Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She is the longest-serving queen of all time, having ruled the United Kingdom for 70 years since ascending the throne in 1952 until now. Let’s look back at the life and achievements of the late British Queen Elizabeth II through the most beautiful photos from her youth until her Platinum Jubilee.
Elizabeth as a child: Hyperactive princess
Elizabeth, Duchess of York, with her infant daughter Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, who is to become the future Queen of England. The little girl was born on April 21, 1926.
The princess has curly chestnut brown hair and porcelain white skin, with cheekbones that photographer Cecil Beaton described as “sweet pink”. Blue eyes always look directly at others and a bright smiling mouth. Photo taken in 1932.
9-year-old Elizabeth shakes hands with a royal soldier. She is described as a hyperactive, mischievous girl. Princess Margaret said of her sister, “She loved to dance and laugh all day.” Photo taken in 1935.
In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated so he could follow his heart when he insisted on marrying a woman who had had two husbands. His younger brother – Elizabeth’s father – became the next king, George VI. In the photo above is the 1937 coronation of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth, princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
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Young Elizabeth studied hard and worked hard to become Queen of England
Princess Elizabeth maintained her sense of humor as she grew up. In the photo, she and her sister Margaret are playing with pet dogs at Windsor Palace in 1942.
Since childhood, Elizabeth has had a passion for horseback riding. She is a talented horsewoman. Not surprisingly, her son and grandson are both accomplished polo players.
However, after her father’s coronation, Princess Elizabeth realized that she would one day become the successor to the throne. Therefore, she is always hardworking and serious. In the photo: Princess Elizabeth is studying at Windsor Palace, June 1940.
And the princess is also a very responsible person. When World War II came, Princess Elizabeth voluntarily went to the battlefield, joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945. In the photo, Princess Elizabeth II wears a British military uniform during World War II.
The Princess, then Lieutenant Elizabeth Alexander Mary Windsor, was trained as a skilled mechanic and driver. When she goes to the battlefield, she works like everyone else. In the photo above, she is changing a wheel on a military vehicle.
The faithful love of the princess and the officer
The first time Princess Elizabeth fell in love with Prince Philip was when she was just… 13 years old! Prince Philip had a rather difficult fate – although he was born into the Greek royal family, he was expelled from the country when he was only 18 months old. He joined the British Navy when he turned 18 years old. At that time, the young officer’s handsome appearance made 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth’s heart sob. She insisted on choosing him as her future fiancé. The photo above was taken when they were engaged in 1947.
The two were married in November 1947. Philip officially became a member of the British royal family. He was given the title Duke of Edinburgh.
At her wedding, Princess Elizabeth wore an elegant lace wedding dress with a 4-meter-long veil designed by Norman Hartnel.
The two honeymooned at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire, in 1947.
The young royal couple welcomed their first child, Charles, in 1948. Together they had four children: Princess Anne (born 1950), Prince Andrew (born 1960) and Prince Edward (born 1964).
Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England at a very young age
The news of King George VI’s death reached Elizabeth suddenly on the morning of February 6, 1952, when the princess was performing royal duties in Kenya. From that moment, Elizabeth officially ascended the throne of England, at the age of 25.
Everything happened suddenly and surprisingly, but there has not been a day that the Queen has not fulfilled her duties since her coronation in 1952 until now. She said, after four decades since her coronation: “The throne was given to me and I just accepted it, trying to do the best I could.”
The photo was taken during the first year of Elizabeth II’s coronation as Queen of England. At this time, the Queen of England was on her way to Westminster to meet Parliament – in her youth, she clearly showed many emotions on her face. But gradually, as she became more mature in her role as queen, she showed less and less emotion in public.
The British Queen’s youthful coronation photos put an end to Princess Elizabeth’s mischievous image. However, Kate Middleton’s niece-in-law revealed that when she is with her family, she clearly shows her practical and humorous personality. “You’d think she would be very demure and strict. But in fact, she is very simple and does not mind trivial things,” the princess shared in a television interview on the occasion of her 90th birthday.
A symbol of stability, elegance and reliability for the British royal family
Elizabeth II is wise and politically sensitive. She knows that the royal family is increasingly losing its close connection with the people in the modern era. Therefore, from a young age, the Queen of England always tried to create trust in the people, constantly participating in social and charity work, avoiding flaunting a luxurious and sophisticated lifestyle.
She only wears expensive jewelry to political parties. In everyday life, Elizabeth II rarely appears dressed too splendidly. Since her youth, after her coronation, the British Queen has always been loyal to “made in England” fashion brands, tapping into national pride with British brands.
The Queen of England has also become a fashion icon to be followed. She switched to wearing bright colors (pastel), avoiding wearing dark colors, to always stand out while still remaining elegant. She wanted her subjects to be able to see her from afar. “They have to see me to believe I’m real,” she once said.
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If she has to show off anything in life, the Queen of England likes to show off her pets. At the age of 18, she was given a corgi named Susan. After that, Susan’s “descendants” continued to follow the Queen of England everywhere she went. Princess Diana once called her corgis her “moving carpet”. The photo above shows her in her 20,000-hectare garden with her six pet dogs, in 1980.
She also never stopped loving horses. In the photo, the Queen of England chats with horsemen at the Windsor Horse Show in 1980.
Try to steer the British royal family through difficulties in changing times
The British royal family always faces scandals, and during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, this is even more evident – especially with new technology that allows information to spread more quickly and instantaneously than ever. run out of.
What makes the queen quite sad is that although she has a happy and stable marriage with Prince Philip, her children all have difficulties in love. The first two children, Charles and Anne, were both divorced. Prince Andrew has never been married. Only the youngest son, Prince Edwards, is at peace.
She arranged the marriage between Diana and Charles. But that love broke up in the despair of Diana, Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. On one side is a separated lovebirds, on the other side is a young girl whose love is broken. From that moment on, the queen stopped interfering in the love of her children and grandchildren. Her decision, fortunately, resulted in two happy marriages connecting the royal and commoner families: Prince William married Kate Middleton and Prince Harry married Meghan Markle – both nieces-in-law were unrelated. noble blood.
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After Prince Philip died in April 2021, Queen Elizabeth II no longer appears in public. Now, with her passing, her successor, Charles III, will face even greater problems. The British people did not evaluate him as favorably as Elizabeth II. Besides, the British royal family is still being criticized for being racist towards Princess Meghan Markle, and for covering up Prince Andrew’s scandal when he was involved with Jeffrey Epstein.
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However, the British royal family has inherited many of the good things that the British queen has done from her youth until now. She once said at the age of 21, “I declare before everyone that my whole life, whether short or long, will be devoted to serving people, the country and the family.” And she did it.