The longest stay on the British throne and other records of Queen Elizabeth II. See what “Elizabeth II” is in other dictionaries Coronation of Elizabeth II

In London in the family of the Duke and Duchess of York.

Queen Elizabeth usually celebrates her real birthday with her family, while the monarch's official birthday in the UK is celebrated in June with a colorful military parade in central London.
According to the tradition established at the beginning of the twentieth century by King Edward VII, the monarch's birthday is celebrated in Great Britain on one of the Saturdays in June, depending on the weather (the king chose this date because in June the weather cannot spoil the national holiday).

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, as the future queen was named at birth, is from the Windsor dynasty. She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, George VI (1895-1952), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002).

Elizabeth received a good education at home; in addition to regular school subjects, she was taught the basics of economics, law and constitutional law. The training program also included lessons in horse riding, dancing and music. Her mother introduced her to palace etiquette.
After the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, and her father's accession to the throne in December 1936, 10-year-old Elizabeth became heir to the British throne and moved with her parents from Kensington to Buckingham Palace.

Getting ready for political life, the future queen began taking classes in constitutional history at Eton College.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, they were evacuated to Windsor Palace.
During World War II, Elizabeth insisted that her parents allow her to enlist in the military. She mastered the profession of a driver at a military transport training center, receiving the qualification of a truck driver, learned how to change tires on a truck, disassemble and reassemble the engine.
In 1945, Elizabeth worked in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she ended the war with the rank of junior commander.

Elizabeth's close acquaintance with royal duties began in 1944, when she became a member of the Council of State and began to become involved in affairs, replacing George VI when he went on a tour of the fronts.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died of lung disease; Elizabeth, who was on vacation in Kenya at the time with her husband, was declared Queen of Great Britain on the same day.
However, the official coronation ceremony of Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London took place only a year later, on June 2, 1953.

Since that time, she has been Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is also the queen of 15 Commonwealth states (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. -Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica), Head of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Lord of the Isle of Man. From 29 May 1953 to 31 May 1961 she was also Queen of South Africa. In 1999, Australia put the queen's status to a referendum, but Australians chose to retain her nominal status as head of state.

On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her distant relative, who, like her, is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria - Prince Philip Mountbatten, the 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 Dortmouth naval school. Having become her husband, Philip received the title Duke of Edinburgh.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding - sixty years of marriage. For the sake of this occasion, the queen allowed herself a little liberty - for one day she and her husband retired for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young Princess Elizabeth visited him.

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 to the throne.

In 2006, Buckingham Palace published 80 interesting facts from the life of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, thanks to which it became known that the Queen is interested in photography and loves taking pictures of her family members. In 1997, the Queen launched the first ever website for the British monarchy.
Since her youth, Elizabeth II has been a fan of the noble hunting breed of corgi, several of which constantly accompany her on vacation. The Queen also developed a new breed of dog, the Dorgi.
The Queen's other passion is horses and racing. She herself is a good rider and watches the main competitions with interest every year, and also breeds horses in her stables.
The Queen speaks French fluently and during visits and audiences with representatives of Francophone countries she does not need an interpreter.

Elizabeth is the oldest monarch in British history by age, but she still only holds the record for the longest reign set by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months. To do this, she needs to remain on the throne at least until September 9, 2015.

In 2012, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the famous Big Ben clock tower at the Houses of Parliament in London was officially unveiled.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

On the night of February 5-6, 1952, King George VI of England died. The heir to the throne was his eldest daughter Elizabeth. It was she who automatically became Queen Elizabeth II of England on February 6, 1952. But in order to officially accept power and all its attributes, the young woman had to go through a procedure such as coronation. This is a kind of wedding with state power, a ritual that God himself blesses.

The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953, that is, almost a year and a half after her accession to the throne. The ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey. This is a Gothic church that was the traditional coronation and burial site of English monarchs. With the queen's consent, the ceremony was filmed on television. Therefore, it was seen by more than 100 million people in the UK, Europe and North America.

