Background

Queen Elizabeth II was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, in London, to Prince Albert, Duke of York (later known as King George VI), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Her father was the second son of the King. Her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat the Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London house: 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair.

Her unruffled childhood took a decisive turn when her grandfather King George V passed away and her uncle Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to be with his lady love and twice divorcee, Wallis Simpson. Consequently, Elizabeth’s father was crowned king and she became the crown princess and next in line to the throne.

Education

Elizabeth, with her sister Margaret, started her education at home and learned history, French, mathematics, geography along with dancing, singing and art.

Elizabeth received private tuition in constitutional history from Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton College, and learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses. A Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace Company, was formed specifically so she could socialise with girls her own age. Later, she was enrolled as a Sea Ranger.

Career

In the summer of 1951 the health of King George VI entered into a serious decline, and Princess Elizabeth represented him at the Trooping the Colour and on various other state occasions. On October 7 she and her husband set out on a highly successful tour of Canada and Washington, D.C. After Christmas in England she and the duke set out in January 1952 for a tour of Australia and New Zealand, but en route, at Sagana, Kenya, news reached them of the king’s death on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth, now queen, at once flew back to England. The first three months of her reign, the period of full mourning for her father, were passed in comparative seclusion. But in the summer, after she had moved from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, she undertook the routine duties of the sovereign and carried out her first state opening of Parliament on November 4, 1952. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

Beginning in November 1953 the queen and the duke of Edinburgh made a six-month round-the-world tour of the Commonwealth, which included the first visit to Australia and New Zealand by a reigning British monarch. In 1957, after state visits to various European nations, she and the duke visited Canada and the United States. In 1961 she made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years, and she was also the first reigning British monarch to visit South America (in 1968) and the Persian Gulf countries (in 1979). During her “Silver Jubilee” in 1977, she presided at a London banquet attended by the leaders of the 36 members of the Commonwealth, traveled all over Britain and Northern Ireland, and toured overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, in Canada, and in the Caribbean.

On the accession of Queen Elizabeth, her son Prince Charles became heir apparent; he was named prince of Wales on July 26, 1958, and was so invested on July 1, 1969. The queen’s other children were Princess Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise), born August 15, 1950, and created princess royal in 1987; Prince Andrew (Andrew Albert Christian Edward), born February 19, 1960, and created duke of York in 1986; and Prince Edward (Edward Anthony Richard Louis), born March 10, 1964, and created earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn in 1999. All these children have the surname “of Windsor,” but in 1960 Elizabeth decided to create the hyphenated name Mountbatten-Windsor for other descendants not styled prince or princess and royal highness. Elizabeth’s first grandchild (Princess Anne’s son) was born on November 15, 1977.

The queen seemed increasingly aware of the modern role of the monarchy, allowing, for example, the televising of the royal family’s domestic life in 1970 and condoning the formal dissolution of her sister’s marriage in 1978. In the 1990s, however, the royal family faced a number of challenges. In 1992, a year that Elizabeth referred to as the royal family’s annus horribilis, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, princess of Wales, separated, as did Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, duchess of York. Moreover, Anne divorced, and a fire gutted the royal residence of Windsor Castle. In addition, as the country struggled with a recession, resentment over the royals’ lifestyle mounted, and in 1992 Elizabeth, although personally exempt, agreed to pay taxes on her private income. The separation and later divorce (1996) of Charles and the immensely popular Diana further eroded support for the royal family, which was viewed by some as antiquated and unfeeling. The criticism intensified following Diana’s death in 1997, especially after Elizabeth initially refused to allow the national flag to fly at half-staff over Buckingham Palace. In line with her earlier attempts at modernizing the monarchy, the queen subsequently sought to present a less-stuffy and less-traditional image of the monarchy. These attempts were met with mixed success.

In 2002 Elizabeth celebrated her 50th year on the throne. As part of her “Golden Jubilee,” events were held throughout the Commonwealth, including several days of festivities in London. The celebrations were somewhat diminished by the deaths of Elizabeth’s mother and sister early in the year. Beginning in the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century, the public standing of the royal family rebounded, and even Charles’s 2005 marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles found much support among the British people. In April 2011 Elizabeth led the family in celebrating the wedding of Prince William of Wales—the elder son of Charles and Diana—and Catherine Middleton. The following month she surpassed George III to become the second longest-reigning monarch in British history, behind Victoria. Also in May, Elizabeth made a historic trip to Ireland, becoming both the first British monarch to visit the Irish republic and the first to set foot in Ireland since 1911. In 2012 Elizabeth celebrated her “Diamond Jubilee,” marking 60 years on the throne. On September 9, 2015, she surpassed Victoria’s record reign of 63 years and 216 days.

