Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom (born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; London, England, April 21, 1926-Balmoral Castle, Scotland, September 8, 2022) She was Queen of the United Kingdom from her accession to the throne in February 1952 until her death in September 2022, as well as the sovereign of fourteen other independent states constituted as kingdoms that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Her reign of more than seven decades was longer than that of any other British monarch and the longest verified reign by a woman in history.

He was the leading political figure of the fifty-four member countries of the Commonwealth of Nations. In her specific role as monarch of the United Kingdom, she was, in turn, the supreme governor of the Church of England. Her political role spanned large areas, she had significant constitutional functions, and she acted as a focus of British national unity and as a representative of his nation before the world.

She was born in London, the eldest daughter of the Dukes of York (later Kings George VI and Elizabeth), and was educated at home by private tutors. Her father ascended the throne in 1936 after his abdication from her brother Edward VIII. She began to carry out public functions during World War II, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women's branch of the British Army at the time. When her father died in 1952, Elizabeth, at the age of 25, became head of the Commonwealth of Nations and queen of the seven independent countries belonging to it: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon. His coronation celebration in 1953 was the first to be televised. Between 1956 and 2021, half of his kingdoms, including South Africa, Pakistan, Ceylon (later renamed Sri Lanka), and Barbados, gained independence and became republics.. As queen, she was served by more than 170 prime ministers in all her realms. Her numerous visits and landmark meetings included state visits to China in 1986, Russia in 1994 and the Republic of Ireland in 2011, and meetings with five popes.

In 1947, she married Prince Felipe of Greece and Denmark, with whom she had four children: Carlos, Ana, Andrés and Eduardo. In 1992, the year Elizabeth called the annus horribilis ("horrible year"), Charles and Andrew separated from their wives, Anne divorced, and a serious fire destroyed part of Windsor Castle. Rumors about the marital status of Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales continued, and the two divorced in 1996. The following year, Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris, and the media criticized the royal family for remaining in seclusion. during the days leading up to his funeral. Despite occasional sentiments of republicanism and criticism of his family, particularly after his 1992 annus horribilis, the breakdown of his children's marriages, and the After Diana's death, support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high throughout her life, as did her personal popularity.

In 2007 she became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, surpassing the 81-year lifespan of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. At 70 years and 214 days, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history —after once again surpassing Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and 216 days—, and with the second longest in history, after Louis XIV of France's 72 years and 110 days. Her Silver, Gold, Diamond, Sapphire, and Platinum jubilees were celebrated in 1977, 2002, 2012, 2017, and 2022, respectively.

Elizabeth died on September 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, aged 96, and was succeeded to the throne by her eldest son, King Charles III. Her state funeral was on September 19, 2022, the first to be held in the UK since Winston Churchill's in 1965.

Childhood

Portrait of Princess Isabel at the age of three, 1929.

Portrait by Philip de László, 1933.

Elizabeth was the first daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI) and his wife Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth). Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Elizabeth was born by caesarean section at 2:40 GMT on 21 April 1926 at her maternal grandfather's London home at 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. her birth at 145 Piccadilly in London and at the White Lodge residence in Richmond Park. On May 29, 1926, the Archbishop of York, Cosmo Lang, baptized her under the Anglican religion in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace (destroyed during the London Blitz in World War II). She was named "Elizabeth" after her mother, "Alexandra" after George V's mother (her paternal great-grandmother), who had died six months earlier and " Mary" by her paternal grandmother. In private, she was called "Lilibet". George V was very fond of his granddaughter and during her serious illness in 1929, her periodic visits raised his spirits and helped him in his recovery, as credited the public press and his later biographers.

Her only sister was Princess Margaret, born in 1930. They were both educated at home under the supervision of their mother and Marion Crawford, their governess, informally called "Crawfie". Classes concentrated mainly on history, language, literature and music. To the dismay of the royal family, Crawford later published a biographical book about Elizabeth and Margaret's early years entitled The Little Princesses. The book describes Elizabeth's love of horses and dogs, her discipline, and her attitude of responsibility.Others echoed these observations: Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two years old as "a character. She has an air of authority and thought that is surprising for a child.” Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as “a cheerful girl, but fundamentally sensitive and well-behaved.”

Legal heir to the Crown

As a granddaughter of the monarch, her full title at birth was Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York. She was third in line to the throne behind her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father. Although her birth caused public interest, she was not expected to be queen as the Prince of Wales was young and therefore many believed she would marry and have children. In 1936, when her grandfather died and Eduardo succeeded him as king, Elizabeth became second in line to the throne after her father. That same year, Eduardo abdicated after the constitutional crisis caused by his marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. Despite the fact that he could legally marry, the ministers recommended that he not do so, since the people would never accept it. like a queen; as constitutional monarch Eduardo was obliged to accept the advice of the ministers. George V had expressed his views about his eldest son: "I pray to God that my eldest son never marry or have children, that nothing may come between Bertie and Lilibet and the throne." With Edward VIII's abdication, the Elizabeth's father became king and she became the legal heir with the title Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth.

She received private tuition in constitutional history from Henry Marten, the Chancellor of Eton College, and learned the French language with the help of several governesses. The Girl Guides, the first Buckingham Palace troupe, it was trained specifically so that she could relate to girls her own age. Later, she enrolled in the Sea Ranger youth organization.

Princesses Isabel (right) and Margarita (center) posing in a photograph next to her paternal grandmother, María de Teck, 1939.

In 1939, his parents toured Canada and the United States. As in 1927, when they toured Australia and New Zealand, Elizabeth remained in Britain, as the King thought she was too young to make public visits. Elizabeth "looked tearful" when her parents left. They communicated by letter. regularly and on May 18, Isabel and her parents made the first real transatlantic phone call.

World War II

From September 1939, at the outbreak of World War II, Elizabeth and her sister remained at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, until Christmas 1939, when they moved to Sandringham House in Norfolk. February to May From 1940, they resided at Royal Lodge, until they were removed to Windsor Castle, where they remained for most of the next five years. The suggestion of prominent politician Lord Hailsham that the princesses be taken to Canada was rejected by the mother. of Isabel, who declared: «The girls will not leave without me. I will not leave the king. And the king will never go away." At Windsor, the princesses performed pantomime at Christmas in aid of the Queen's Wool Fund, which purchased the yarn needed to make military garments. In 1940, aged fourteen, he made his first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour, where he stated:

We are trying to do our best to help our brave sailors, soldiers and pilots, and we are also trying to bring our own part of the danger and sadness of war. We know, each of us, that in the end everything will be fine.