It must be said that not all Englishmen were enthusiastic about the information about the coronation. Only 8 years had passed since the war, and the ceremony was a very expensive event. It was necessary to decorate the city, the palace, the abbey, and replace the old monograms with new ones. And monograms with the initials of the former king were on all mailboxes in the country, on administrative buildings and uniforms.

Therefore, it was explained to those who doubted that the income from the sale of souvenirs would offset the costs. Seats will also be provided along the route of the carriage with the queen, and they will be rented out for money. Such a prudent approach brought a sense of calm into the hearts of the stingy British. People realized that the coronation would not affect the budget in any way and would even replenish it.

The organizer of the coronation of Elizabeth II was the Duke of Norfolk. This was not an arbitrary choice. The Dukes of Norfolk have been responsible for organizing all royal ceremonies since the 16th century. That is, they had this right by blood. And so it never occurred to anyone to change anything. Before the ceremony, a rehearsal took place, in which all the main characters took part. Only the queen was absent: her role was played by one of the duchesses.

At 10:15 a.m. on June 2, 1953, a gilded carriage left Buckingham Palace, in which 27-year-old Elizabeth sat with her husband, Prince Philip. By this time, at least 2 million people had gathered on the streets of London. Everyone wanted to join the historical event, and therefore crowds of people filled the 4-kilometer path from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey.

Before Elizabeth's arrival, all the guests had already gathered in the royal gallery of the abbey. In total, there were 7.5 thousand people invited. Each of them was assigned their own place, according to their status. And therefore, the invitees were assigned to places within a few hours. Among the invitees was the USSR Ambassador to Great Britain Yakov Aleksandrovich Malik.

But there was no representative of the Catholic Church at the ceremony. The papal legate arrived in London, but remained outside Westminster Abbey, since, according to established rules, he could not attend the service Church of England.

When the Queen entered the Coronation Hall, she was greeted by a choir singing prayers of praise in Latin. This is an ancient tradition, which dates back 9 centuries, and began in the era of William the Conqueror. The coronation of Elizabeth II itself also consisted of ancient ceremonies of the same times, and there were 6 of them in total.

First ceremony – confession. The Queen turned to four sides in turn, and everyone present loudly announced that they recognized her.

Second ceremony – oath. The Queen has sworn to rule the country and territories of which she is mistress in accordance with their laws and customs.

Third ceremony – religious rite(confirmation). This ceremony was held under a canopy. A few drops of oil, which is considered sacred, were dripped onto the queen.

Fourth ceremony – investiture. Elizabeth received all the symbols of royal power, and a crown was placed on her head.

Fifth ceremony – oath of allegiance. The main peers of the kingdom approached Elizabeth in turn and swore allegiance to her.

Sixth ceremony – solemn procession and return to Buckingham Palace. The way back did not follow the same road that the queen took to the coronation. It was 8 km as opposed to the original 4 km.

During the oath of office, the Bible was presented to the Queen not by a representative of the Church of England, but by Reverend Pete Watson, a representative of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. He was chosen to calm certain unrest in Scotland. And the cause of the unrest was the royal throne, which had been used for coronations for as long as 700 years.

Below the throne lay the stone of fate in a wooden frame. At the end of the 13th century, the British took this sacred relic from Scotland, causing a terrible insult to the local residents. He was in England until 1950, and then mysteriously disappeared. A few months later it turned out that he had been kidnapped by young Scottish patriots. After negotiations, the British managed to return the stone back, but only for the period of the coronation of Elizabeth II.

A few days before the ceremony, the Queen made Winston Churchill a Knight of the Order of the Garter. This is the highest order of chivalry in Great Britain, and it is also one of the oldest orders in the world. Therefore, at the coronation, Churchill wore appropriate attire.

The crown placed on Elizabeth's head weighed 2 kg 200 g. During the solemn procession, Her Majesty changed the crown to a lighter one, which weighed 900 g.

