The longest reigning monarch in history saw the world split in two during the Cold War – GAZ
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, died “peacefully” at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday, 8 p.m. In the morning, in a short press release, the palace reported that the doctors were concerned about Elizabeth’s health and placed her under observation. Members of the Queen’s family traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where she spent the summer.
The eldest son and heir of the monarch, Prince Charles has been considered king since his death. Charles is at Balmoral and will return to London on Friday the 9th. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort.
READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth II died at 96
Queen Elizabeth’s health was already impaired. In October of last year, the holder of the British throne spent the night in hospital due to medical examinations that were never detailed. In the following months, she reduced her public agenda and at several events in which she participated, she showed difficulty in moving and walked with the help of a cane. In February of this year, the monarch contracted the coronavirus, and later said that she was “very tired and exhausted.”
During her seven decades on the throne, Elizabeth II dealt with the loss of influence of the former British Empire alongside 15 prime ministers – from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss. He also saw how the world split in two during the Cold War, how computers dominated the daily lives of the world’s population, and how the new century dawned with the threat of terrorism. All this enjoys enduring popularity, with shocks only in very occasional events.
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queen by chance
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21, 1926 in London. The eldest daughter of Albert of York, the future King George VI, and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, from whom she inherited her name, her closest relatives called her Lilibet. The only sister, Princess Margaret, was four years younger. Both were raised by their mother and governess, Marion Crawford, who described in the book the sense of order and responsibility that Elizabeth displayed from early childhood.
No one expected that one day Elizabeth would become Queen of the United Kingdom and the other 54 independent countries that make up the British Commonwealth of Nations. When she was born, she was third in line to the throne, behind her uncle, Edward VIII, and her father. Edward, however, abdicated the throne in favor of George, the same year he was crowned, to marry commoner Wallis Simpson, an American spinster, causing a national uproar and bringing Elizabeth closer to the throne.
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During World War II, Elizabeth stayed with her parents at Windsor Castle after her mother refused to allow her daughters to seek refuge in Canada. In 1940, at the age of 14, Princess Elizabeth gave her first radio speech, addressing children who had been evacuated from the cities and reassuring families. This was the starting point for a series of public appearances until, in 1947, the princess took part in the first international trip together with her parents to South Africa.
By this time, Elizabeth had already announced her engagement to Prince Philip, a third cousin whom she had met in 1934. Despite being only 13 years old, Elizabeth stated that she fell in love with Philip in 1939, and they began corresponding via cards. . The engagement caused controversy due to Philip’s lack of financial resources and the fact that the sisters married German officers with Nazi connections. Also, many said that the prince is without a kingdom. Just before the wedding, however, he was named Duke of Edinburgh.
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Philip and Elizabeth were married on 20 November 1947 in Westminster Chapel. The following year, also in November, the couple’s first child, Prince Charles, was born, and in 1950, Princess Anne was born. The couple had two more children, Andrew and Edward. Philip died last year at the age of 99. In 1951, King George VI’s health began to deteriorate and Elizabeth was often seen at public events in her father’s place. Elizabeth and Philip were in Kenya when they learned of the king’s death on February 6, 1952. The coronation of the new queen took place in June of the following year, also in Westminster Chapel, and was televised.
Rule
Until her coronation, Elizabeth witnessed the transformation of the British Empire into the British Commonwealth of Nations. When his reign began in 1952, the role of leader of a group of independent countries was already established. In November 1956, Britain and France invaded Egypt in an unsuccessful attempt to take control of the Suez Canal. The British Prime Minister at the time, Anthony Eden, denied that the Queen had opposed the attack, and resigned two months later. The Suez crisis and the appointment of Harold Macmillan to succeed Eden led to the first strong criticism of Elizabeth’s reign.
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During the 1981 ceremony and just six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, six shots were fired in the Queen’s direction as she paraded on horseback. The attacker, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant, was sentenced to five years in prison and was released after three. The Queen’s composure and skill in handling the case were praised around the world.
In 1991, after the victory in the Gulf War, Queen Elizabeth was the first British monarch to address a joint session of the US Congress. The following year, amid sharp criticism, the Queen said every institution was at the mercy of criticism, but suggested it should be done with “a touch of humour, kindness and understanding”.
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During her reign, Elizabeth gave few interviews and was not known for expressing her opinions publicly. A strong sense of civic and religious duty, along with the seriousness he always displayed during his reign, ensured his popularity, as evidenced by the silver, golden and diamond jubilee celebrations. Nevertheless, from time to time the queen faced criticism related mainly to the personal life of her children.
Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth
In 1981, Charles married the young Princess Diana Spencer, who inhabited the popular imagination as the protagonist of a modern fairy tale. The couple soon had two children – William and Harry – but successive episodes of infidelity culminated in their divorce in 1992, one of the biggest media events of the decade. By the way, Elizabeth would define that year as “annus horribilis“. In addition to the divorce from Charles, the media published details of the romance between the prince and Camilla Parker-Bowles, who was also married. To make matters worse, Prince Andrew also split from his wife.
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Elizabeth’s image in the public eye would experience one of the biggest declines a few years later. In 1997, when Britain and the world were rocked by Diana’s tragic death, Elizabeth was accused of being callous in her response to the event. On the day of the accident, the monarch was with her family at the summer residence and decided not to return to London immediately, which is why the British tabloid The Sun announced on the cover: “Where is our Queen?”. Faced with pressure, Elizabeth returned to the British capital with her grandchildren and, in an unprecedented move, made a statement on national television. “There are lessons to be learned from his life and from the extraordinary and moving response to his death,” he said.
Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee
With meticulous public relations, Elizabeth regained popularity and celebrated a series of milestones in her reign. This year he celebrated 70 years on the British throne, a date known as the Platinum Jubilee and celebrated with a party in the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth. It was a national holiday and various festivities took over the streets.
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