Princess Isabel as a junior second honorary of the Women's Assistant Territorial Service in front of an army ambulance, 1945.

In 1943, at the age of sixteen, she made her first solo public appearance on a visit to the Grenadier Guards, of which she had been appointed colonel-in-chief the previous year. As her 18th birthday approached, On his birthday, the laws were modified so that he could act as one of the five State Councilors in the event of his father's incapacity or his absence abroad, as occurred when he visited Italy in July 1944. In February In 1945, she entered the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service as an honorary Second Subaltern (second lieutenant) with service number 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic, and was promoted to Junior Commander (captain) honorary five months later.

During the war, plans were developed to quell Welsh nationalism by aligning Elizabeth more closely with Wales. Welsh politicians promoted the proposal that she become Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday. The idea was supported by the Home Secretary, Herbert Morrison, but was rejected by the King because he considered it a title that belonged only to the wife of the Prince of Wales. In addition, the latter had always been the heir (usually the sovereign's eldest son) and Elizabeth was only the legal heir and could be replaced in the line of succession if the king had a son. In 1946, she was inducted into the Gorsedd Welsh community of Bardos at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Elizabeth (first left) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace next to her family and Winston Churchill on May 8, 1945.

At the end of the war, on Victory in Europe Day, Elizabeth and her sister dispersed into the crowd anonymously to celebrate on the streets of London. She later said in an interview, "We asked our parents if we could go out and see [the celebration] on our own. I remember we were terrified we'd be recognized... I remember the lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, we were all just overcome by a tide of happiness and relief." Two years later, she made her first tour of the abroad when he accompanied his parents to southern Africa. During the tour, in a special broadcast to the Commonwealth of Nations on his twenty-first birthday, he promised: "I declare before you that my entire life, long or short, will be dedicated to our service and the service of our great family." empire to which we all belong."

Marriage

At Buckingham Palace posing in a photograph taken after his wedding. Her husband, Felipe, some family members and other guests, 1947, are portrayed.

She met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and saw him again in 1937. After another meeting at the Britannia Royal Naval College in July 1939,—aged just thirteen— she fell in love with Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Alice of Battenberg, and they began to communicate by letter. They were married on November 20, 1947 in Westminster Abbey. They are both a third degree niece and uncle to King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins to Queen Victoria. Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and adopted the designation of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, taking his mother's British family surname. Just before the wedding, he was appointed Duke of Edinburgh and was addressed as Her Royal Highness.

The marriage was not without controversy: Philip was financially incapable, came from abroad (through a British subject), and had sisters who had married Nazi-connected German noblemen. Marion Crawford wrote: "Some of the king's advisers did not think he was good enough for her. He was a prince with no home and no kingdom..." Although Elizabeth's mother was initially opposed to the relationship, she later told biographer Tim Heald that Philip was an "English gentleman."

They received 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world, even though Britain had yet to recover from the devastation of war. Isabel even needed ration coupons to buy the materials for her wedding dress, designed by the couturier Norman Hartnell in ivory satin and decorated with silver thread, tulle embroidery and 10,000 white pearls imported directly from America.. Her bouquet of white orchids and myrtle, taken from the bush that Queen Victoria had planted after her wedding, was deposited in the tomb of the unknown soldier, an act that her mother had also carried out in 1923. After the religious ceremony, she left he hosted a meal for guests at Buckingham Palace.

In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for German relatives of the Duke of Edinburgh's family to be invited to the wedding, including his three sisters. One of the notable absentees was Edward, the former King, who he was not invited, while his sister, Princess Mary, was absent due to ill health. Ronald Storrs claimed that he did not attend in protest at the exclusion of his brother.

The ceremony was officiated by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York. Eight bridesmaids were present, including Elizabeth's cousin, Margaret Rhodes. The wedding had over 2,000 guests and BBC radio broadcast the celebration live. Prime Minister Winston Churchill defined the celebration as "a touch of color on the hard road we must travel." Michael Parker, Felipe's friend and private secretary, stated that "[Felipe] was terribly bored with all the obligations of royalty, all those formal engagements and handshakes... It wasn't his thing."

Isabel and Felipe in 1950.

Elizabeth gave birth to their first son, Prince Charles, on November 14, 1948, less than a month after George VI issued a royal patent allowing his sons to use the title and address prince or princess. The couple had a daughter in 1950, Princess Anne.

After the wedding, the royal couple resided on Windlesham Moor near Windsor Castle, until 4 July 1949, when they settled at Clarence House in London. On repeated occasions between 1949 and 1951, the Duke of Edinburgh was posted to the British protectorate of Malta as an officer in the Royal Navy. Both he and his wife lived interchangeably, for several months, in the Maltese village of Gwardamangia, in Villa Guardamangia and in the rented house of Felipe's uncle, Lord Mountbatten. However, their children remained in the UK.

Reign

Succession and coronation

Isabel II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Official portrait of the coronation, June 1953.

Coronation Ceremony of Isabel II.

In December 1936 King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom abdicated so that he could marry divorced commoner Wallis Simpson of the United States, making her younger brother Albert the new monarch as George VI of the United Kingdom and his niece Elizabeth into crown princess. Since then, young but determined, she began to shape the image of herself as a future queen. George VI's health declined considerably during 1951 (he was diagnosed with lung cancer in September, suffered from arterial obstruction, and underwent lung resection) and Elizabeth soon replaced him at virtually every public event. In October of that year, she toured Canada and visited US President Harry S. Truman in Washington; on the trip, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, carried the declaration of accession with him, in case the king died during the tour.In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip left for a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Kenya.. On February 6, 1952, when they had just arrived at Sagana Lodge —his residence in the latter country— and after spending a night at the Treetops Hotel, they received the news of the king's death. Felipe was in charge of conveying the fact to him to the new queen Charteris asked him to choose a name to fill the role; he opted for Elizabeth, "of course," as she declared.she was proclaimed queen and the royal party rushed back to the United Kingdom, where the couple were transferred to Buckingham Palace.