Television footage of the coronation of Elizabeth II was broadcast in 5 countries: England, France, West Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In 1953 they were of mediocre quality, but attracted millions of viewers. 11 hours after the end of the ceremony, copies of the filmed television material were delivered to Canada and the United States. About 80 million television viewers watched them overseas.

During the solemn procession, all the guests of honor walked in front of the queen. Moreover, people who had more high status, and far ahead are the guests with the lowest status. Winston Churchill walked at the end of the procession. In front of him were the prime ministers of Australia and Canada. During the celebrations, Churchill was very tired, and a few days later he had a stroke.

Coronation of Elizabeth II, illuminated by all views mass media, significantly raised the image of both the queen herself and the British monarchy. Tens of millions of people took part in the solemn ceremony with their own eyes, felt its spirit, and were imbued with the significance of the moment. But it was based on the thousand-year history of the island state, which until recently was considered the most powerful in the world.

The modern Queen of England Elizabeth 2, whose biography is a description of the life of a person who witnessed the most different eras, has been on the throne since 1952. Her reign is the longest in British history.

Family and childhood

On April 21, 1926, the future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 was born. It is difficult to imagine the biography of a member of the ruling dynasty without her pedigree. The girl was the daughter of the duke and his wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. The child's father was the son of King George V.

When the monarch died in 1936, the throne was inherited by his eldest son, Edward VIII (Elizabeth's uncle). However, he ruled for only a few months. According to the laws of the state, he had to marry a person equal to him in belonging to an aristocratic family. However, the king chose to tie the knot with a divorced woman from a non-royal circle - Bessie Simpson. It was the fact that she had already been married twice that outraged the government, which invited Edward to abdicate the throne. He really renounced power, and the throne unexpectedly passed to his younger brother, who took the crown name

This castling made ten-year-old Elizabeth heir to the world's largest British Empire. If George had had a boy, the title would have passed to him, but this did not happen. The future Queen Elizabeth 2 was in the center of public attention as a child as a representative of the new generation of the ruling Windsor dynasty.

Heir to the throne

The early biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England was consistent with her status as Princess of York. She lived with her parents in Kensington. One of her main hobbies since childhood was horse riding. The queen was faithful to this hobby throughout her youth. At the same time, the girl was taught a full range of sciences. Wide-scale knowledge was mandatory attribute for members of the Windsor dynasty, since they personified the best that the monarchy could give to the state. Particular emphasis in Elizabeth's education was placed on the humanities: religious studies, jurisprudence and art history. The child showed remarkable interest in French, which was encouraged by teachers.

The biography of Elizabeth 2 took a sharp turn when she became the heir of her father, the king. She and her parents moved to Buckingham Palace. Three years later the Second began World War, and the carefree life ended with the first salvos of German guns on the continent.

Great Britain supported Poland and, together with its main ally France, declared war on the Third Reich. Despite the fact that the main political decisions were made by the government and parliament, it became an important symbol of the unity of the nation in the face of the growing Nazi threat. As a child, Elizabeth 2 faced completely unchildish dangers and experiences that all her peers had to endure.

During the Second World War

Despite the fact that Hitler never decided to send ground troops to the British Isles, his aircraft carried out regular bombings of English cities. The raids were especially persistent and frequent in the first years of the war, when the Wehrmacht victoriously occupied almost all of Europe. Elizabeth's father regularly visited the troops. Already in 1940, the heiress first spoke to her compatriots with public speech, addressed to the children of the country.

The future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 grew up in such an atmosphere. The biography of the child became an indicative cast of the era. In 1943, she visited the troops for the first time, visiting a grenadier regiment. A few months before Germany's surrender, Elizabeth joined the army and became a mechanic-driver of an auxiliary ambulance in a women's self-defense unit. The princess received the rank of lieutenant, and since today she is the current monarch, her military rank remains valid. This means that Elizabeth is the last non-retired World War II veteran in the entire world.

