Queen Elizabeth II , head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 Commonwealth countries, died on Thursday at the age of 96 after reigning for seven decades.
She was “a beloved sovereign and a beloved mother”, whose death is “a moment of great sadness for me and for all the members of my family”, said her son Carlos, 73, who automatically became the new monarch under the name of Charles III.
In addition, this year that celebration will coincide with the lavish activities organized for the “platinum jubilee”, the 70th anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth II, from June 2 to 5.
The last year has been complicated for the queen, between the death of her husband Prince Felipe, the lawsuit for sexual abuse of a minor that her son Andrés ended up closing with an out-of-court financial settlement in the United States and her growing health problems.
The deterioration of Elizabeth II’s health has accelerated in recent days. On Tuesday he had received the resigning prime minister, Boris Johnson, and his successor, Liz Truss, at his Scottish castle in Balmoral, giving up for the first time in his long term to hold this formal act in London, to avoid a trip of 800 km.
Two days later, the royal house announced that its doctors were “concerned for Her Majesty’s health and recommended that she remain under medical surveillance” at Balmoral.
Their children and grandchildren immediately traveled there, including Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who was in London for a charity event, despite the fact that they have lived in California since they left the British monarchy in 2020, dealing a severe blow to the institution.
When was Queen Elizabeth born and how old is she in 2022?
The future Queen Elizabeth 2nd was born in Mayfair, London at 2:40 am on April 21, 1926. She was the first daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, Elizabeth and George. She was baptized as Isabel Alejandra Maria at Buckingham Palace on May 29 of the same year.
The British monarch celebrated her 96th birthday.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The family of Princess Elizabeth did not expect that the girl would one day become queen. The expectations were that he would live a relatively normal life, within his privilege as part of the British royal family.
Her father, Duke George of York, was second in the line of succession, after his brother Edward VIII, so his daughters—Elizabeth and Margaret—would occupy positions very far down the line of succession to the crown.
Elizabeth II’s fate changed when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 and she, the daughter of King George VI, became crown princess.
After a prolonged illness, King George VI passed away on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth, at the age of 25, immediately acceded to the throne that day and has since held the title of Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Kingdom. Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and its other Realms and Territories, head of the Commonwealth of Nations, defender of the Faith.
Due to failing health, George VI had canceled a tour of Commonwealth countries in early 1952. The then Princess of Wales and her husband, Duke Philip of Edinburgh, attended instead. Elizabeth learned of her father’s death and his coronation as Queen of England in Kenya, thousands of miles from London.
“Following the news, the tour was abandoned and the young princess flew back to Britain as queen. She was received with honors by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other officials at the airport, before returning to Claren House, where the royal standard was flown for the first time in her reign,” reads her biography on the Royal House website. British.
Elizabeth had to wait until June 2, 1953 to be officially crowned Queen of England in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey. It was the first coronation ceremony broadcast on television, in part on the advice of Philip of Edinburgh, Elizabeth’s husband and her loyal companion until his death.
“Television brought home to hundreds of thousands of people across the Commonwealth the splendor and meaning of the Coronation in a way never before possible,” the queen’s official biography states.
Elizabeth II Barbie
Coinciding with the birthday, the American toymaker Mattel released a Barbie doll with the features of an Elizabeth II, complete with a tiara and a blue sash.
How many grandsons do you have?
Isabel II had four children: Carlos —the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne— Ana, Andrés and Eduardo. Each of them had two children, so the queen has eight grandchildren.
Charles’s sons, who follow him in the line of succession, are William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
Elizabeth II’s eldest grandchildren are Princess Anne’s children, Peter Phillips, 44, and Zara Tidall, 40. By decision of their parents —Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips— they do not have noble titles or receive the treatment of royal highness.
Prince Andrew had two daughters with his first wife, Sarah Ferguson: Beatrice and Eugenie of York.
The queen’s other two grandchildren are the children of Edward and Sophie, the Earls of Wessex. They are Luisa Windsor, 18, and Jacobo Windsor, 14.
What is known about his relationship with Harry and Meghan
The relationship of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the British royal family has been one of the most important news sources in recent years.
Prince Harry (Harry) and his wife, American actress Meghan Markle, announced on January 8, 2020 that they would be retiring from their duties as senior members of the British royal family, would be financially independent, and would live in the United States. .
Since then, Harry had only visited the royal family for the funeral of his grandfather, Duke Philip of Edinburgh, in April last year and to unveil a statue of his mother, Diana Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, some months later, in July 2021. Meghan did not accompany him either time.
Over the weekend, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex thawed their relationship with Queen Elizabeth a bit, as they visited the monarch prior to their arrival in Countries to start the Invictus Games.
According to the British press, Elizabeth II invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to be part of her Platinum Jubilee celebration in June this year. According to The Telegraph , due to their status as non-active members of the royal family, the couple could not take center stage in other types of official court events.
Isabel’s dogs, how many does she have?
Queen Elizabeth II’s fondness for Corgi breed dogs is so great that it even bothered Prince Philip, who complained against “the damn mongrels (dogs)” of the queen, always hitting her legs.
The English sovereign has had 30 Corgis from 14 generations. Most were descendants of Susan, a dog that her father, King George VI, gave her for her 18th birthday. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II had 14 Corgi dogs circling her.
In 2015, the sovereign announced that she would not breed any more dogs, as she feared leaving them destitute if she died. Willow, his last dog, died at the age of 14 in April 2018.
How many wars has the queen of the United Kingdom lived through?
As Princess of Wales and only 14 years old, Elizabeth witnessed the start of World War II.
In addition to that war, the queen has witnessed other armed conflicts: the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the seven-day war between Israel and the Arab powers, the Falklands war, the Gulf war, the the Balkans, the war in Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq and more recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
With information from AFP and EFE