With Elizabeth's accession, it seemed likely that the royal house would bear her husband's name. Lord Mountbatten thought that it would become, from then on, Mountbatten House, since Elizabeth would have taken Philip's surname after marriage. However, Queen Mary and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill came out in favor of keeping the House of Windsor name. The duke, for his part, complained: "I am the only man in the country who is not allowed to give his own children his last name". In 1953, after the death of Queen Mary on 24 March In 1953 and Churchill's resignation in 1955, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor was adopted for Philip and Elizabeth's male descendants who did not hold royal titles.

In the midst of coronation preparations, Princess Margaret informed her sister that she wanted to marry Peter Townsend, a divorced commoner sixteen years her senior with two children from his previous marriage. The queen asked them to wait a year; in the words of Martin Charteris, "the queen was naturally sympathetic to the princess, but I think she thought—rather, hoped—that at some point the courtship would end." High-ranking politicians were against the match. and the Church of England did not allow marriage after divorce. If her Marguerite entered into a civil marriage, she had to renounce the right of succession to her.Eventually, she decided to abandon her plans with Townsend.In 1960, she married Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. The couple divorced in 1978 and she, Margarita, did not remarry.

Despite Queen Mary's death, ten weeks before her coronation, it was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. Before she died, Queen Mary had clarified that in the event of her death the coronation should not be postponed. The entire ceremony, with the exception of the anointing and communion, was televised for the first time in British history, and the coverage was instrumental in boosting the medium's popularity; the number of UK television licenses doubled to three million, and over twenty million viewers watched the event at their friends' or neighbours' houses. In North America, just under one hundred million viewers watched. broadcasts. Elizabeth wore a dress commissioned to Norman Hartnell embroidered, according to his instructions, with the floral emblems of the Commonwealth countries: English Tudor rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek, Irish shamrock, Australian golden wattle, leaf of Canadian maple, New Zealand silver fern, South African protea, sacred lotus for India and Ceylon, and wheat, cotton and jute for Pakistan. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. Only five other kings and queens have ruled the United Kingdom for more than fifty years: Victoria (sixty-three years), George III (fifty-nine years), Henry III (fifty-six years), Edward III (fifty years) and James I (fifty-eight years old).

Continuing the evolution of the Commonwealth

Queen Elizabeth with Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies during her first visit to Australia in 1954.

Throughout his life, he witnessed the gradual transformation of the British Empire into the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of her accession to the throne in 1952, her role as nominal head of several independent states was already established. In 1953 and 1954, the Queen and her husband embarked on a six-month tour of the world, becoming the first Queen of Australia and New Zealand to visit these countries. During the tour, the crowds that approached were immense; it was estimated that three-quarters of the Australian population watched Elizabeth pass. Throughout her reign, she has made numerous state visits to other countries, especially those belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations, which led her to be the most traveled monarch in UK history.

In 1956, French Prime Minister Guy Mollet and British Prime Minister Anthony Eden debated whether to include France in the Commonwealth of Nations. The proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the Treaties of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union. In November 1956, the United Kingdom and France invaded Egypt in an unsuccessful attempt to recover the Suez Canal. The controversy broke out when Lord Mountbatten declared that the queen was opposed to the invasion, while Eden denied this claim and finally resigned two months later.

The absence of a formal mechanism in the Conservative Party for the election of a leader meant that, after Eden's resignation, it was up to the queen to decide who would sit on the commission to form the new government. Eden recommended that Isabel consult with Lord Salisbury (the Lord President of the Council). Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir (the Lord Chancellor) consulted the Cabinet, Winston Churchill and lawmakers on the Governing Board of the 1922 Committee; as a result, Elizabeth named her recommended candidate: Harold Macmillan.

In 1957, the Suez Crisis and the election of Eden's successor led to the first major criticism of the queen. In a publication edited and produced by Lord Altrincham, he accused her of "having lost touch". Altrincham was denounced by various public figures and physically assaulted by a member of the public angered by his comments. Six years later in 1963, Macmillan resigned and recommended to the Queen that Earl Home be appointed Prime Minister, which advice she followed. them. In 1965, the Conservatives opted for a formal mechanism for the election of a leader, which exempted her from participation.

Sitting next to Philip on the thrones of the Canadian parliament, 1957.

In 1957, Elizabeth made a state visit on behalf of the Commonwealth of Nations to the United States, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly. On the same tour, he inaugurated Canada's twenty-third session of Parliament, becoming the first Canadian monarch to do so. Two years later, he revisited the United States as a representative of Canada. In 1961, he toured Canada. Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Iran. During a visit to Ghana the same year, she dismissed fears about her safety, despite the fact that President Kwame Nkrumah, who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for the assassins. Harold Macmillan wrote: "The Queen has always been utterly determined... She is impatient with the attitude they take towards her as if she were... a movie star... she really has 'the heart' and a man's stomach... loves duty and what it means to be a queen." In 1959, together with President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he officially inaugurated the St. Lawrence Seaway lock system, pipelines and canals that allow ocean-going vessels to travel from the ocean Atlantic anus to Lake Superior.

Her pregnancies with Princes Andrew and Edward in 1959 and 1963 respectively, were the only two occasions on which the Queen was absent from the opening ceremonies of UK parliamentary sessions. In addition to performing her traditional acts, also instituted new habits. The first real walk of her, surrounded by members of the general public, took place during a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970.

Isabel (left) with the first American lady Pat Nixon, 1970; President Richard Nixon was covered after Isabel; the British Prime Minister Edward Heath was accompanied.

The 1960s and 1970s were marked by an acceleration of decolonization in Africa and the Caribbean. More than twenty countries became independent from the United Kingdom as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, Rhodesia's prime minister, Ian Smith, declared independence over the opposition of black movements, removing it from the Commonwealth. Although the queen dismissed Smith in a formal declaration and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, Smith's regime endured for more than a decade.