Wedding with Philip

With the advent of peace, the future Queen of England Elizabeth 2 also returned to her standard duties. The biography of the princess in 1947 was marked by her wedding to Philip Mountbatten.

In the first half of the 20th century, all the ruling European dynasties were closely intertwined. Philip was the grandson of the Greek King George I, as well as a member of the Danish royal family and a descendant of the British Queen Victoria. The newlyweds met as children in the 30s. After his marriage, Philip received the honorary title of Duke of Edinburgh. Despite the fact that he was born back in 1921, he is still in good health and regularly fulfills his dynastic duties. It is interesting that the Queen’s husband did not accept the title of Prince Consort, which was customary for his position, and remained Duke of Edinburgh.

Philip and Elizabeth had four offspring: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. All of them today have children and grandchildren, who, in turn, make up a vast royal family Great Britain. Charles, as the eldest son, became his mother's heir in 1952, when she took the royal throne, and remains so to this day.

Coronation

Queen Elizabeth 2 came to the throne under unusual circumstances. In 1952, she and her husband went to Kenya, then a British colony, on vacation. It was in this exotic country that the heir to the throne received the sad news of the death of her father George V, who ruled the country for sixteen years.

It took several months to organize the coronation, which would symbolize the beginning of the reign of the new monarch. The ceremony was held in its traditional place - Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth 2 became the new queen. When the young 25-year-old ruler ascended the throne, the eyes of the whole world were turned in her direction in the literal sense of the word, because it was then for the first time at such an event that cameras were used to broadcast the event.

First years of reign

The British Queen Elizabeth 2 traveled a lot in her youth. She did not abandon this habit from the first days of her reign. With her accession to the throne, the ruler visited the countries that were part of the Commonwealth of British Colonies. In the 50s and 60s, the process of granting independence to these states, located in all parts of the world, began. Most of them were in Africa. In addition, for the first time in history, a British monarch visited Australia and New Zealand. This person turned out to be Queen Elizabeth 2. The ruler’s fascinating biography was superimposed on her unique status, which attracted the attention of the whole world to her person.

The queen did not forget about internal affairs in her homeland. She regularly met with parliamentary representatives and discussed the agenda. In 1957, the first political crisis broke out in the ruling party during its time on the throne. Back then they were conservatives. Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned. Since the party did not have established mechanisms for electing its leader, the queen had to take responsibility into her own hands.

In her first steps in power, Elizabeth often consulted with the legendary Winston Churchill. After consultations with the venerable politician, it was decided to propose the candidacy of Harold Macmillan, which was accepted. He became the 65th Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1957 to 1964.

Relations with the Commonwealth of Nations

Even in her youth, it became clear that the future fate of Queen Elizabeth 2 would be connected only with serving her native country. She became a ruler in an era when in other countries the power of monarchs was either swept away by revolutions or became only a decorative appendage.

In Great Britain the situation was different. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were several empires that were somewhat similar to its state structure. For example, Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary. In all these countries, monarchical institutions of power were dismantled after bloody wars. Great Britain avoided this.

However, after the Second World War it was clear that the imperial consciousness would have to be abandoned. Even under Elizabeth's father George VI, India, the jewel of the British crown, gained independence. Now the young ruler had to consistently abandon the remaining remnants of the past imperial era.

The most important tool for realizing this goal was British diplomacy did everything to establish friendly relations with its former colonies, while giving them a platform for conversation on equal terms. There were especially many problems in the African region, where revolutions and civil wars began after the departure of the British authorities.

Traditionally, Elizabeth devoted a lot of time to her country's relations with Canada. Until 1982, the British government had some say in domestic decision-making. After the reforms, such a system became a thing of the past, which was another step towards abandoning the previous British policy of interference in the affairs of its own. former colonies. However, Elizabeth remains the nominal Queen of Canada today. In 1976, she, as a monarch, opened Olympic Games, held in Montreal. Many years later she will take part in the same ceremony in London. The opening of that Olympics took place in 2012.

