Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21 1926, in London, England. Her father was Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VII) & Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She had a younger sister named, Margaret. When she was born it wasn't expected Elizabeth would inherit the throne, as her father was a younger son of King Edward VII. So for the first 10 years of her life, she got to enjoy all the privileges of being a royal without the pressure of being a direct heir. Elizabeth's parents divided their time between their home in London & the Royal Lodge, the family home on the family estate, Windsor Great Park. Elizabeth & her sister, Margaret were educated by tutors at home, who gave them lessons in French, mathematics, history & art. They also received singing & dancing lessons.
After the outbreak of WWII in 1939, Elizabeth & Margaret, rarely travelled to London, having relocated to the safety of Windsor Castle. It was there she made the first of her famous radio broadcasts in 1940; in her speech she reassured the children of Britain who'd been evacuated from their homes & separated from their families. Around the same time, the young princess began taking up other royal duties; she was appointed colonel-in-chief of the Grenadier Guards by her father & made her first appearance of inspecting the troops, in 1942. She also began accompanying her parents on official visits around the UK. In 1945, Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service to help with the war effort. She trained alongside other British women to be a driver & expert mechanic. While her work only lasted a few months, it gave the princess a window into the non-royal world. She had a similar experience when she was allowed to anonymously mingle with her sister with the celebrating crowds on Victory in Europe Day on May 8, 1945.
When Elizabeth's grandfather, George V died in 1936, his eldest son & Elizabeth's uncle became King Edward VIII. However, the newly crowned king fell in love with the American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Edward soon abdicated the throne so he could marry the woman he loved. This would forever change the course of Elizabeth's life, making her the heir apparent to the British throne. Her father was crowned King George VI in 1937, but he died suddenly 15 years later, in 1952. Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at the age of 25. But she had already taken on her duties as a ruling monarch when her father died the previous year. The coronation at Westminster Abbey, was the first time the British monarchy allowed for the ceremony to televised.
Elizabeth married her distant cousin, Phillip Mountbatten, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece on November 20, 1947, also at Westminster Abbey. They'd first met when she was only 13 & kept in touch over the years, before eventually falling in love. Some regarded them as a mismatched pair as Elizabeth was quiet & reserved while Phillip was vivacious & outspoken. Her father had reservations about the match, as his family didn't have any great wealth, despite having ties to both the Greek & Danish monarchies & some considered his personality somewhat unrefined. When they got married, Britain was still recovering from WWII & Elizabeth had to collect coupons to get fabric for her gown. The family took on the name Windsor with the urging of the Queen Mother & Prime Minister Winston Churchill, which didn't sit well with Phillip. In 1960, Elizabeth reversed the decision, declaring that any of her descendants who didn't hold royal titles or who needed last names for legal purposes could use the name Mountbatten-Windsor. Throughout his life, Phillip stirred up many controversies with his offhanded comments & possible affairs.
Elizabeth gave birth to their first child & heir, Charles, in 1948, a year after their marriage. They had 3 other children, Anne born in 1950, Andrew born in 1960 & Edward born in 1964. In 1969, Elizabeth officially made Charles her heir by granting him the title of Prince of Wales, with millions tuning into watch the televised ceremony. When Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981, when he was 32 & she was 19, the public opinion of the monarchy was at a new height. Although some have speculated since that he was pressured into the marriage by his family. Between her 4 children she has 8 grandchildren & 10 great-grandchildren.
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Women who Ruled
Non-FictionThese women were rare examples of women holding power in a male-dominated world. Many went on to became beacons of hope, strength and perserverance to their respective peoples. They are remembered for their beauty, intelligence, bravery and unwaveri...
