The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away on Thursday 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was 96 years old being born on 21 April 1926.

Queen Elizabeth II was officially known as, ‘Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.’

She became the longest-reigning monarch in British history, by ruling for 70 years, 214 days surpassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years and 7 months. She was the second-longest recorded monarch of a sovereign country, losing to Louis XVI of France, who ruled for 72 years and 110 days.

Early Life

Queen Elizabeth II was born royalty, as she was conceived during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. Being the first child of her father, the Duke of York (King George VI), and her mother, the Duchess of York (Queen Elizabeth), she was named after her mother Queen Elizabeth, her paternal great-grandmother Queen Alexandra and her paternal grandmother Queen Mary, as ‘Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.’

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was given a nickname, ‘Lilibet’, and was called by the same among close family members.

The World War Second

In 1939, Britain entered the Second World War. The mother of Princess Elizabeth refused to evacuate the kingdom and decided that she and her daughters will stand by the soldiers and the King until the war ends.  This situation led Princess Elizabeth to her first BBC radio appearance at the age of 14, in which she addressed other children who have evacuated the kingdom and motivated them that they are doing all they can, and the end will be all well.

Princess Elizabeth undertook her first solo public appearance in 1943, on a visit to the Grenadier Guards, which was a British infantry regiment.

She became the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Auxiliary Territorial Service, which was the women’s division of the British Army during World War II, as a mechanic in 1945.

Marriage

Elizabeth met her future husband at an early teenage and they both fell in love and began exchanging letters.

The Queen’s husband was born “Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark”; became “Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of the Royal Navy” during his service to the armed forces. Upon his marriage to Elizabeth, on 20 November 1947, was finally titled as ‘Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich.’

The couple celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary, making them the first British monarch couple to reach this celebration, in 2017.

Some Interesting Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

• On 13 November 2001, the Queen broke the protocol and allowed her troops to play US National Anthem during the Changing of the Guards ceremony as a tribute to the 9/11 and Americans in UK who were not able to return home.

• The Queen has two birthdays. One, on 21^st April when she was born and another on 2^nd June when she was crowned. That day is witnessed by grand military event marking the monarch’s official birthday and is known as ‘Trooping the Colour’.

• The Queen sent her message to moon in July 1969, congratulating the Apollo 11 astronauts for their landing on the moon.

 

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• Queen posted for the first time on the royal family’s Instagram in the year 2019, sharing a photo of 1843 letter to Prince Albert (her great-grandfather).

• Queen has witnessed the political tenure on 15 Prime Ministers of UK.

List of 15 Prime Ministers of UK, Witnessed by Queen Elizabeth II

• Winston Churchill (1951-1955)
• Anthony Eden (1955-1957)
• Harold Macmillan (1957-1963)
• Alec Douglas-Home (1963-1964)
• Harold Wilson (1964-1970) and (1974-1976)
• Edward Heath (1970-1974)
• James Callaghan (1976-1979)
• Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990)
• John Major (1990-1997)
• Tony Blair (1997-2007)
• Gordon Brown (2007-2010)
• David Cameron (2010-2016)
• Theresa May (2016-2019)
• Boris Johnson (2019-2022)
• Liz Truss (2022-present)