As for the current state of the Commonwealth of Nations, Elizabeth remains the head of this system today, although all organizational issues can be resolved without her participation, while the queen is a symbolic figure.

Tragedies of the Royal Family

Over the years, the personal life of the royal family, of which Elizabeth is the head, has become surrounded by more and more unpleasant and shocking news. In 1979, terrorists from the Irish Republican Army Prince Philip's uncle Louis Mountbatten was killed. He was not only a close relative of the Queen, but was also an important statesman under George VI, in particular, he was the last Viceroy of India.

Mountbatten was on his yacht when a radio-controlled bomb planted by terrorists exploded on it. Several of his relatives and an Irish boy who worked on the ship died along with him. On the same day, the radicals' massacre was complemented by their organized attack on British soldiers, which killed 18 people.

A couple of years after this terrible tragedy, the heir to the throne, Elizabeth's son Charles, married Diana Spencer. The Princess of Wales enjoyed great popularity among the people due to her charitable and social activities.

The couple had two children - William and Harry. The eldest son is the next contender for the royal title after his father. However, the family life of Charles and Diana still failed. They had a difficult relationship. In the early 90s, the prince began dating another woman. This state of affairs was unacceptable for Elizabeth, who believed that the couple’s complicated personal life cast a shadow over the entire royal family. On her initiative, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. This gave rise to a huge social scandal.

Before the passions had time to subside, in 1997 the UK was shocked by the shocking news of Diana's death in a car accident in Paris. A few years after this event, Prince Charles married his longtime girlfriend for the second time. The wedding took place in 2005, when his children from his first marriage had already grown up and lived independent lives.

80s

Despite the scandals and tragedies that rocked Buckingham Palace from time to time, Elizabeth successfully carried out her royal duties for several decades. The British monarch, by tradition, was also the head of the Anglican Church, which was formed during the Reformation in the 16th century.

In the old days, there was a long conflict smoldering between Catholics and Protestants. IN new era The time has come for a historic reconciliatory meeting of the heads of the two churches - the Pope and the British Queen. John Paul arrived in London in 1982. He was met by the Queen of England herself. Photos of these people spread all over the world.

At the same time, a conflict broke out between Great Britain and Argentina. The Queen did not make any formal decisions related to tactics and strategy. However, this conflict could not pass her by. Elizabeth's youngest son, Andrew, served in the British Army during this conflict and was a member of the helicopter crew.

The war began due to the uncertainty of the ownership of the Falkland Islands, located off the coast of Argentina. After almost three months of naval battles, Great Britain was victorious and retained the archipelago.

Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher

While Elizabeth made no decisions related to the war, the burden fell on the shoulders of another influential British woman, Margaret Thatcher. She was the country's leader and prime minister from 1981-1990. For her tough character and determination, the politician received the nickname “Iron Lady.” Thus, in the 80s, a female tandem was formed, which was at the head of the British state.

According to laws and traditions, the head of government held a working meeting every week, which was attended by Elizabeth 2. The Queen of Great Britain and her dynasty maintained close relations with Thatcher. From time to time, rumors spread throughout the country that fundamental differences had arisen between the Prime Minister and the monarch in internal and foreign policy. These conversations were actively circulated by the press. Despite this, Thatcher herself and Elizabeth’s official representatives each time refuted such judgments.

At the same time, in the 80s, British society was not experiencing the most simpler times. This was primarily due to the tense social situation. Due to the policies of austerity, privatization and monetarism, of which Thatcher was an adherent, the country was wandering on the brink of an economic crisis. Such measures were necessary for government reforms. The Queen, due to her status, usually found herself on the sidelines from the wave of public criticism.

