London: Britain’s longest-reigning Queen Elizabeth II breathed her last at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday. Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London, the Queen was the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York – who would later become King George VI – and Queen Elizabeth. At that time Princess Elizabeth and her family did not expect that she would one day become monarch.
Then Princess Elizabeth and her only sister, Princess Margaret, born in 1930, were educated at home under the care of their mother and her governess, Marion Crawford. From childhood, Elizabeth showed a sense of responsibility and order. She loved horses and dogs. The Queen’s cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as “a cheerful little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-mannered” for her attitude. His Royal Highness was expected to lead a relatively normal life with his close and loving family.
She was living a perfect life, but everything changed in December 1936 when her uncle – King Edward VIII – deposed her father as king, leaving him as the next in line to the throne.
Later, Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died.
In 1939, when Britain entered World War II, Elizabeth opted to stay in England and join the military instead of going to Canada. During her training as a driver and mechanic, she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service when she was still a teenager.
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14-year-old Elizabeth addressed other children evacuated from the cities in 1940.
“We are doing everything we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are also trying to bear our share of the danger and misery of war. We know, each and every one of us ‘That’s the end, all will be well,'” she said.
While still a teenager, Elizabeth fell in love with Philip Mountbatten, Prince of Greece and Denmark, whom she met in 1939. In November 1947, at the age of 21, Elizabeth married Prince Philip, who served as a young officer in the Royal Navy. , The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom.
The couple had four children, Prince Charles, born in 1948, Princess Anne (1950), Prince Andrew (1960) and Prince Edward (1964).
Elizabeth’s normal life suddenly changed when in 1952, her father, King George VI, died of cancer and as a result Elizabeth ascended the throne with immediate effect. His coronation took place in 1953, after which he served as the head of the Commonwealth for seven decades. On her twenty-first birthday, in a radio speech from Cape Town, The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) dedicated her life to serving the Commonwealth.
“I declare before all of you that my whole life, whether long or short, will be devoted to your service,” she said.
The queen then made hundreds of foreign trips during her reign and became the most widely traveled head of several independent kingdoms. In 1953, the Queen and her husband embarked on a seven-month world tour. The couple visited 13 countries and covered more than 40,000 miles by land, sea and air. She became the first ruler of Australia and New Zealand to visit those countries.
He visited the United States in 1957, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth. In 1961, he visited Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Iran.
In 1961 he made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years. The Queen visited Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Iran and became the first British monarch to visit South America (in 1968) and the countries of the Persian Gulf (in 1979). The Queen’s reign saw some of the greatest changes in many areas, including technological and industrial development and economic and social life around the world.
In 1977, Elizabeth marked the silver jubilee of her accession. In 2002, he marked his golden jubilee, the 50th anniversary of his accession.
In 2012, the Queen completed 60 years of accession to the throne, and ceremonies were held throughout her reign.
Last year, in April 2021, Prince Philip died after 73 years of marriage, making Elizabeth the first British monarch since Queen Victoria to reign as a widow or widower.
Elizabeth became the longest-serving British monarch in December 2007, and on 9 September 2015 the longest-reigning British monarch in the world and the longest-reigning queen and female head of state.
In 2017, she became the first British monarch to celebrate Sapphire Jayanti. She was Queen of the United Kingdom from 6 February 1952 until her death on Thursday. This year, the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, commemorating 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the region and the Commonwealth was held.
Millions of participants took part in the four-day-long royal ceremony as the Queen turned 96. Her Majesty’s extraordinary life and reign, from a young girl who did not expect to become queen, to a distinguished and iconic figure who has ruled for more than 70 years, came to an end on Thursday.
The royal family said in a statement that Elizabeth II passed away peacefully at Balmoral Palace at the age of 96. Britain’s longest-reigning monarch was placed under medical supervision on Thursday after his condition worsened.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement declaring Prince Charles of Wales as King.
“The death of my dear Mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of greatest sorrow for me and all members of my family. We deeply mourn the passing of a cherished sovereign and a very dear mother. I know her loss will be Deeply felt by countless peoples across countries, realms and Commonwealth and around the world,” the statement said.