In February 1974, British Prime Minister Edward Heath called a general election in the midst of the Queen's tour of the Pacific Rim, so he had to interrupt his visit to fly back to Britain. The result The inconclusive outcome of the election meant that Heath, whose Conservative Party had the most votes, but not an outright majority, could remain in office if a coalition was formed with the Liberals. Heath resigned when discussions over forming a co-operative government failed, after the Queen spoke with opposition Labor leader Harold Wilson to form a government.

A year later, with the Australian constitutional crisis of 1975, Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was removed from office by Governor General sir John Kerr, after the Senate rejected proposals Whitlam's budget. With Whitlam holding the majority of votes in the House of Representatives, Speaker Gordon Scholes contacted Isabel to reverse Kerr's decision. The Queen herself refused, stating that she would not intervene in decisions reserved for the Governor-General as set out in the Australian Constitution.This crisis fueled Australian republicanism.

Silver Jubilee

Leaders of the G7 states, members of the royal family and Isabel (centre, yellow), London, 1977.

In 1977, Elizabeth celebrated her Silver Jubilee as queen, for which parties and events were held throughout the UK, many of which coincided with national tours and trips to Commonwealth countries. The celebrations reaffirmed the popularity of the queen, despite the negative reports from the press, which was more focused on the separation of Princess Margaret from her husband. In February 1977, some religious ceremonies were held throughout the whole of the month. On May 17, she toured through Glasgow and in turn made other state trips to Western Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Canada and India. In the end, it was estimated that the queen and her husband had traveled more than 56,000 miles. On June 6, 1977, the celebrations for her silver jubilee as queen began and a day later, she set off in the Gold carriage State Coach to St Paul's Cathedral in London for a thanksgiving service attended by heads of state from around the world and retired British Prime Ministers. Afterward, he and his family attended lunch at Guildhall, where he delivered a speech and back at Buckingham Palace he greeted the crowd present from the balcony. It was estimated that half a billion people watched the procession on television.

In 1978, she received the communist dictator of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, on a state visit. For the following year, Isabel's life was marked by two events: the unmasking of Anthony Blunt —the curator of the pictorial works of the queen—as a communist spy, and the assassination of her uncle-in-law Lord Mountbatten by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

According to Paul Martin, in the late 1970s Elizabeth was concerned that "the Crown made little sense" to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Tony Benn said the Queen was "disappointed" in Trudeau; On the other hand, these statements seemed to be confirmed by his attitude towards the Queen, for example, when he slipped down the railings of Buckingham Palace and did some pirouettes behind Elizabeth in 1977, or when he removed some royal symbols of Canada during his mandate. In 1980, some Canadian politicians arrived in London to discuss the repatriation of the Canadian constitution and found Elizabeth "better informed about Canada's constitutional case than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats". constitutional debate after the failure of bill C-60, which had affected her role as head of state. The repatriation had stifled the role of Parliament British to in the Canadian constitution, but the monarchy was maintained. Trudeau said in his memoirs: "The Queen favored my attempt to reform the Constitution. She always impressed me not only with the grace she exuded in public at all times, but also with the wisdom she displayed during a private conversation."

1980s

Isabel riding "Burmese" at the ceremony Trooping the Colour.

During the Trooping the Colour ceremony in 1981 and just six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, six shots were fired at the Queen from close range as she rode on her way to The Mall in his horse "Burmese". Later, the police discovered that the bullets fired were made of rubber. The seventeen-year-old assailant, Marcus Sargeant, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and released after three. The queen's calm and skill at riding were widely praised. From April to September of that year, the The Queen was especially proud and somewhat anxious of her son Andrés, while he served in the British Armed Forces during the Falklands War. On July 9 of the following year, when she awoke in her Buckingham Palace bedroom, she found an intruder, Michael Fagan, standing at the foot of her bed. He remained calm while communicating with the central police department, conversing with Fagan until authorities arrived seven minutes later. Despite the fact that he received President Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visited his California ranch in In 1983, he was upset when the US government ordered the invasion of Grenada, one of his Caribbean kingdoms, without his prior consent. The visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982 was the first visit by a Catholic pope to the United Kingdom in 450 years..

During the 1980s, heightened media interest in the views and private lives of the British royal family led to a number of sensational stories in the press, although not all of them were true. Newspaper editor Donald Trelford wrote in The Observer on September 21, 1986: “The real television serial has reached such a degree of public interest that the line between fact and fiction has been lost sight of. It is not fair that some papers do not corroborate the affirmations or accept denials: they do not care if the stories are true or not».^{[citation needed]} It was even reported in July 20, 1986 edition of The Sunday Times, that Elizabeth was concerned that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's economic policies would promote further social division, and that she was further alarmed by the high unemployment, the riots of 1981, the violence of the miners' strike of 1984 and Thatcher's refusal to apply sanctions against apartheid in South Africa. Sources for the rumors included royal aide Michael Shea and Commonwealth Secretary General Ramphal Shridath, although Shea clarified that her claims were taken out of context and modified by the press. Thatcher reportedly said that the Queen would vote for the Party. Social Democrat, Thatcher's political opponents. The Prime Minister's biographer, John Campbell, claimed that "the reports were just a piece of journalism shenanigans". Disproving reports of acrimony between them, Thatcher later admitted her admiration for the queen and, after the inauguration of John Major, Elizabeth awarded Thatcher two honours: the Order of Merit and the Order of the Garter.

In 1987, the newly elected government in Fiji was overthrown by a military coup. Elizabeth, as head of state, supported attempts by the Governor-General, Ratu sir Penaia Ganilau, to entrench executive power and broker a settlement. The leader of the coup, Sitiveni Rabuka, deposed Ganilau, abolished the monarchy, and declared Fiji a republic. In early 1991, the republican spirit in Britain increased due to estimates in the press of the Queen's private wealth., which were refuted by the palace, and rumors about courtships and marital tensions in his extended family. The participation of the youngest members of the royal family in the charity event It's a Royal Knockout was ridiculed, and the queen was the target of satire.

1990s

In the aftermath of victory in the Gulf War, Elizabeth became the first monarch to address a session of the United States Congress in 1991. The following year, she attempted to save the marriage of her eldest son, Carlos, through consultancies for him and his wife, Diana, and thus try to reconcile them.

Prince Philip and Elizabeth II, October 1992.