Diamond Jubilee of the reign

In 2012, the Diamond Jubilee of the reign came (60 years), which was celebrated by the Queen of England. Photos of the country's celebrations made it onto the front pages of newspapers around the world. Elizabeth became the second after Queen Victoria to live to see this significant date.

The climax of the holiday was a parade of several hundred ships descending the Thames in London. According to statistics, this is the largest water procession in history. On June 4, a ceremony took place near the walls of Buckingham Palace. musical concert. The Queen was personally congratulated by such legendary British performers as Paul McCartney, Elton John and others.

A year before, the biography of Elizabeth 2 and the entire royal family was marked by another joyful event. The ruler's eldest grandson and heir, William, got married. His wife was Catherine Middleton. In 2013, Elizabeth became a great-grandmother for the third time. William had a son and heir to the throne, George.

Modern status of the queen

The eventful biography of Queen Elizabeth 2 of England is an example of the life of a monarch who, over the years, increasingly renounced his former privileges and became a state figure performing representative functions. Today, the ruler continues to follow the traditions of her tenure on the throne. Once a year she organizes a speech before parliament.

The Queen also regularly meets ambassadors and diplomatic delegations. In previous years, she often traveled to various parts of the planet, but with age, the intensity of travel decreased. However, most recently, in 2011, Elizabeth went to Ireland. It was a historic visit. Great Britain and its western neighbor have been in conflict for centuries. In the 20th century, the Irish struggle for independence (including in Northern Ireland) took the form of terrorist attacks, which Elizabeth 2 herself witnessed. England, however, overcame this crisis and improved relations with Dublin.

Over the decades on the throne, the ruler has acquired her own style in dealing with parliament. As a rule, she tries to stay away from political fights between parties and supporters of different programs.

But it was the cold-blooded and unapproachable queen who had to accept important decisions when crises occurred in parliament. For example, this happened in 1957 and 1963. In both cases, the prime minister resigned, and the ruling party could not decide on a successor. Then the queen herself chose the speaker of parliament. Each time this helped defuse the situation in Downing Street.

Today in Great Britain, every resident of the country knows about everything that Queen Elizabeth 2 of England is connected with. Biography, full name and other facts from her life are well known to everyone. She succeeded, despite the fickleness modern era, preserve the authority of the monarchy.

Name:
Full name: Elizabeth Alexandra Maria
Born: 21 April 1926, 17 Bruton Street
Parents: George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
House: Windsor
Enthroned: February 6, 1952 at the age of 25
Crowned: June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey.
Husband: Philip Mountbatten.
Children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward

Princess Elizabeth Alexandria Mary was born in London on April 21, 1926; she was educated privately and took on official duties at age 16. During the Second World War she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and by an amendment to the Regency Act she became a Councilor of State on her 18th birthday.

After the death of George VI in 1952, she ascended the throne, while she was crowned only 18 months later on June 2, 1953.

The reign of Queen Elizabeth II since 1952 has led to a period of rapid and sometimes turbulent change. Britain's position in the world, its economy and the very shape and structures of society were transformed, and many traditional institutions suffered in the process. Through it all, the Crown's path has been marked by the Queen herself, in a long-lasting display of unwavering dedication and quiet pragmatism that met a national need and won her the respect and love of her people.

As the hereditary head of state for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and head of the Commonwealth, she has symbolic and formal functions and responsibilities, but no direct powers. She is the embodiment of national identity and continuity.

Supported by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, to whom she has been married since November 20, 1947, the Queen is the head of a large family.

In 2012, she opened the London Olympics and celebrated her Diamond Jubilee of 60 years on the throne. Discussion over the future of the monarchy continues, but the Royal Family has shown a willingness to embrace evolutionary changes, including the Queen's decision to pay taxes, changes to the Civil List, and the opening of Buckingham palace to the public to help fund the restoration of Windsor Castle.

