Kings and Queens Special: Queen Elizabeth II
Biography
[A brief history of her life]
| Name: | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor |
| Born: | 21 April 1926 |
| Children: | 4 children |
| Died: | 08 September 2022 |
| Buried: | King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s chapel, Windsor Castle |
Family life and Abdication
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| The Throne | The Throne is the chair the King or Queen sits on to rule. |
| Abdication | This means that you say you no longer want to be the King or Queen. You step down / You abdicate / you give up the throne. |
| Monarch | This is the head of state such as the King, Queen, or Emperor. |
| To ascend the throne | This means to become the King or Queen. |
| Legendary | This means very well known. Queen Elizabeth knew everything about horses. |
| Into the limelight | This means that you get public attention. Everyone knows you and are focussed on you. |
| First in line to the throne | This means that you are the next one to be the King / Queen. |
When she was born in 1926, Princess Elizabeth (later The Queen) and her family did not expect that she would one day become Monarch and one of the greatest to ascend the throne.
When Princess Elizabeth was six years old, her parents took over Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their own country home.
In the grounds of the lodge, she was given her own small house, Y Bwthyn Bach (the Little Cottage); a gift from the people of Wales for her sixth birthday in 1932.
She also loved horses and her knowledge of them was legendary.
Life was quiet and relaxing for Elizabeth until 1936 when her grandfather, King George V [5th] died. His eldest son came to the throne as King Edward VIII [8th], but, before the end of the year, King Edward VIII had decided to give up the throne so he could marry Mrs Wallis Simpson.
This brought Elizabeth more into the limelight because when King Edward VIII abdicated, Princess Elizabeth’s father became King George VI [6th] making Elizabeth first in line to the throne.
Public interest in her grew from this point, changing her life forever.
The Queens Education
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| Wealthy | This means that you are rich and have a lot of money. |
| Succeeded to the throne | This means to become the King or Queen. |
| Numerous | This means ‘many of’ something. |
| Dedicated | If you are dedicated, you give 100% effort to something. |
| Admired | If you are admired, people look up to you and respect you. |
Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret were educated at home like many girls from wealthy families at that time.
After her father succeeded to the throne in 1936 and Princess Elizabeth became first in line to the throne, she started to study history, religion and law in preparation for her future role as Queen.
She even learned French which helped The Queen on numerous occasions when she visited French-speaking Canada and other French speaking countries.
Princess Elizabeth also studied art and music, learned to ride horses, and became a strong swimmer. While at Windsor during World War II, the Princess also competed at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1944. Driving a Norwegian pony named Hans in a carriage with her sister as passenger, Princess Elizabeth won the Single Private Driving Class.
She was a lady that knew what was expected of her in the future and did everything she could to prepare for her future role. She was a dedicated lady and one to be admired.
The Queen’s Accession and Coronation
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| Acceded / Accession to the throne | This means to become the King or Queen. |
| Reign | This is the time that you are King or Queen. Elizabeth’s II [2nd] reign, is the time she was the Queen. |
| Coronation | This is the ceremony [process] that is done to make someone either a King or Queen. |
| Courage | This means brave, not afraid to do something. |
On 6 February 1952, King George VI [6th] died due to an illness and Princess Elizabeth immediately acceded to the throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II and taking on all of the responsibilities which came with her new role as Queen.
She received the news of her father’s death and her own accession to the throne while on an official visit to Kenya. At that moment, she was no longer Princess Elizabeth but Queen Elizabeth II.
Upon hearing the news, the young Princess flew back to Britain as Queen. She was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the airport before returning to Clarence House, where the Royal Standard flag was flown for the first time in her reign.
You can only imagine what was going through her mind at the time. She leaves England a Princess, finds out about the death of her father, and returns a queen.
She could only hope that all the preparations she did in her younger years, would give her the strength and courage to be Queen.
It was time to prepare her coronation.
The Coronation
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| The date was set for… | If the date is set, the date has been agreed upon. |
| On the eve of… | This means the day before something. Like Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas. |
| Commonwealth | This is a group of countries, including the UK, that were once controlled by the British Empire. |
| She pledged… | She promised … [A Pledge is a promise]. |
| Devotion | If you have devotion for something, you put a lot of time and effort into it because it is your passion. You care a lot about it. |
| Strive to … | If you strive to do something, you try really hard to do something. |
The date was set for the Coronation at Westminster Abbey and preparations began. That day was 2 June 1953.
On the eve of her Coronation, the day before she was to be made queen, The Queen made a radio broadcast to the Commonwealth in which she pledged her devotion to its people, saying, ‘Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.’
Many wondered if she could fulfil her promise and become all that we hoped her to be.
