O BBC One, the UK's main public TV channel, released the obituary of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away this Thursday (08) after 70 years of reign.
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Queen Elizabeth II's long reign was marked by her strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to the throne and her people.
It became for many the constant point in a rapidly changing world as British influence declined, society changed beyond recognition, and the role of the monarchy itself was questionteenager.
His success in maintaining the monarchy in such turbulent times was all the more remarkable since, at the time of his birth, no one could have predicted that the throne would be his destiny.
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Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on 21 April 1926, in a house near Berkeley Square, London, the first child of Albert, Duke of York, second son of George V, and his duchess, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes- Lyon.
Both Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret Rose, born in 1930, were educated at home and raised in a loving family environment. Elizabeth was extremely close to her father and her grandfather, George V.
At age six, Elizabeth told her riding instructor that she wanted to become a “country lady with lots of horses and dogs.”
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She is said to have shown a remarkable sense of responsibility from a very early age. Winston Churchill, the future prime minister, was quoted as saying that she possessed “an air of authority that was surprising in a child.”
Despite not attending school, Elizabeth proved to be adept at languages and made a detailed study of constitutional history.
A special company of Girl Guides, the 1st Buckingham Palace, was formed so she could socialize with girls her age.
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Increasing tension
On the death of George V in 1936, his eldest son, known as David, became Edward VIII.
However, his choice of wife, twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, was considered unacceptable on political and religious grounds. At the end of the year, he abdicated.
A reluctant Duke of York became King George VI. Her coronation gave Elizabeth a taste of what was in store for her and she later wrote that she found the service “very, very wonderful.”
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Against a backdrop of growing tension in Europe, the new king, together with his wife, Queen Elizabeth, set out to restore public faith in the monarchy. Their example did not go unnoticed by the eldest daughter.
In 1939, the 13-year-old princess accompanied the king and queen to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth.
Along with her sister Margaret, she was escorted by one of the cadets, her third cousin Prince Philip of Greece.
Obstacles
It wasn't the first time they met, but it was the first time she was interested in him.
Prince Philip visited his royal relatives when he was on leave from the navy, and in 1944, when she was 18, Elizabeth was clearly in love with him. She kept his photo in her room and they exchanged letters.
The young princess briefly joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) at the end of the war, learning to drive and service a truck. On VE Day, she joined the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, as thousands gathered on The Mall to celebrate the end of the war in Europe.
“We asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves,” she later recalled. “I remember we were afraid of being recognized. I remember lines of strangers linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us simply swept up in a wave of happiness and relief.”
After the war, her desire to marry Prince Philip faced several obstacles.
The king was reluctant to lose a daughter he adored, and Philip had to overcome the prejudice of an establishment that could not accept his foreign ancestry.
But the couple's wishes prevailed and on November 20, 1947, the couple married in Westminster Abbey.
The Duke of Edinburgh, as Philip had become, remained a serving naval officer. For one curto period of time, a posting to Malta meant the young couple could enjoy a relatively normal life.
Their first child, Charles, was born in 1948, followed by a sister, Anne, who arrived in 1950.
But the king, having suffered considerable stress during the war years, was terminally ill with lung cancer, caused by a lifetime of heavy smoking.
In January 1952, Elizabeth, then 25, left with Philip on an overseas tour. The king, against medical advice, went to the airport to say goodbye to the couple. It would be the last time Elizabeth would see her father.
Elizabeth heard of the king's death while at a hunting lodge in Kenya and the new queen immediately returned to London.
“In some ways, I didn’t have an apprenticeship,” she later recalled. “My father died very young, so he was a very sudden kind of take over and do the best job you can.”
Personal attack
Her coronation in June 1953 was televised, despite opposition from Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and millions gathered around TV sets, many for the first time, to watch as Queen Elizabeth II took her oath.
With Britain still enduring post-war austerity, commentators saw the coronation as the dawn of a new Elizabethan era.
The Second World War served to hasten the end of the British Empire, and by the time the new Queen set out on a long tour of the Commonwealth in November 1953, many former British possessions, including India, had gained independence.
Elizabeth became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand. It is estimated that three-quarters of Australians went to see her in person.