In a speech on 24 November 1992 to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne, the Queen called 1992 her annus horribilis, or "horrible year". In March, their second son, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and his wife Sarah, separated. In April, her daughter Anne divorced her husband, Captain Mark Phillips. During a state visit to Germany in October, angry protesters pelted her with eggs in Dresden, and in November Windsor Castle was extensively damaged after a fire devastating. The monarchy came under increasing criticism and public scrutiny. In an unusually personal speech, Elizabeth said that any institution expects criticism, but suggested that it should be expressed with a "touch of humour, tenderness and understanding". Two days later, Prime Minister John Major announced reforms to the royal finances that had been planned since the previous year, including a first-time income tax payment, starting in 1993, and a reduction in the civil list. In December, Charles and Diana formally separated, and the year ended with the Queen suing The Sun newspaper for copyright infringement when the text of her annual Christmas message was published two days before her issue. The newspaper was forced to pay legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity.

In subsequent years, rumors about the marital status of Charles and Diana continued. In consultation with Prime Minister Major, the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, his private secretary Robert Fellowes, and her husband, Elizabeth wrote to Charles and Diana in December 1995 saying that divorce was a desirable option. she was vacationing in Balmoral with her son and grandchildren. Diana's two children wanted to go to church, so their grandparents took them in the morning. After a single public appearance, for five days the Queen and Duke shielded their grandchildren from intense press interest, keeping them in Balmoral, where they could mourn their mother in private; however, the royal family's isolation caused public consternation. Under pressure from the hostile public reaction, the Queen returned to London and agreed to a worldwide live broadcast. world on 5 September, the day before Diana's funeral. On the broadcast, he expressed his admiration for her and his feelings "as a grandmother" to Princes William and Harry. As a result, much of the public hostility subsided.

Golden Jubilee

At a Gold Jubilee dinner with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former prime ministers, 2002. From left to right: Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Edward Heath, Elizabeth, James Callaghan and John Major.

In 2002 she celebrated her Golden Jubilee as queen. His sister and mother died in February and March respectively, and the media speculated as to whether the jubilee would be a success or a failure. He again undertook an extensive tour of his kingdoms, beginning in Jamaica in February, where he qualified as "memorable" to the farewell banquet, after a power cut in the Casa del Rey, the official residence of the Governor General, plunged them into darkness. As in 1977, there were street parties, commemorative acts and the unveiling of monuments in honor of the occasion. One million people attended the main celebrations over three days in London, and the public's enthusiasm for Elizabeth was far greater than journalists predicted.

Though he was in good health throughout his life, in 2003 he underwent an arthroscopy on his knees and in June 2005 he called off some engagements after coming down with a cold. In October 2006, she missed the opening of the Emirates Stadium due to pain from a strained back. Two months later, she was seen with a bandage on her right hand after she had been bitten by her dogs while trying to separate them. when they fought. In 2011, he had to cancel a Royal Victorian Order church service at Windsor Castle because of a nosebleed, and a subsequent reception because of a back injury. In March 2013, she had to be admitted to the Eduardo VII hospital due to a stomach infection with symptoms of gastroenteritis.

In May 2007, The Daily Telegraph reported from uncredited sources that the Queen was "desperate and frustrated" by the policies of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who had confessed to her on several occasions his concern that the British Armed Forces would be overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan and his fears about rural issues and the countryside on repeated occasions. Elizabeth, however, said she admired Blair's efforts to achieve peace in Northern Ireland. On March 20, 2008, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, the Queen attended the first royal mass held outside of England and Wales. In 2010, she met in Scotland with Pope Benedict XVI, who recalled the deep Christian roots and values that underpin Britain and encouraged them to be preserved and promoted in the face of some "more aggressive forms of secularism" that no longer "appreciate or even tolerate" them. At the invitation of Irish President Mar and McAleese, in May 2011, the Queen made the first state visit to the Republic of Ireland.

Elizabeth addressed the United Nations for the second time in 2010, as queen and head of the Commonwealth of Nations. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon introduced her as an "anchor for our age". A tour of New York, followed by a visit to Canada, officially opened a memorial garden for the British victims of the September 11 attacks. The visit to Australia in October 2011, his sixteenth since 1954, was called his "farewell tour" by the press due to his advanced age.

Diamond Jubilee and longevity

The queen visiting Birmingham in July 2012 as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour.

Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee marked her sixty years as queen, with celebrations across all her kingdoms, the vast Commonwealth of Nations. In a message released by Buckingham Palace, he declared: "In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we all remember the power of togetherness and the strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness...Also I hope this jubilee year will become a time to give thanks for the great strides that have been made since 1952 and look to the future with a clear head and a warm heart." Elizabeth and her husband conducted an extensive toured the UK, while her children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours throughout the Commonwealth on behalf of the Queen.

On 4 June, Jubilee beacons were lit around the world. While touring Manchester as part of its Jubilee celebrations, he made a surprise appearance at a wedding party at Manchester Town Hall, which later made headlines international. After leading a nautical parade on the River Thames aboard the Spirit of Chartwell boat in the company of the royal family and appearing at a concert with the presence of Paul McCartney, Elton John and Kylie Minogue —it meant the most viewed of the year with an average audience of 14.7 million viewers—, ended its Diamond Jubilee celebrations on 5 June 2012 with a church service at Westminster Abbey hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed by a reception at Mansion House, a procession of floats and the exit to the balcony at Buckingham Palace without the presence of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, because he had been hospitalized. In November, the r Queen and her husband celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary of blue sapphire. On 18 December 2012, she became the first British sovereign to attend a peacetime cabinet meeting since George III in 1781. Foreign Secretary William Hague announced shortly afterwards that the part located at the southern tip of the British Antarctic Territory had been named Queen Elizabeth Land in his honour.

She opened the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, and also opened the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, making her the first female head of state to open two Olympic Games in two countries. For the London Olympics, she played herself in a short film as part of the opening ceremony, alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond. On April 4, 2013, she received an honorary BAFTA for her industry patronage. film and was named "the most memorable Bond girl yet" at the awards ceremony. On 3 March 2013, she was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital as a precaution after developing symptoms of gastroenteritis. He returned to Buckingham Palace the following day. A week later, he signed the new Commonwealth Charter. Due to his age and the need to limit travel, in 2013 he decided not to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. Commonwealth of Nations for the first time in forty years. She was represented at the Sri Lankan summit by Prince Charles. She underwent cataract surgery in May 2018. In March 2019, she chose to stop driving on public roads, largely as a result of an accident. car accident involving her husband two months earlier.