Achievements

• Elizabeth II is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch as well as the world's longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state, the oldest and longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state. Elizabeth has held many titles and honorary military positions throughout the Commonwealth, is Sovereign of many orders in her own countries, and has received honours and awards from around the world. In each of her realms she has a distinct title that follows a similar formula: Queen of Jamaica and her other realms and territories in Jamaica, Queen of Australia and her other realms and territories in Australia, etc. In the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, which are Crown dependencies rather than separate realms, she is known as Duke of Normandy and Lord of Mann, respectively. Additional styles include Defender of the Faith and Duke of Lancaster. When in conversation with the Queen, the practice is to initially address her as Your Majesty and thereafter as Ma'am.
  
  On 4 April 2013, she received an honorary BAFTA for her patronage of the film industry, and was called "the most memorable Bond girl yet" at the award ceremony.

Religion

She grew up Anglican, being part of the most famous Church of England family in the world. Upon inheriting the throne from her father, she also inherited his title as Defender of the Faith, a role every monarch has held since Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church.

For Elizabeth II, the Church of England is “occasionally misunderstood and, I believe, commonly under-appreciated. Its role is not to defend Anglicanism to the exclusion of other religions. Instead, the Church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country.” In that 2012 speech, she went on to say, that “The Church of England has created an environment for other faith communities and indeed people of no faith to life freely.”

Politics

Queen Elizabeth II does not wield any political power in England and remains politically neutral as her symbolic position dictates.

Queen Elizabeth’s role in English politics is purely symbolic. She takes no official stance on British policy or regarding any British political parties. For all intents and purposes, The United Kingdom is a constitutional parliamentary democracy, meaning that leaders with real political power are elected by popular vote. The Queen does carry the symbolic duty of inviting a newly elected Prime Minister to take office once he/she has won the election.

The Queen has always shown the utmost respect to Britain’s elected leaders and, during various speeches, has espoused the virtues of democracy and the actions of individuals in relation to their country. She once said:

"I have also witnessed great change, much of it for the better, particularly in science and technology, and in social attitudes. Remarkably, many of these sweeping advances have come about not because of governments, committee resolutions, or central directives — although all these have played a part — but instead because millions of people around the world have wanted them."

Views

Elizabeth is known to favour simplicity in court life and is also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties.

Prince Charles is known for championing environmentally friendly products, but the queen is quietly also big on eco-fare. She uses a number of green warrant-holders including Delphis Eco, which provides environmentally friendly cleaning products, and Agri-cycle, which uses agricultural waste such as spray cans, fertilizer bags, and shrink wrap and recycles it into furniture, flooring, and containers.

Quotations: "The lessons from the peace process are clear; whatever life throws at us, our individual responses will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load."

"At its heart, engineering is about using science to find creative, practical solutions. It is a noble profession."

"I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together."

"We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the right time and the manner of yielding what is impossible to keep."

"What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass; it is almost exactly 13 years since the overwhelming majority of people in Ireland and Northern Ireland voted in favour of the agreement signed on Good Friday 1998, paving the way for Northern Ireland to become the exciting and inspirational place that it is today."

"At Christmas, I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story. A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child."

"I have to be seen to be believed."

"I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast."

"The British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be."

"Like all best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements."

Personality

Much of what is known about Elizabeth's personality and views has been compiled from impressions and descriptions by those she has met. Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff remarked in 2010, after a private audience with the Queen, how he was struck by her "wonderful sense of the absurd" and noted her "sense of humour, that sense of the absurd, that sense of comedy of life has survived 60 years of gruelling public life." After a weekend at Balmoral Castle hosted by the Queen, Canadian Governor General Michaëlle Jean recounted witnessing a relaxed, informal home life: Elizabeth and her family preparing a meal together—including a salad dressing devised by the Queen—and doing the washing up afterwards. Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, commented on Elizabeth's personality as "individualistic". Hicks's mother remembers back to when George VI died. Elizabeth was in Kenya with her husband when she found out; "I’m so sorry, but we are going to have to go back to England," she recalled Elizabeth saying.

Her favourite country to visit has always been Australia. Her favourite county is Norfolk whose residents – good, simple, loyal folk – she compares to Australians.

Physical Characteristics: Height: 163 cm (5 ft 4)

Eye color: Blue

Hair Color: Grey

Quotes from others about the person

• "The present Queen has always been greatly loved."
  
  Bernard Levin, "Uneasy Lies the Head", The Times, 23 January 1989.
  
  "So I went to the top lady. And I was sobbing and I said, ‘What do I do? I'm coming to you. What do I do?’... And she said, ‘I don't know what you should do. Charles is hopeless.’ And that was it. That was help! So I didn't go back to her again for help because I don't go back again if I don't get it the first time, right."
  