On 10 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-serving British monarch, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

In 1940, 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth was a guest on the Children's Hour radio program. She contacted Best wishes to children evacuated from Britain to the USA, Canada and other countries during the worst times of the Second World War for Britain. This is the very first recording of the future queen in the BBC archives.
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her fourth cousin, Prince Philip of Greece, in Westminster Abbey.
In 1977, the Queen celebrated her 25th anniversary on the throne with a large-scale tour of Britain - she visited 36 counties in 10 weeks. She also traveled around the world, covering a total of 56 thousand miles (more than 90 thousand kilometers).

Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948. For several years the couple enjoyed a relatively ordinary life. In 1950, Charles's sister Anna was born.

Elizabeth and Philip lived with their children at Clarence House in London. Her father was terminally ill with lung cancer. In January 1952, while on a visit to Kenya, Elizabeth learned of the king's death. Already queen, she immediately returned to London.

“It’s all about training: you can do a lot if you’re trained properly.” Queen Elizabeth II

"Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentrics, impetuous and wayward young men and family discord." – Queen Elizabeth II:

“I cannot lead you into battle. I give you no laws and I do not administer justice, but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations." – Queen Elizabeth II.

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On June 2, 1953, the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II took place in London. This event became one of the most spectacular in the history of Britain of the 20th century - for the first time such a large-scale event was broadcast on television.

On that day, many well-wishers gathered in London to see with their own eyes the festive procession and greet the young Elizabeth, and millions of Britons froze in front of their televisions and radios, trying not to miss a single detail of the broadcast. The coronation of Elizabeth II became a real holiday for the whole country, the first grandiose event after the difficult post-war years.

The coronation took place almost a year and a half after Elizabeth was proclaimed queen. Her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952. The magnificent coronation ceremony took place only 16 months later, at the end of a period of national mourning and after careful preparation for a large-scale event. According to centuries-old tradition, the ceremony took place in Westminster Abbey.

In the harsh post-war period, the coronation of Elizabeth II was supposed to be a memorable event for the people, a symbol of hope for a bright future. The difficult task of organizing the celebration fell on the shoulders of the chief ceremonies, the Duke of Norfolk, who coped with it brilliantly. Every detail mattered and was carefully worked out and rehearsed.

Despite the difficult financial situation in which Britain found itself after the war, about one and a half million pounds sterling (almost 36 million pounds in today's equivalent) were allocated from the state treasury for the festive decoration of the streets of London. On the Mall, leading from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace, four giant steel frames were erected, with flowers and flags everywhere.

The coronation outfit was created by the royal family's favorite fashion designer, Norman Hartnell. The white satin dress featured hand-embroidered flowers and plants representing the national emblems of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, including the English rose, Scottish thistle, Irish clover, Canadian maple leaf and other symbols.

Despite the rain and unusually cold weather for June (about +12 degrees), the streets of London were packed to capacity with people who dreamed of seeing the festive procession. According to approximate data, about 3 million Britons gathered in the capital, arriving from different parts of the country on the eve of the coronation. 8,200 guests of honor were invited to Westminster Abbey and became direct witnesses of the historical moment. Among the guests was four-year-old Prince Charles.

The ceremonial events took place strictly according to plan. On the morning of June 2, 1953, Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh traveled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a Golden State Coach drawn by eight gray horses. The solemn service in the abbey was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual head of the Anglican Church.

26-year-old Elizabeth uttered the words of a sacred oath, was anointed on the throne and crowned according to an ancient tradition dating back to the Anglo-Saxon king Edgar. She became the 39th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The coronation service lasted almost 3 hours, and after it ended, the festive procession with the queen, her husband and almost 16 thousand other participants proceeded through the streets of London.

Witnesses historical event became not only those who came to London. Some 27 million people watched the television broadcast and another 11 million listened to the radio coverage. A real sensation was the fact that filming was carried out not only on the streets, but also inside Westminster Abbey, and this made it possible to capture the moment of the coronation. The young queen herself insisted on the telecast, despite the fact that Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother were categorically against it.

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