The queen inaugurated the Border Railroad on the day it became the British monarch with the longest reign in 2015. In his speech, he said he had never aspired to achieve that milestone.

She surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch on December 21, 2007, and the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning reigning queen and head of state of the world on September 9, 2015. She became the oldest current monarch after King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died on January 23, 2015. She later became the current monarch with reign longest-serving current female head of state following the death of King Bhumibol of Thailand on 13 October 2016, and longest-serving current female head of state following Robert Mugabe's resignation on 21 November 2017 On February 6, 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee, and on November 20, she was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. Philip had retired of his official duties as consort in August 201 7.

On April 20, 2018, Commonwealth government leaders announced that Carlos will succeed her as head of the Commonwealth. The queen stated that it was her "sincere wish" that Charles should follow her in that role.

COVID-19 pandemic

On March 19, 2020, she moved into Windsor Castle and went into self-isolation as a precaution as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK. Public engagements were canceled and Windsor Castle remained a strict health protocol dubbed "HMS Bubble". On 5 April, in a televised broadcast watched by some twenty-four million viewers in the UK, he asked people to "take comfort that, although we still have more to endure, better days will return. He added: "We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will see each other again."

On May 8, the 75th anniversary of VE Day, in a broadcast at 9 p.m. m., the exact time his father George VI was broadcasting in 1945, he asked people to "never give up, never despair". In October, he held his first public engagement since March and visited the Science Laboratory. and Defense Technology UK to officially open its new Center for Energy Analysis. On 4 November, she appeared masked for the first time, during a private pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Westminster Abbey, to mark the centenary of his burial. The same month, due to the increased risk of COVID infection, he and Prince Philip returned to Windsor Castle, where they celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary. On 9 January 2021, the palace of Buckingham announced that the Queen and Prince Philip had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. She received her second dose in April, ahead of her first in-person public appearance of 2021.

Philip died on 9 April 2021, making Elizabeth the first British monarch to reign as a widower or widower since Victoria. Philip died two months before her hundredth birthday, and twelve days before her own birthday. the 95 years of age. Elizabeth II's marriage was the longest in the royal family's history, the couple being together for more than seventy-three years. She privately commented that her death "left a great void" for her due to COVID restrictions. -19, she sat alone at her husband's funeral, drawing sympathy from people around the world. Despite the pandemic, she participated in the 2021 state opening of parliament and hosted a reception for leaders of the G7 in Cornwall, as part of the 47th G7 Summit. On 5 July, the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the NHS, he announced in a personal handwritten message that the NHS would be awarded the George Cross for "recognize all NHS staff, past and present, in all disciplines and in all four nations".

The queen at a virtual meeting with Cindy Kiro during the COVID-19 pandemic, October 2021.

In October 2021, she began using a cane to feel comfortable during public engagements for the first time since her operation in 2004. On October 19, she turned down The Oldie Award, the to the elder of the year, telling nominator Gyles Brandreth in a letter: "You are only as old as you feel". She was briefly hospitalized on 20 October, after canceling a visit to Northern Ireland for health reasons, but left the hospital the next day. The hospitalization was only officially confirmed after The Sun broke the story as a front-page exclusive. The same week, he canceled his plans to travel to the COP26 summit in Glasgow following his doctor's advice to rest, instead giving up his address via video message. He was also unable to attend the 2021 National Remembrance Service after spraining his back; this was said to be unrelated to prior medical advice to rest. On 21 November, after returning to public duties, he attended a rare joint christening of two of his great-grandchildren at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire. On November 30, Barbados removed the Queen as head of state and became a republic. On her Christmas 2021 broadcast, she paid a personal tribute to her "beloved Philip", saying: "That mischievous shine and inquisitive he was as brilliant at the end as when I first saw him."

On 20 February 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing "mild cold-like symptoms". Other cases were diagnosed at Windsor Castle and among his relatives. He canceled two virtual hearings on February 22. He had a telephone conversation with the prime minister on February 23 amid a growing crisis on the Russian-Ukrainian border (Russia invaded Ukraine a day later). On February 28, it was reported that he had recovered and was spending time with his family at Frogmore. On March 6, it was reported that he had made Windsor Castle his permanent residence and would no longer live at Buckingham Palace. On March 7, he had an audience with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle, which was his first in-person engagement since his COVID-19 diagnosis. He met Canada's first indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon, in Windsor Castle a week later.

Platinum Jubilee

Drones forming the figure of a corgi on Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Feast at the Palace, June 4, 2022.

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee began on 6 February 2022, marking the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne on the death of her father. She held a reception for retirees, members of the local Women's Institute and volunteers from charities on the eve of the date at Sandringham House. In her Accession Day message, she renewed her lifetime commitment to public service, which was originally he did in 1947.

Later that month, he had "mild cold-like symptoms" and tested positive for COVID-19, along with some staff and family members. He canceled two virtual hearings on February 22, but held a conversation phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson the next day amid a crisis on the Russian-Ukrainian border, after which he made a donation to the Disaster Emergency Committee's (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. February, he was reported to have recovered and spent time with his family in Frogmore. On March 7, he met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Windsor Castle in his first in-person engagement since his diagnosis of COVID. She later commented that the COVID-19 infection "makes one very tired and exhausted... It's not a good result".

On March 14, he was unable to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service; that she had a special focus on her Platinum Jubilee year, however it was reported that this was due to mobility problems and not health-related issues, and the Prince of Wales represented her at the service.

He had no intention of abdicating, although the proportion of public functions performed by Prince Charles increased as he reduced his engagements.

On September 6, 2022, at Balmoral Castle, he carried out his last institutional act, accepting the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and entrusting the formation of the government to the winner of the internal elections of the Conservative Party, Liz Truss.

Death

Communiqué of King Charles III on the death of her mother, the queen.

On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace announced it was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle after doctors raised concerns. The statement said: "Following further assessment this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health, and have recommended that she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable at Balmoral.” Her four children, along with Prince William, Prince Harry and Camilla of Cornwall, traveled to be with her.