Throughout the 1950s, more countries lowered the union flag and former colonies and dominions now came together as a voluntary family of nations.
Many politicians felt that the new Commonwealth could become a counterpoint to the emerging European Economic Community, and to some extent British policy moved away from the continent.
But the decline of British influence was accelerated by the Suez disaster in 1956, when it became clear that the Commonwealth lacked the collective will to act together in times of crisis. The decision to send British troops to try to stop Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal ended in a shameful withdrawal and provoked the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden.
This involved the queen in a political crisis. The Conservative Party had no mechanism for electing a new leader and, after a series of consultations, the Queen invited Harold Macmillan to form a new government.
The Queen was also the target of a personal attack by writer Lord Altrincham. In a magazine article, he claimed her court was “too British” and “upper class” and accused her of being unable to give a simple speech without a written text.
His remarks caused a furor in the press and Lord Altrincham was physically attacked in the street by a member of the Imperial Loyalist League.
However, the incident demonstrated that British society and attitudes towards the monarchy were changing rapidly and old certainties were being questionadas.
From 'monarchy' to 'royal family'
Encouraged by her husband, notoriously impatient with court congestion, the queen began to adapt to the new order.
The practice of receiving debutantes at court was abolished and the term “Monarchy” was gradually replaced by “Royal Family”.
The Queen was once again at the center of a political dispute when, in 1963, Harold Macmillan stepped down as Prime Minister. With the Conservative Party yet to establish a system for choosing a new leader, she followed his advice to nominate the Earl of Home in his place.
It was a difficult time for the queen. The hallmark of her reign was constitutional correction and a greater separation of the monarchy from the government of the time. She took her rights to be informed, advised and warned seriously – but did not seek to go beyond them.
It would be the last time she would be put in such a position. The Conservatives finally put an end to the tradition that new party leaders simply “emerged”, and a proper system was put in place.
In the late 1960s, Buckingham Palace decided it needed to take a positive step to showcase the Royal Family in a much less formal and more accessible way.
The result was a groundbreaking documentary, Royal Family. The BBC was allowed to film the Windsors at home. There were photos of the family at a barbecue, decorating the Christmas tree, taking the kids for walks – all common activities but never seen before.
Critics claimed that Richard Cawston's film destroyed the mystique of the royals by showing them as ordinary people, including scenes of the Duke of Edinburgh roasting sausages in the grounds of Balmoral.
But the film echoed the more relaxed mood of the time and did much to restore public support for the monarchy.
In 1977, the Silver Jubilee was celebrated with genuine enthusiasm in street parties and ceremonies throughout the kingdom. The monarchy seemed secure in the public's affection and much of that was due to the queen herself.
Two years later, Great Britain had, in Margaret Thatcher, its first female prime minister. Relations between the female head of state and the female head of government were sometimes considered strange.
Scandals and disasters
One difficult area was the Queen's devotion to the Commonwealth, of which she was head. The queen knew Africa's leaders well and sympathized with their cause.
She reportedly found Thatcher's attitude and confrontational style "puzzling", particularly given the prime minister's opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa.
Year after year, the Queen's public duties continued. After the Gulf War in 1991, she went to the United States to become the first British monarch to address a joint session of Congress. President George HW Bush said she was “a friend of freedom for as long as we can remember.”
However, a year later, a series of scandals and disasters began to affect the Royal Family.
The Queen's second son, the Duke of York, and his wife Sarah separated, while Princess Anne's marriage to Mark Phillips ended in divorce. Then the Prince and Princess of Wales were deeply unhappy and ended up separating.
The year culminated in a massive fire at the Queen's favorite residence, Windsor Castle. It seemed a darkly appropriate symbol of a royal house in trouble. It was not helped by a public dispute over whether the taxpayer, or the Queen, should foot the bill for repairs.
The Queen described 1992 as her “annus horribilis” and, in a speech in the City of London, appeared to admit the need for a more open monarchy in exchange for a less hostile media.
“No institution, city, monarchy, whatever, should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who do not. But we are all part of the same fabric of our national society. and that scrutiny can be just as effective if it is done with a measure of kindness, good humor and understanding.”
