profile of the sovereign “survivor”

Euskaraz irakurri: Elisabet II.a, 70 urteko erreginaldia bete duen uploadanoa

Isabel IIwho died on Thursday, September 8, was Queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations from 1952 to 2022. A reign that began after World War II following the death of her father, King George VI, and ended 70 years later , with his death.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on 21 April 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 relinquish his marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. British ministers advised the king to abdicate, arguing that the people would never accept a divorcee as queen. Thus was George VI called king, and Elizabeth became the heiress to the throne.

ascend to the throne

World War II broke out during the reign of George VI. Elizabeth began her public life in 1943. On November 20, 1947, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark — passed away on April 9, 2021 — at Westminster Abbey. The couple had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, royal princess; Andrew, Duke of York; and Edward, Earl of Wessex.

In 1951 King George VI was diagnosed with lung cancer and his health deteriorated significantly. 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 word of George VI’s death.

Elizabeth became queen, and the marriage was transferred to Buckingham Palace. The coronation took place on June 2, 1953 at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony was the first to be televised in British royal history.

Suez controversy

The first controversy faced by Queen Elizabeth II broke out shortly after, in November 1956, when Israel, the United Kingdom and France attempted to regain control of the Suez Canal after Egyptian President Nasser nationalized it.

Lord Mountbatten, an officer in the British Royal Navy, stated that the Queen was against the occupation of the Suez Canal. Such a claim was denied by Anthony Eden, then Conservative Prime Minister. 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 occupation attempt and the Prime Minister’s subsequent resignation in January, due to health problems, were the reason why the first criticism of the queen. Without formal procedures for electing a leader in the Conservative Party, Elizabeth II was reprimanded for following the advice of a small group of ministers.

Public opinion changed thanks to the acceleration of the United Kingdom’s decolonization process and the consolidation of the Commonwealth of Nations in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Annus Horribilis”

The later years of Isabell II’s reign were not so prosperous. In the 80s and 90s, the cpublic criticism of the royal family increased, especially in the latter. The media inquired about the personal and work lives of the Queen’s children.

In March 1992, Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah Ferguson announced their divorce; Princess Anne divorced Captain Mark Phillips in April. seven months later, Diana and Charles of Wales are formally divorced.

Prime Minister John Major first approved reforms to royal finances, including a payment of income tax to the Queen. All this, along with the November fire at Windsor Castle, led Elizabeth II to name the year 1992 as “Annus Horribilis”.

The Death of Lady Di

Much to public discontent, the Prince and Princess of Wales finally divorced in 1996. A year later, lady di passed away 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 holiday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland with her son and grandchildren. After attending church in Crathie, near Balmoral, the royal family was absent from any public appearance for five days. According to royal biographer James Whitaker, “Her concern wasn’t Diana, Prince Charles or their family, it was her grandchildren. She focused on protecting her poor grandchildren as best she could.”

The isolation caused great consternation, who died after a live broadcast on September 5, the day before Diana’s funeral. This moment is likely seen as “the moment when the monarchy changes its attitude to its past and future,” as royal biographer Sarah Bradford puts it.

In recent years

Already in the 21st century, the appreciation of the British royal family improved remarkably. The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee in 2002, touring 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. They got married on April 29, 2011. William and Kate from Cambridge. The couple had three children: Jorge, Carlota and Luis.

The wedding between Harry and Meghan, Dukes of Sussex, took place on May 19, 2018. They have had two children: Archie and Lilibet Diana. In February 2021, they announced that: they would no longer hold royal functions.