of Great Britain, the hallmark of which was a lambel with three silver ribbons. The central one featured a Tudor rose, while the first and third featured the cross of St. George. Upon her accession to the throne, she inherited her father's various coats of arms, which distinguished him as a sovereign. The Queen also owns the royal standards and personal flags for use in Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, and elsewhere.
