| This article is about the British monarch. For other uses, see Elizabeth. |
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Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was the Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 until her death in 2022. She was the elder daughter of George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and the only sister of Princess Margaret. During World War II, Elizabeth fell in love with a distant cousin, Prince Philip, whom she later married.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926.[2] She was a descendant of Queen Victoria and her parents were George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. In 1930, her younger sister Margaret was born. The family lived at Piccadilly until her father became King of the United Kingdom.[5] Elizabeth then became heir presumptive.
World War II[]
Elizabeth and Margaret were reunited with their parents in June 1939, after they had been on tour in Canada. The following month, the family went to Dartmouth where Elizabeth met Prince Philip, a nephew of her cousin Louis Mountbatten. She quickly developed a crush on him. In September, England declared war on Germany. Elizabeth later began writing to Philip after learning he was joining Royal Navy. The following June, it was suggested for the princesses to be evacuated. Elizabeth was "extremely indignant" about the suggestion. Later that year, she became determined to "do [her] bit" by becoming a soldier when the time came.
In May 1941, Elizabeth was delighted by a visit from Philip. She saw him a few more times that year, including when he attended her and her sister's Christmas pantomime. In early 1942, Elizabeth was made a Colonel in the Grenadier Guards. After her sixteenth birthday, she registered herself at the Ministry of Labour. However, her father refused to let her participate in any war work. Later that year, Elizabeth comforted Margaret about the death of their uncle George. In 1943, she still wanted to work though her father remained against it. Philip visited during Christmas.
Philip began the process of becoming a British citizen in March 1944. On Elizabeth's eighteenth birthday, she was made a Counsellor of State and started taking on official duties. Finally, in January 1945, Elizabeth's father allowed her to "do [her] bit" by joining the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The war in Europe ended in May, and in Japan in August. The princesses joined the celebrations. After the war, Elizabeth and Philip saw more of each other, and in August 1946, he proposed. Her father insisted on keeping the engagement secret, which frustrated her. In early 1947, the family went on tour in South Africa. A few months after their return, Elizabeth's parents finally announced their engagement.
Later life[]
Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They had two children, Charles and Anne, before King George VI passed away in 1952. Elizabeth succeeded him as monarch. Her family moved into Buckingham Palace, where she resided henceforth. Elizabeth and Philip had a total of four children and eight grandchildren. She was the second English monarch after Victoria to reach her Diamond Jubliee year.
Personality and traits[]
Margaret described Elizabeth as "sensible and obedient" as well as "responsible and serious." She always behaved properly whether in public or private. Elizabeth knew exactly how to act in every situation and often chastised her sister for her mistakes in manners. As such, Margaret, who was characterized as fun-loving, was considered the opposite of her. Nevertheless, Elizabeth had a playful side which she usually only showed to Margaret and her parents.
Family tree[]
| ♛George V (1865-1936) | Mary of Teck (1867-1953) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♛George VI (1895-1952) | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002) | Mary, Princess Royal (1897-1965) | Prince Henry (1900-1974) | Prince George (1902-1942) | Princess Marina (1906-1968) | Two others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prince Philip (1921-2021) | ♛Elizabeth II (1926-2022) | Princess Margaret (1930-2002) | George Lascelles | Prince Edward (b. 1935) | Princess Alexandra (b. 1936) | Prince Michael (b. 1942) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ♛Charles III (b. 1948) | Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) | Two others | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Key:
♛ - King or Queen of the United Kingdom - Notes:
- For brevity's sake, only people mentioned in Wartime Princess are included on this tree.
Behind the scenes[]
- Elizabeth is a major supporting character in Wartime Princess by Valerie Wilding.
- She is pictured on the cover of both editions Wartime Princess, instead of her sister whom is the point-of-view character.
- In the book, Elizabeth is usually referred by her family nickname "Lilibet."
- Elizabeth is briefly mentioned in the epilogue of Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine as being a descendant of the title character.
- She is mentioned several times in the My New Zealand Story book Journey to Tangiwai, which describes her 1953 coronation. The main narrative and the historical note also mention her visit to New Zealand at the end of the year. Photos of Elizabeth and Philip offering sympathy for the Tangiwai disaster are included at the end of the book.
Appearances[]
- In chronological order:
- Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (Mentioned in the Epilogue)
- Wartime Princess
- Journey to Tangiwai (Mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 141
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 43
- ↑ Elizabeth II had not passed away at the time of the publication of Wartime Princess; her death date is included here as it can be considered public knowledge.
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 143
- ↑ Wartime Princess, Valerie Wilding, page 5
See also[]
