Elizabeth II

Born 1926. Daughter and successor of George VI, niece of Edward VIII. Queen of the United Kingdom, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. Reign: 1952 - present.

Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on 21 April 1926 in London.

On 20 November 1947, at the age of 21 she married Prince Philip of Greece (naval officer and son of Prince Andrew of Greece) and thus ensured the stability of the monarchy. Elizabeth gave birth to Charles (Prince of Wales) in 1948, Anne (Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise) in 1950, Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.

First Public Intervention

In 1939 after the outbreak of war she fulfilled her first political and constitutional obligations as launching a battleship HMS Vanguard in 1944, joining the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) in 1945. She became junior officer, Second Lieutenant Elizabeth Windsor, in March 1945.

Reign

Elizabeth II called to the throne on 6 February 1952, and thus, she supersedes her father King George VI (held office from 11 Dec 1936 to 6 Feb 1952) who died of a blood-clod. Her coronation took place on 2 June 1953 in Westminster Abbey. Henceforth, she was entitled: “Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.” (Fraser 1975, 350) Being in office, ‘the euphoria of welcoming’ the new Queen dropped and criticism was uttered as the country still suffered from post-war after-effects, among others the near bankruptcy and its slow economic recovery or food rationing. Besides, debates were raised by modernizers and traditionalists on the issue of royal activities while perceiving the royal family as remote; even her manner of public speaking was criticized by Lord Altrincham in the National Review. In her first decade as a sovereign she was faced by choosing Prime Ministers (PM) in 1956 and in 1963, solving problems within the Commonwealth as regards the political domain. On top the relation to the press was strained as piquant stories of the royal family were exposed such as rumours about Prince Philip being involved with another woman.

Sources:

Cannon, John, Hargreaves Anne. The Kings and Queens of Britain. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Fraser, Antonia. The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975. Hamilton, Willie. My Queen and I. London: Quartet Books, 1975.