It has been only a few months since Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with her entire nation. All of Britain joined in the four-day-long celebration in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of service. But little did the world know that she would soon leave behind her family and people.
On the 8th of September, Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully amid her family at Balmoral Castle, Scotland. She was 96 years old and died only a year after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth II fulfilled her duties and attended to all the needs of the people till her last breath. So, who was Queen Elizabeth II, and how was her life journey?
”At least Grannie is with Great Grandpa now” – the words of Prince Louis when he learned Queen Elizabeth II had died. His mum, the Princess of Wales, shared the story with well wishers as she met them at Windsor. pic.twitter.com/rGxRdBW91C
— Elizabeth II News & Updates (@Platinum2022) September 10, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II: Who was she?
Early Life
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on 21st April 1926 as the eldest daughter of George VI, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Since she was the daughter of the younger son of the honourable King George V, Queen Elizabeth II was never destined to be a prospect for the throne. But soon, her uncle, Edward VIII failed to fulfil the duties of the throne, and her father was crowned as the King.
So, Queen Elizabeth II was now in line to be the next monarch. Her mother personally looked after her education and she even attended Elton College. At the time of World War II, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret Rose were sent to Balmoral Castle in Scotland as well as Royal Lodge, Windsor Castle, and Windsor, away from their family to be fully safe. Though Queen Elizabeth II had a very guarded lifestyle, she was destined to be bigger than how her parents tried to raise her.
Her Marriage to Prince Philip
In 1947, Queen Elizabeth II went to South Africa along with her parents. Soon after they returned, it was announced that she will be getting engaged to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of the Royal Navy, who was previously known as Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. They were distant cousins but the love was pretty evident between them. In just a matter of days, the couple got married on 20th November 1947.
And on the same day, the King honoured them with the prestigious titles of duke of Edinburgh, earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich. After that, they started residing in the Clarence House in London. Soon they had their first child Charles Philip Arthur George on 14th November 1948 at the Royal Buckingham Palace. Then the couple had Prince Andrew, Anne, and finally, Prince Edward during the time of her reign which completed her family.
Accession to Throne
A major change came in the life of Queen Elizabeth II when her father George VI died on 6th February 1952 after his serious decline in health. Now, she was the Queen of England but she didn’t get the time to process her grief. For the first three months, Queen Elizabeth II mouthed over her father’s death. But on 4th November 1952, she had to take her duties as the Queen and even held her very first state opening addressing the parliament. She started being Queen Elizabeth II for the world. Her family and husband resided in Buckingham Palace along with her children.
But the major shift came when she represented the modern monarchy. She started televising all of the Royal families’ lives, events, activities, and more to give more insight into what is going on in their day-to-day life. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth II had her 50 years of reign on the throne. In 2017, Prince Philip chose to retire from public life. However, Queen Elizabeth II could never ignore her duties. She served the nation till her last breath. The Queen has a fulfilling life with children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was the favourite of her subjects and everyone loved her.
When the Royals announced the news about the Queen’s death, the entire world was affected by the news. Now, her eldest son, Charles is the King of Britain and it is a new journey. New successions will come and continue to rule but the history that Queen Elizabeth II has created could never be erased.
Reminder that Queen Elizabeth is not a remnant of colonial times. She was an active participant in colonialism. She actively tried to stop independence movements & she tried to keep newly independent colonies from leaving the commonwealth. The evil she did was enough https://t.co/SDGi0boCzx
— Nsafoa’s Feminist Duck 🏳️🌈 (@YaaAsantewaaBa) September 8, 2022
People took over social media to express their gratitude toward the Queen.
Even former U.S. President Barack Obama issued a note on his social media with the caption, “Like so many of you, Michelle and I are grateful to have witnessed Her Majesty’s dedicated leadership, and we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time.”
Truly, the internet is flooding with condolences and news of great loss. Thus, Queen Elizabeth II will be forever with us.
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