The First Televised Coronation
The ceremony in 1953 was heard on radio around the world and was on TV for the first time ever. This was at the request of the queen which showed the world that she wanted to connect with the public.
An estimated 27 million people in Britain watched the ceremony on television and 11 million listened on the radio. The population of Britain at the time was just over 36 million. She was a modern Queen right from the start.
What a lady!
The Queen’s Life and Reign
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| A respected figure | A respected person. |
| The globe | The world. |
| Life of service | This means the Queen dedicated her whole life to serving the people. |
| An important figurehead | A figurehead is someone who is seen as a leader, but who has no real power. |
| Subjects | If a country has a King or Queen, the people are their subjects. |
| Diplomat | This is a person who represents the country abroad. |
| Hostess | This is a woman who welcomes and entertains the guests. |
| Voluntary | This means you choose to do work for free. |
| Charities | These are organisations that are created to help raise money for people in need such as the Red Cross. |
| Patronages | A ‘patron’ is a person that gives financial support or other support to an organisation. The organisation they support is their ‘patronage.’ |
| Preserving wildlife | To ‘preserve’ something is to look after it. The Queen was passionate about preserving wildlife. |
| The symbol of Britain | When you think of Britain, you think of Queen Elizabeth II. She represents this country. She is the symbol. |
| Our rock through thick and thin | ‘Through thick and thin’ means problems and difficulties. If someone is your ‘rock’ during these times, they offer strong support and are always there when you need them. |
The Queen ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, becoming a much loved and respected figure across the globe. For over 70 years, Her Majesty was a dedicated Head of the Commonwealth, linking more than two billion people worldwide.
She was to become known for her devotion to a life of service, and was an important figurehead for the UK and the Commonwealth during good and bad times.
Her working life was spent travelling around the UK and overseas. Before she became Queen, she had said, “There is none of my father’s subjects from the oldest to the youngest whom I do not wish to greet.” During her reign, she visited every part of the commonwealth and every part of the UK, returning to some many times over.
The Queen was served by 15 UK Prime Ministers during her reign, beginning with Winston Churchill in 1952. She met them almost every week and was famous for encouraging them to do the right thing.
In addition, she also acted as diplomat and hostess, welcoming over 110 Presidents and Prime Ministers to the UK on official visits.
The Queen also saw public and voluntary service as one of the most important parts of her work and had links with over 500 charities. These varied from international charities to smaller charities working around the UK.
The Queen’s Patronages and charities covered everything from creating opportunities for young people and to preserving wildlife and the environment.
Her smile, welcoming personality and sense of humour attracted all who where lucky enough to meet her.
She was the symbol of Britain and was our rock through thick and thin.
Family and faith
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| ‘strength and stay’ | If someone is your ‘strength and stay’, they are your ‘rock.’ The person that will always be there for you. |
| Vital support | ‘Vital’ means very important. |
| Annual Christmas Broadcasts | ‘Annual’ means every year. Every year on Christmas Day, the Queen did a Christmas Broadcast on TV giving Christmas wishes to her people. |
| An anchor in my life | If someone is an anchor in your life, they are your ‘Rock’, your ‘Strength and stay.’ They are always there in times of need. |
For most of her working life, The Queen was supported by The Duke of Edinburgh who accompanied her on visits in the UK and overseas, and was by her side for all of her duties as queen.
Together, they raised four children, later welcoming grandchildren and great-grandchildren to the Royal Family.
The Duke of Edinburgh was – in her own words – her ‘strength and stay’ during her reign, whilst other members of the Royal Family offered vital support through their work in the UK and overseas.
The Queen was also encouraged by her Christian faith, often talking about the comfort her faith had given her, particularly during her annual Christmas Broadcasts. For her 2014 broadcast she spoke of what she had learnt from the teachings of Jesus, “For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, whose birth we celebrate today, is an inspiration and an anchor in my life.”
It was this faith that helped her through the pain of losing her true love, and lifelong companion, The Duke of Edinburgh, on 9th April, 2021.
Death of our beloved Queen
| Vocabulary | Meaning |
| A beaming light | If someone is a ‘beaming light’, they are happy and smiling and bring happiness to people around them. |
| Laid to rest | This means buried. |
It was on the 8th September 2022 that Britain, and all that loved her, sat in silence and shock when they heard the news that their beloved queen had died. Many said she was like a grandma that was a rock for the nation during hard times and a beaming light during times of joy.
Her smile, and dedication to her people will never be forgotten. And let’s not forgot, her famous sense of humour which made all who met her smile.
She was laid to rest at Windsor Castle on 19th September next to her Husband, The Duke of Edinburgh. May they rest in peace together again.
She will always be our queen, my queen. Thank you for making me smile and all that you have done.
You will always make me smile
Queen Elizabeth II: 1926 -2022