HM The Queen 1926 - 2022
T
he end of an era. That feeling has resonated with millions of people across the world upon hearing the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Having reigned for seventy years, the Queen was a constant throughout the lives of so many people. A significant number of those have never known a monarch other than Elizabeth II. Losing a constant in life always has a deep impact on people, but the Queen was so much more than that. Dedicating almost her entire adult life to duty and service, devoted to the people she served. It is that devotion she will be remembered for. It is that love of her people that the entire world will miss about the Queen. Unlike many other monarchs, Elizabeth II was not always supposed to have ended up as Queen. She was born on 21 April 1926, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father was the second son of King George V, making Elizabeth third in the line of succession behind her father and her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales. While there was public interest in the birth, there was no expectation that Elizabeth would ever become Queen. Certainly at the time, it was expected that The Prince of Wales would marry and have children of his own, pushing Elizabeth back in the line of succession. Therefore, Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret, born in 1930, had a nice, quiet home life, educated at home under the supervision of their mother, Elizabeth, and their governess, Marion Crawford. 8
The young Princess Elizabeth was described as a lover of horses and dogs, as well as demonstrating orderliness and an attitude of responsibility, traits that would remain with her through the duration of her life, part of the reason she was a monarch so universally admired. Her life changed in 1936. King George V died and thus her uncle succeeded him as King Edward VIII. However, a constitutional crisis developed when the King made clear he wished to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. For political, religious and social reasons, the King’s intention to marry Simpson was met with widespread opposition from both the Government and the Church of England. Forced to choose between the monarchy and Wallis Simpson, the King chose Simpson, resulting in him abdicating the throne, meaning Elizabeth’s father acceded to the throne, becoming King George
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
VI. With her father now King, Princess Elizabeth was the heir to the throne. This new destiny for her led to a much more active public life, with the young Princess accompanying her parents on many duties and visits, giving her a look into the life that awaited her, something the King was rather eager to make sure of. It was on one of these visits in 1939 that had a big impact on the young Princess’ life. When the King and Queen made a visit to the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth where Elizabeth and Margaret were escorted by a young cadet there, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. The young Elizabeth quickly fell in love with him, and by 1944, the two had begun exchanging letters. 1939 was also the year Britain entered the Second World War. It was recommended that the young Princesses should be evacuated to Canada, however the proposal was rejected by their mother. Thus they remained at Windsor Castle for the vast duration of the war. In 1940, Princess Elizabeth got another big taste of the life that awaited her, when she made her first radio broadcast to the nation via the BBC’s Children’s Hour, at the age of fourteen. In the broadcast, she stated “We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well”, the nation’s first glimpse of the show of strength the Queen was, and the strength she projected onto the nation. Princess Elizabeth was also sure to do her part in the war effort. She www.lancmag.com
