The Amazing Life of Queen Elizabeth II

The Amazing Life of Queen Elizabeth II

Welcome to MsMojo and today, we’ll be looking at the Amazing Life of Queen Elizabeth II .

For this essay, we’ll be looking at the incredible moments, achievements, and milestones of Britain’s longest-reigning Monarch so far.

What’s the coolest fact you know about The Queen? One would be delighted if one could share it in the comments.

Born April 21, 1926, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor wasn’t originally destined for a life on the throne. But in 1936, her uncle, King Edward VIII abdicated, shifting the line of succession to his brother and subsequently eldest niece.

The princess was just 13-years-old when World War Two broke out. Like many other children, she and her sister, Princess Margaret were evacuated from the city. They were initially relocated to Balmoral Castle in Scotland and then moved back to England, spending the majority of the subsequent 5 years at Windsor Castle, where she continued to carry out her public service. In 1940, the teenaged princess shared a message of encouragement to other youngsters through the BBC radio program “Children’s Hour”.

As the war continued, so did her dedication to her country. She wanted to enlist but her family supposedly needed some convincing, since this had never been done by a female royal. But aged 19, she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territory Service where she trained as a mechanic and driver. It didn’t take her long to rise through the ranks, quickly becoming an honorary Junior Commander. The press loved the hands-on royal, naming her “Princess Auto Mechanic”. When the war ended in 1945, she and Princess Margaret were allowed to leave the palace and join the celebrations. Incognito, of course.

The next major moment in the Princess’ life was her wedding to Prince Philip. But to give their love story true justice we need to hop back in time for just a moment. They first met at a wedding when he was 13 and she was just 8-years old. They were reintroduced five years later and as the story goes, she knew then that she’d met the one. But it would still be another eight years until they’d start courting.

Their engagement was announced on July 9th, 1947, with the big day taking place on November 20 that same year. The ceremony, which took place at Westminster Abbey, was broadcast by the BBC to 200 million people worldwide.

We can’t talk about the wedding without mentioning her dress, which was famously designed by Norman Hartnell. He would later design her Coronation dress, too. With the country still recovering from the war, she used her saved-up ration coupons to pay for the gown. Other brides-to-be tried to contribute their tokens too but, since this was illegal, she returned them all. The government helped out by gifting her 200 extra coupons so she could say yes to the dress.

In 1948 she became a first-time mother following the birth of Prince Charles. Then in 1950, the couple welcomed Princess Anne to the family. Their family of six would be complete by 1964, but there were still some other milestones ahead for the princess before that.

In 1952, the young royal couple embarked on a tour while the King was suffering from ill-health. It was during their time in Kenya that news of his passing reached them. The trip was cut short and she returned to the U.K to resume responsibilities as Britain's new monarch. Due to the mourning period, her coronation was delayed until the following year.

When a new monarch takes the throne, they can either stick with their birth name or choose a Regnal name. When the 27-year-old princess was asked what she’d prefer, she supposedly replied, “My own, of course.”

As we also saw on “The Crown,” it was Prince Philip who chaired the Coronation Commission. It was the first coronation to be broadcast on television, attracting approximately 27 million people across the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, radio listeners totaled to about 11 million more, while worldwide, an estimated 277 million worldwide. After the ceremony, she, her husband and royal officials embarked on a 5-mile procession around the capital where well-wishers gathered to catch a glimpse of their new Queen.

Speaking of broadcasting firsts: in 1957, on the 25th anniversary of the first-ever Christmas Broadcast, the Queen addressed the country via television rather than radio. This is a tradition that continues today. In 2021, for instance, it was watched by more than 9 million people, attracting more viewers than any other program in the UK.

As you can imagine, The Queen has been involved in her fair share of landmark moments over her 70-year reign. For instance, in 1961, she became the first royal to tour India in half a century.. She continued her streak by becoming the first reigning monarch to visit South America in 1968, the Persian Gulf countries in 1979, and mainland China in 1986.

But travel wasn’t just about essential meetings with important officials; it was about showing people that she was their Queen. Or, as she put it, “I have to be seen to be believed,”. Indeed, she pioneered the royal “walkabout” during her 1970 tour of Australia and New Zealand. The days of waving from a distance were over and a new royal tradition was born.

Although she limited her travel to planet earth, she was one of 70+ world leaders to send a message to the moon in 1969. If you know your history, then you’ll be aware that this was the year of the historic moon landing. The messages were put onto a small disc that was then given to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin ahead of their momentous voyage.

Then in 1976, during a visit to an army base, she became the first Monarch to send an e-mail as part of a network technology demonstration. She rounded out the decade by celebrating her Silver Jubilee in 1977, marking 25 years on the throne.

Things showed no signs of slowing down in the ‘80s and ‘90s with several key royal events. There were weddings, births, marriage breakdowns, a couple of attempts on the Queen’s life, and a break-in at Buckingham Palace. But since we’re focusing on her “Amazing Life,” we’ll skip past all that and her “Annus horribilis” in 1992 and, jump back in with her Golden Jubilee in 2002.

This was a bittersweet time for the royal who had recently lost her sister and mother just a month apart. However, her Golden Jubilee marked the first Monarch since Queen Victoria to celebrate a 50-year reign. To commemorate this, The Queen traveled to 50 counties in the U.K, stopping by 70 cities and towns. She also extended her celebratory tour to the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. In total, she traveled over 40,00 miles - now that’s a Queen who knows how to party.

In 2004, she and Princess Anne hosted the first “Women of Achievement” lunch at Buckingham Palace. They invited around 180 women from a variety of disciplines including arts, fashion, sports, politics, academia, and business. Talk about a worthy recognition of women in power!

The Queen continued to make waves in the twenty-first century. She was the first British Monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland in 100 years. She acknowledged the two countries’ turbulent past and marked the beginning of better ties.

Of course, the moment that got everyone talking was her cameo in a “James Bond” sketch for the 2012 Olympics in London. But jumping out of a helicopter and celebrating her Diamond Jubilee weren’t even her greatest achievements that decade.

By September 9th, 2015, at 5:30pm BST, Queen Elizabeth II had reigned for 23,226 days, 16 hours, and roughly half an hour. Why is this significant, you ask? Well, this meant that she had surpassed Queen Victoria as the country’s longest-reigning monarch. So, in 2017, she became the first to celebrate her Sapphire Jubilee as well.

February 6th, 2022 will mark her Platinum Jubilee, and yes, that means 70 years as Queen. She’s outlasted 14 Prime Ministers and met with 13. U.S Presidents. As of 2021, she’s the Queen of 15 Commonwealth realms, including the United Kingdom. She’s considered the most traveled monarch in British history, having visited over 110 countries and earning herself the nickname, “the million-mile queen”.

It’s amazing when you think that at birth, this wasn’t at all the life for which she was appointed. But thanks to a few chance moments along the way, what a life she’s led so far!