The institution of monarchy was very much on the defensive. Buckingham Palace was opened to visitors to raise money to pay for repairs at Windsor and it was announced that the Queen and Prince of Wales would pay tax on investment income.
Abroad, hopes for the Commonwealth, so high at the beginning of his reign, were not fulfilled. Britain had turned its back on its former partners with new arrangements in Europe.
The Queen still saw value in the Commonwealth and was deeply gratified when South Africa, where she had come of age, finally cast aside apartheid. She celebrated with a visit in March 1995.
At home, the queen sought to maintain the dignity of the monarchy while public debate continued over whether the institution had any future.
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
As Britain struggled to find a new destiny, she tried to remain a reassuring figure and, with a sudden smile, could brighten a solemn moment. The role she valued above all else was that of symbol of the nation.
However, the monarchy was shaken and the Queen herself attracted unusual criticism following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in Paris in August 1997.
As the public crowded around London's palaces with floral tributes, the Queen seemed reluctant to give the focus she had always tried to do on major national moments.
Many of her critics failed to understand that she was from a generation that recoiled from the near-hysterical displays of public grief that typified the aftermath of the princess's death.
She also felt like a caring grandmother that she needed to comfort Diana's children in the privacy of the family circle.
Eventually, she went live, honoring her daughter-in-law and committing to the monarchy adapting.
Losses and celebrations
The deaths of the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the Queen's Golden Jubilee year, 2002, cast a shadow over national celebrations of her reign.
But despite this, and the recurring debate over the future of the monarchy, a million people packed The Mall, opposite Buckingham Palace, on the night of the jubilee.
In April 2006, thousands of supporters filled the streets of Windsor as the Queen held an informal walk on her 80th birthday.
And in November 2007, she and Prince Philip celebrated 60 years of marriage with a service attended by 2.000 people at Westminster Abbey.
There was yet another happy occasion in April 2011, when the Queen attended the wedding of her grandson, William, Duke of Cambridge, to Catherine Middleton.
In May of that year she became the first British monarch to make an official visit to the Republic of Ireland, an event of great historical significance.
In a speech, which she began in Irish, she called for patience and conciliation and referred to “things we wish had been done differently or not at all.”
Referendo
A year later, on a visit to Northern Ireland as part of Diamond Jubilee celebrations, she shook hands with former IRA commander Martin McGuinness.
It was a poignant moment for a monarch whose much-loved cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten, was killed by an IRA bomb in 1979.
The Diamond Jubilee brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets and culminated in a weekend of celebrations in London.
The Scottish independence referendum in September 2014 was a testing time for the Queen. Few had forgotten her speech to Parliament in 1977, in which she made clear her commitment to the United Kingdom.
“I count kings and queens of England and Scotland, and princes of Wales among my ancestors and so I can readily understand these aspirations. But I can’t forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
In a comment to Balmoral supporters on the eve of the Scottish referendum, which was heard, she said she hoped people would think very carefully about the future.
Once the result of the vote was known, his public statement underlined the relief he felt that the Union was still intact, while acknowledging that the political landscape had changed.
“Now, as we move forward, we must remember that despite the variety of views that have been expressed, we have in common an abiding love of Scotland, which is one of the things that helps unite us all.”
On 9 September 2015, she became the longest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. In typical style, she refused to make any fuss saying the title was “not one I ever aspired to”.
Less than a year later, in April 2016, she turned 90 years old.
She continued her public duties, often alone following the Duke of Edinburgh's retirement in 2017.
There have been ongoing tensions in the family - including her husband's car accident, the Duke of York's ill-judged friendship with convicted American businessman Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Harry's growing disillusionment with life in the royal family.
These were unsettling moments, presided over by a monarch who demonstrated that she was still firmly in control. There was also the death of Prince Philip in April 2021, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, and his Platinum Jubilee a year later.
Although the monarchy was not as strong at the end of the Queen's reign as at the beginning, she was determined to continue to command a place of affection and respect in the hearts of the British people.
On the occasion of his Silver Jubilee, he recalled the promethat he had made on a visit to South Africa 30 years earlier.
“When I was 21 years old, I dedicated my life to serving our people and asked God for help to fulfill that vow. Although this vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgment, I do not regret, or retract, a word of it.”
Source: BBC