  Diana, Princess of Wales to voice coach Peter Settelen in 1992, as quoted in Tapes reveal more from Princess Diana: NBC News exclusive: Inside the life of the late icon, NBC News, November 30, 2004
  
  "Your Majesty, during Your Reign, which commenced in an African country only a little distance to the South, You have carried forward gloriously the traditions of Your lineage and brought new honour to the Throne which You occupy. Your Majesty personally enjoys today the respect, the admiration and the affection of all peoples to whom Britain serves as the symbol of indomitability in adversity, of courage when confronted by danger, of dignity and resolve when threatened with defeat, and of magnanimity and generosity in victory."
  
  Haile Selassie, Visit of Queen Elizabeth II, Monday, February 01, 1965

Interests

• Privately, she became a keen horsewoman; she keeps racehorses, frequently attends races, and periodically visits the Kentucky stud farms in the United States.
  
  This monarch is particularly fond of dogs and loves to read mystery novels and, during her leisure time, watches wrestling on television.

• Writers

  Her favourite book when a child was the famous pony story Moorland Mousie.
  
  Her favourite magazines in the 1980s were Country Life, Harpers & Queen and the Radio Times.
  
  Her favourite author is not, as widely reported, Dick Francis but that saucy chronicler of the country set Jilly Cooper.

• Sport & Clubs

  Horse racing

• Music & Bands

  Her favourite Sixties singers were Petula Clark, Sammy Davis Jnr and Matt "Born Free" Munro. Apart from John Lennon, her least favourite singer of all time was the simpering French crooner Maurice Chevalier.

Connections

Elizabeth got married to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, her second cousin once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousin through Queen Victoria, on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey.

Her first son, Prince Charles was born on 14 November, 1948 and, a couple of years later, she also gave birth to Princess Anne. Prince Andrew was born in 1960 while Prince Edward, her fourth child, was born in 1964.

In 1969, she declared Prince Charles her successor and bestowed upon him, the title of Prince of Wales. Prince Charles got married to 19-year-old Diana Spencer in 1981.

Father:

George VI

He was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was the last Emperor of India and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

Mother:

Queen Elizabeth

She was Queen consort of the United Kingdom and the Dominions from her husband's accession in 1936 until his death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter. She was the last Empress of India.

Spouse:

Philip Windsor

Philip was born into the Greek and Danish royal families. He was born in Greece, but his family was exiled from the country when he was an infant. After being educated in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, he joined the British Royal Navy in 1939, aged 18. From July 1939, he began corresponding with the 13-year-old Princess Elizabeth, whom he had first met in 1934. During the Second World War he served with the Mediterranean and Pacific Fleets.

Grandfather:

George V

He was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.

Sister:

Princess Margaret

Margaret was often viewed as a controversial member of the British royal family. Her divorce in 1978 earned her negative publicity, and she was romantically associated with several men.

Son:

Charles, Prince of Wales

He has been Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay since 1952, and is the oldest and longest-serving heir apparent in British history. He is also the longest-serving Prince of Wales, having held that title since 1958.

Daughter:

Anne Windsor

She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her mother – then Princess Elizabeth – and elder brother, Charles. She rose to second after her mother's accession, but is currently thirteenth in line.

Son:

Prince Andrew Duke of York

He holds the rank of commander and the honorary rank of Vice Admiral (as of February 2015) in the Royal Navy, in which he served as an active-duty helicopter pilot and instructor and as the captain of a warship. He saw active service during the Falklands War, flying on multiple missions including anti-surface warfare, Exocet missile decoy, and casualty evacuation.

Son:

Edward Windsor

At the time of his birth, he was third in line of succession to the British throne; he is now tenth. The Earl is a full-time working member of the British royal family and supports the Queen in her official duties – often alongside his wife the Countess of Wessex - as well as undertaking public engagements for a large number of his own charities. In particular he has assumed many duties from his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, who has been reducing some commitments due to his age.

colleague:

Theresa May

colleague:

David Cameron

References

• Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch eBook: Sally Bedell Smith: Kindle Store
• The Queen: The Life and Times of Elizabeth II
• Royal Sisters: Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret eBook: Anne Edwards: Kindle Store
• The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II eBook: Andrew Marr: Kindle Store
• The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II
• Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Life and Reign
• Queen Elizabeth II (True Bookbiographies)
• Queen Elizabeth II: A Celebration of Her Majesty's 90th Birthday
• Young Elizabeth: The Making of the Queen
• Elizabeth II: The Steadfast (Penguin Monarchs)
• Queen Elizabeth II: A Diamond Jubilee Souvenir Album
• Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II eBook: Philip Eade: Kindle Store
• Queen and Country: The Fifty-Year Reign of Elizabeth II
• Our Times: The Age of Elizabeth II eBook: A. N. Wilson: Kindle Store