Elizabeth II has been queen for 70 years, the longest regency in the history of the British crown. Throughout these years, she has managed to overcome, one by one, all the scandals that have affected her, both politicians and those linked to the royal family.
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Isabel IIwho passed away this Thursday, September 8, has been queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations from 1952 to 2022. A reign that began after World War II due to the death of her father, King George VI, and has ended 70 years later, with his death.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21, 1926. Daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, the queen was third in line to the throne, behind her uncle, Edward, Prince of Wales and her father, George , Duke of York. Consequently, Elizabeth was not expected to become Queen of the United Kingdom.
In 1936, his grandfather, King George V, died, and Edward succeeded him. That same year, Edward VIII was forced to abdicate over his marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. British government ministers recommended that the king abdicate, arguing that the people would never accept a divorcee as queen. Thus, George VI was named king, and Elizabeth became the heiress to the throne.
ascent to the throne
During the reign of George VI, World War II broke out. Elizabeth began her public life in 1943. On November 20, 1947, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark —died April 9, 2021— at Westminster Abbey. The couple had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, princess royal; Andrew, Duke of York; and Edward, Earl of Wessex.
In 1951, King George VI was diagnosed with lung cancer, and his health deteriorated markedly. Isabel replaced him in almost all public acts. It was precisely during a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Kenya, on February 6, 1952, that the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh received the news of George VI’s death.
Elizabeth was made queen, and the marriage was transferred to Buckingham Palace. The coronation was held on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey. The ceremony was the first to be televised in British royal history.
Suez controversy
The first controversy that Queen Elizabeth II had to face erupted shortly after, in November 1956, when Israel, the United Kingdom and France tried to regain control of the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Nasser had nationalized it.
Lord Mountbatten, an officer in the British Royal Navy, declared that the Queen opposed the occupation of the Suez Canal. Such an assertion was denied by Anthony Eden, Conservative Prime Minister at the time. In a 1994 documentary, a secretary to the queen, Lord Charteris, admitted that Elizabeth II was “personally concerned” about the “problem” of the canal crisis.
The failed attempt at the occupation and the subsequent resignation in January of the prime minister, alleging health problems, were the reason why the first criticisms against the queen. With no formal procedures for choosing a leader in the Conservative Party, Elizabeth II was censured for following the advice of a small group of ministers.
Public opinion changed thanks to the acceleration of the process of decolonization of the United Kingdom and the consolidation of the Commonwealth of Nations, during the 1960s and 1970s.
“Annus horribilis”
The later years of the reign of Isabell II were not so prosperous. In the 1980s and 1990s, the cpublic criticism of the royal family increased, especially in the latter. The media inquired about the personal and work life of the queen’s children.
In March 1992, Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah Ferguson announced their separation; In April, Princess Anne divorced Captain Mark Phillips. seven months later, Diana and Charles of Wales formally separated.
Prime Minister John Major approved, for the first time, reforms in the royal finances, which included a payment of income tax to the queen. All of this, together with the fire in November at Windsor Castle, led Elizabeth II to name the year 1992 as “Annus horribilis”.
The death of Lady Di
To public discontent, the Prince and Princess of Wales finally divorced in 1996. A year later, lady di died in a car accident in Parison August 31, 1997. His partner Dodi Al-Fayed and the driver of the vehicle also died.
The queen was on vacation with her son and grandchildren at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. After attending the church at Crathie, near Balmoral, the royal family was absent for five days from any public appearance. According to royal biographer James Whitaker, “His concern for her was not Diana, Prince Charles or her family, it was her grandchildren. She focused on protecting her poor grandchildren as best she could.”
The isolation caused great consternation, which died down after a live broadcast on September 5, the day before Diana’s funeral. This moment is likely to be seen as “the moment when the monarchy changes her attitude towards her past and her future”, as royal biographer Sarah Bradford puts it.
Last years
Already during the 21st century, the valuation of the British royal house improved remarkably. The queen celebrated her golden jubilee in 2002, and held a tour of the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The following years were marked by royal weddings: in 2005, Prince Charles married Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. On April 29, 2011, they married William and Kate of Cambridge. The couple has had three children: Jorge, Carlota and Luis.
The wedding between Harry and Meghan, Dukes of Sussex, was held on May 19, 2018. They have had two children: Archie and Lilibet Diana. In February 2021, they announced that they would no longer exercise royal functions.
On April 9 of this same year, Philip of Edinburgh died, at 99 years old. “It is with great sadness that Her Majesty the Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, Her Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” Buckingham Palace said in a brief statement.
In 2022, the United Kingdom has celebrated the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II, the platinum jubilee, which was in doubt a month earlier, after the absence, for the first time since 1963, of Elizabeth II at the inauguration of the parliamentary year of the United Kingdom United.
The queen made her last public appearance last Tuesday, September 6, during the delivery of the position to the new British prime minister, Liz Truss, which for reasons of the sovereign’s health, took place at Balmoral Palace (Scotland).
Source: Eitb
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.