At around 6:30 p.m. local time, the Royal Household announced his death:

The Queen died peacefully in Balmoral this afternoon. The king and the queen consort will stay in Balmoral this afternoon and return to London tomorrow.

Public perceptions and critics

Isabel II and Ronald Reagan riding in Windsor, 1982.

Isabel rarely gave interviews and little was known about her personal views. As a parliamentary monarch, she did not express her political views in a public forum. She had a deep sense of religious and civil duty, and she took her coronation oath very seriously.Apart from her religious role as head of the Church of England, she maintained an excellent relationship with her Church and that of Scotland.

He used to meet with leaders of other religions, as well as giving his personal patronage to the Council of Christians and Jews.

In his annual Christmas message to the Commonwealth of Nations he often offered features about his faith, such as in the year 2000, when he spoke about the theological significance of the new millennium marking the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ:

For many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. To me, the teachings of Christ and my own responsibility to God provide me with a framework in which I try to develop my life. I, like many of you, have managed to comfort me in difficult times with the words and example of Christ.

She was a patron of over six hundred charities and other organizations. Her main hobbies were horseback riding and dogs, especially her Corgis. Her wardrobe generally consisted of solid-colored coats and decorative hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in the crowd.

In the 1950s, as a young woman at the beginning of her reign, she was depicted as a glamorous "fairy tale queen". After the trauma of war, there was a time of hope, heralding a period of progress and achievement known as "the new Elizabethan era". Altrincham's 1957 accusation that her speeches sounded like those of a "pedantic schoolgirl" was considered extremely bizarre. In the late 1960s, the documentary Royal Family and the television broadcast of Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales were the result of his attempts to present a more modern image of the monarchy.

At her silver jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were truly enthusiastic, but public criticism of the royal family in the 1980s increased as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under fire. of scrutiny in the media. Her popularity waned considerably in the 1990s. Pressured by public opinion, she began paying income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace opened its doors to the public. the British monarchy reached its peak with Diana's death, although Elizabeth's popularity recovered after the message was broadcast live on 5 September 1997.

In a November 1999 referendum in Australia on the future of the monarchy, permanence was preferred over an indirectly elected head of state. Polls conducted in Britain in 2006 and 2007 revealed vast support towards its figural, and referendums in Tuvalu in 2008 and in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009 rejected proposals to abolish the monarchy.

Finances

Sandringham House, Isabel's private residence in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Under an agreement dating from the first half of the 18th century, the assets of the Crown were transferred to the State, in exchange for a fixed income. Elizabeth II's personal fortune has been the subject of speculation for many years. In 2010, his net worth was estimated by Forbes magazine to be around $450 million, although official statements from Buckingham Palace in 1993 said the estimates of £100 million were "grossly exaggerated." ». Jock Colville estimated his fortune at £2 million in 1971 (the approximate equivalent of £21 million today). The Royal Collection, which includes works of art and the Crown Jewels, was not the personal property of the The queen—nor the current king—and is held in trust, as are the residences of Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and the Duchy of Lancaster, an investment portfolio valued at £383 million in 2011. Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, on the other hand, are privately owned by the monarch. The British Crown Estate—with holdings of £7.3 million in 2011—is held in trust by the nation and cannot be sold or owned to the king.

Assessment and influence

According to some, her reign was characterized by an important effort towards national unification, through which she was in charge of maintaining and avoiding the separation of the United Kingdom from its constituent countries, although not a single public initiative of the queen is known in that sense. In addition, the monarch, as head of the Commonwealth of Nations, managed a true transition from an imperial system to a free association of nations, in which mutual cooperation, democracy, and cultural exchange are its main goals. She led considerable roles during the various administrations of her Prime Ministers, through her Head of Government elections and the preservation of the stability and political continuity of the United Kingdom.

Despite the brief political role to which the British monarchy was reduced after World War II, essentially limited to symbolic acts, and the changes that occurred in the relationship with the former colonies, it sought to preserve the unifying character of the Crown in the political space of the old empire, converted after decolonization into the Commonwealth.

His visions of the monarchy and the way in which he has gradually transformed this institution into one more compatible with the XXI century have made it the paradigm of European monarchs, whose functions as statesmen are often imitated by numerous heads of state. She was chosen «person of the year» by Time magazine in 1952 and, according to Forbes , she was the eighth richest leader in the world with an estimated fortune of 450 million Dollars.

In popular culture

Isabella Statue in Ottawa.

Currency with your image.

She was parodied during the 1980s in the television series Spitting Image and in 2006 she was played by actress Helen Mirren in The Queen, a film directed by Stephen Frears, which recounts the queen's reaction to the death of Lady Diana in 1997. In 2010 she was played by the young Freya Wilson in The King's Speech (winner of four Oscars, with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush). In the popular television series The Simpsons, he appeared as a guest star in some episodes such as The Regina Monologues, To Surveil With Love and The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular.

It has also appeared on numerous banknotes and coins from different countries: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, as well as Bermuda, Falkland Islands, Cayman Islands, Eastern Caribbean, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey and Saint Helena. The stamps or postage stamps of the United Kingdom do not bear the name of the country, but the effigy of the queen.

Treatments, titles and weapons

Treatments

Titles

She held many titles throughout her life: first as the granddaughter and daughter of kings, then by marriage (such as Duchess of Edinburgh or Countess of Merioneth), and finally as Sovereign. Officially, she had a different title in each of her kingdoms: Queen of Canada in Canada, Queen of Australia in Australia, etc. In the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, which are Crown dependencies and which do not belong to the United Kingdom, he was recognized as duke (duke) of Normandy and lord (lord) of Man respectively, and in Fiji as paramount chief by the Great Council of Chiefs, without constitutional powers, since Fiji is a republic, until the dissolution of this institution in 2012. Other traditional titles were defender of the faith and Duke of Lancaster.

Officially her title in the United Kingdom was: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of its other Kingdoms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, defender of the Faith.

Coat of arms and banners

Shield of arms of Princess Isabel (1944-1947). The arms shield of Princess Isabel, Duke of Edinburgh (1947-1952).

