Seven years ago, at the age of 96, Elizabeth II became the most famous queen in the world. On 2 June 1953, she changed her birth name from Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor to Elizabeth II of England. Let's take a look at the Queen's most memorable moments.
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The reign of Elizabeth II
In 2015, she broke the record for the longest reign of any British monarch and in 2016 became the oldest sitting monarch.
Committed to honouring her title, to royalty as well as to British traditions, Elizabeth II has played a key role in the history of the United Kingdom, whether in constitutional reform or in her management of the Commonwealth.
A love match
Elizabeth II's love affair is worthy of a romance storyline, she was only a child when she fell in love with her future husband,Philip Mountbatten, and held him close to her heart until she could marry him years later.
The wedding took place on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey, when she was still a princess. Despite the typically English drizzle that punctuated the event, between 500,000 and 1 million British subjects travelled to Buckingham to attend the ceremony from afar.
A love marriage, therefore, is quite rare when you are part of a Royal Family! And a memorable union that gave birth to 4 children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward.
Elizabeth II and Lady Diana, a conflicting relationship
Queen Elizabeth II never really tolerated the company of women, and even less so of her daughters-in-law, as journalist Marc Roche reported in a biography of her, he wrote:
Daughters-in-law are appendages to her
Princess Diana's tumultuous relationship with her son Charles certainly did not help matters. Even if both women share a modern spirit, a strong character and a taste for independence, the controversies surrounding her daughter-in-law are all elements that escape her as Queen and whose media coverage she cannot control. A disagreement took root following the divorce of Charles and Diana, especially as the Queen feared that her son would renounce his rights of succession.
But the Queen underestimated the affection of her subjects for the Princess and was alienated by public opinion on the day Lady Dianadied in tragic circumstances in Paris. At first, Elizabeth II remained silent in her Scottish castle. It was only a few days later that she made up for this cold reaction with a public statement in London.
The Meghan and Harry affair
It was probably this complicated experience with Lady Diana that eased Queen Elizabeth II's attitude towards the marriages of her other children and even grandchildren. She reversed her intransigence by agreeing to her grandson William marrying Kate Middleton, a commoner, in 2011.
She also allowed, in 2018, the union of her other grandson, Harry, and actress Meghan Markle. But, still placing monarchical demands on her family, she found herself once again the cause of a cataclysm: tired of the constraints imposed by his rank, the Duke of Sussex finally renounced his title as well as his royal engagements in January 2020.
This article was translated from Oh!MyMag FR.
Read more:
⋙ Queen Elizabeth II has died, the longest reigning monarch in British history
⋙ Elizabeth II: Where will the Queen of England be buried?
⋙ The Queen's death: What will happen now according to Operation London Bridge?