In 1944, its coat of arms consisted of a lozenge (rhombus) containing the coat of arms of the United Kingdom, differentiated by a lambel of three silver-colored earrings: in the first and third earrings was the cross of Saint George and in the center a Tudor rose. As Duchess of Edinburgh the ribbon of the Order of the Garter was added. Upon her accession to the throne in 1952, she adopted another crest: the full arms of the sovereign.

Shield of arms of Queen Elizabeth II (except Scotland). Shield of arms of Queen Elizabeth II (in Scotland).

His banner as monarch consisted of a flag divided into four quarters: the first and fourth quarters contain the elements of the coat of arms of England: three passing gold lions on a field of gules (red). In the second, which represents Scotland, a rampant lion can be seen within a double trechor with heraldic flowers, on a field of gold. In the third quadrant, for Northern Ireland, a gold harp on an azure field is represented. In the constituent nation of Scotland, the banner varied in its quarters: the Scottish lion rampant now appears in the first and fourth quarters, and England's in the second. The queen herself also had personal flags in other countries: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica and Barbados.

Queen Elizabeth II Standards

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland. In Australia. In Canada.

In New Zealand. In Jamaica. In Barbados. Personal Standard (used in the rest of the Commonwealth countries).

Family

Descendants

Isabel II, together with her consort, Felipe de Edinburgh, during his State visit to the then President of the United States George W. Bush in 2007.

Together with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, she had four children: Carlos, Ana, Andrés and Eduardo. In addition, the couple had eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

• Charles III of the United Kingdom (born on 14 November 1948). He is the current monarch of the United Kingdom. He was married on 29 July 1981 with Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), with whom he had his two sons: William of Cambridge and Enrique de Sussex. She was divorced on 28 August 1996. On 9 April 2005, he was married in second nuptists, at a civil ceremony, with Camila de Reino Unido.
  • William, Prince of Wales (born on 21 June 1982), married Catherine Middleton, currently known as Catherine, Princess of Wales (born on 9 January 1982). He is the first in the line of succession to the British throne.
    • Prince George of Wales (born 22 July 2013). He ranks second in the line of succession to the British throne.
    • Princess Carlota of Wales (born May 2, 2015).
    • Prince Louis of Wales (born April 23, 2018).
  • Prince Enrique, Duke of Sussex (born on 15 September 1984), married on 19 May 2018 with Meghan Markle, currently known as Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (born on 4 August 1981).
    • Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (born May 6, 2019).
    • Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor (born June 4, 2021).
• Ana, royal princess (born on 15 August 1950), he married Captain Mark Phillips on 14 November 1973 (born on 22 September 1948) and had two sons Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips. He divorced on 28 April 1992. His second marriage was held on 12 December 1992 with Deputy Admiral Timothy Laurence (born on 1 March 1955).
  • Peter Phillips (born on 15 November 1977), married Autumn Patricia Kelly on 17 May 2008 (born on 3 May 1978). He divorced on 14 June 2021.
    • Savannah Phillips (born 29 December 2010).
    • Phillips Island (born March 29, 2012).
  • Zara Tindall (born on 15 May 1981), married Michael James Tindall on 30 July 2011 (born on 18 October 1978).
    • Mia Tindall (born January 17, 2014).
    • Lena Tindall (born June 18, 2018).
    • Lucas Tindall (born March 21, 2021).
• Andrew, Duke of York (born on 19 February 1960), she married Sarah, duchess of York (born on 15 October 1959), two daughters: Beatriz and Eugenia on 23 July 1986. She was divorced on 30 May 1996.
  • Princess Beatriz of York (born 8 August 1988). He married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on 17 July 2020 (born 19 November 1983).
    • Sienna Mapelli Mozzi (born September 18, 2021).
  • Princess Eugenia of York (born 23 March 1990). He married Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018 (born May 3, 1986).
    • August Brooksbank (born 9 February 2021).
• Eduardo, Earl of Wessex (born on 10 March 1964), he married Sofia, Countess of Wessex (born on 20 January 1965), on 19 June 1999.
  • Lady Luisa Mountbatten-Windsor (born November 8, 2003).
  • Jacobo Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (born December 17, 2007).

Other family members

• David Armstrong-Jones, ii count of Snowdon, is the son of Princess Margarita of the United Kingdom, sister of the queen. Married and divorced from Serena Stanhope, they had two children:
  • Charles Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley
  • Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones
• Lady Sara Chatto, daughter of Princess Margarita of the United Kingdom, married to Daniel Chatto, has two sons:
  • Samuel Chatto
  • Arthur Chatto
• Ricardo de Gloucester, son of Enrique de Gloucester, is King George VI's brother, is married to Birgitte van Deurs, has three children and six grandchildren:
  • Alexander Windsor, Count of Ulster, married to Claire Booth, children:
    • Xan Windsor, Baron Culloden
    • Lady Cosima Windsor
  • Lady Davina Windsor, married to Gary Lewis, children:
    • Senna Kowhai Lewis
    • Tāne Mahuta Lewis
  • Lady Rose Gilman, married to George Gilman, has two children:
    • Lyla Beatrix Christabel Gilman
    • Rufus Frederick Montagu

• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, son of George of Kent, brother of King George VI, is married to Katharine Worsley, has three sons and nine grandchildren:
  • George Windsor, count of St. Andrews, married to Sylvana Tomaselli, children:
    • Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick
    • Lady Marina Windsor
    • Lady Amelia Windsor
  • Lady Helen Taylor, married to Timothy Taylor, has four children:
    • Columbus George Donald Taylor
    • Cassius Edward Taylor
    • Eloise Olivia Katherine Taylor
    • Olga Elizabeth Taylor
  • Lord Nicholas Windsor, married to Paola Doimi de Lupis, children:
    • The Honorable Albert Windsor
    • The Honorable Leopold Windsor
    • The Honorable Louis Windsor
• Princess Alejandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy, daughter of George of Kent, widow of Angus Ogilvy, children:
  • James Ogilvy
  • Marina Ogilvy
• Prince Miguel de Kent, son of Jorge de Kent, is married to Maria Cristina de Reibnitz, children:
  • Frederick Windsor
  • Gabriella Kingston

Performed in film and television

Cinema

TV series

Ancestors