Elizabeth II (full name Elizabeth Alexandra Maria; genus. 1926) is the reigning Queen of Great Britain and the Commonwealth kingdoms of the Windsor Dynasty. Supreme Commander of the British Armed Forces. Supreme Ruler of the Church of England. Head of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The current monarch in 15 independent states: Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands , Tuvalu and Jamaica.
He holds the record among all British monarchs in terms of age and length of time on the throne.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Elizabeth 2, which we will talk about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Elizabeth II.
Biography of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth 2 was born on April 21, 1926 in the family of Prince Albert, future King George 6, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She had a younger sister, Princess Margaret, who died in 2002.
Childhood and youth
As a child, Elizabeth was educated at home. Basically, the girl was taught the history of the constitution, law, art history and religious studies. An interesting fact is that she almost independently mastered French.
It is worth noting that initially Elizabeth was the princess of York and was the third in the line of heirs to the throne. For this and other reasons, she was not considered a real candidate for the throne, but time has shown the opposite.
When the future Queen of Great Britain was about 10 years old, she and her parents moved to the famous Buckingham Palace. After 3 years, the Second World War (1939-1945) began, which brought a lot of trouble to both the British and other inhabitants of the planet.
It is curious that in 1940, 13-year-old Elizaveta appeared on the radio in the Children's Hour program, during which she encouraged and supported children affected by the hostilities.
At the end of the war, the girl was trained as a driver-mechanic, and was also awarded the rank of lieutenant. As a result, she began not only driving an ambulance, but also repairing cars. It is worth noting that she became the only woman from the royal family to serve in the military.
Governing body
In 1951, the state of health of the father of Elizabeth II, George 6, left much to be desired. The monarch was constantly ill, as a result of which he could not fully fulfill his duties as head of state.
As a result, Elizabeth began to increasingly replace her father at official meetings. Then she went to the United States, where she had a conversation with Harry Truman. After George 6 died on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth II was proclaimed Queen of the British Empire.
At that time, the possessions of the British monarch were much larger than they are today. The empire included South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon, which later gained independence.
During the biography of 1953-1954. Elizabeth II went on a six-month tour of the Commonwealth countries and the colonies of Britain. In total, she covered over 43,000 km! It is important to note that in fact the British monarch does not participate in the political affairs of the country, but only represents it at international events, being the face of the state.
Despite this, the prime ministers, in whose hands the actual power is concentrated, consider it important to consult with the queen on various issues.
Elizabeth often meets with world leaders, participates in the opening of sports competitions, communicates with famous artists and cultural figures, and also occasionally speaks at sessions of the UN General Assembly. For decades of ruling the country, she was both extolled and subjected to harsh criticism.
However, the vast majority of people respect Elizabeth II. Many people remember the noble deed of the queen in 1986.
When the woman was sailing on her own yacht to one of the countries, she was informed about the beginning of the civil war in Yemen. At the same moment, she ordered to change course and take on board civilians fleeing. Thanks to this, more than a thousand people were saved.
It is curious that Elizabeth II invited such celebrities as Merlin Monroe, Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong and many other personalities to her reception.
An interesting fact is that Elizabeth 2 was the initiator of the introduction of a new practice of communicating with subjects - the "royal walk". She and her husband walked the streets of cities and talked with a large number of compatriots.
In 1999, Elizabeth II blocked a bill on military action in Iraq, citing the Royal Assent Act.
In the summer of 2012, London hosted the 30th Olympic Games, which was opened by the Queen of Great Britain. At the end of that year, a new law was drafted changing the order of accession to the throne. According to him, the male heirs to the throne lost their priority over the female.
In September 2015, Elizabeth II became Britain's longest-serving ruler in history. The entire world press wrote about this event.
Personal life
When Elizabeth turned 21, she became the wife of Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, who, after the marriage, was awarded the title of Duke of Edinburgh. Her husband was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece.
In this marriage, the couple had four children: Charles, Anna, Andrew and Edward. It is worth noting that among her daughters-in-law was also Princess Diana - the first wife of Prince Charles and the mother of princes William and Harry. As you know, Diana died in a car accident in 1997.
An interesting fact is that on November 20, 2017, Elizabeth 2, and Philip celebrated a platinum wedding - 70 years of married life. This royal marriage is the longest in human history.
Since childhood, a woman has a weakness for horses. At one time, she was seriously fond of horse riding, having devoted many decades to this occupation. In addition, she loves purebred dogs and is engaged in their breeding.
Being already in old age, Elizabeth 2 became interested in gardening. It was under her that the British monarchy opened pages on several social networks, and also created an official website.
Curiously, the woman prefers to avoid makeup, with the exception of lipstick. She has a huge collection of hats that exceeds 5000 pieces.
Elizabeth 2 today
In 2017, the Sapphire Jubilee was celebrated to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Queen's reign.
During the reign of Elizabeth II, at the beginning of 2020, Great Britain withdrew from the European Union. In the spring of the same year, a woman made an address to the nation in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. This was her 5th extraordinary appeal to the people in 68 years of being on the throne.
As of today, the maintenance of Elizabeth II and her court costs the state more than $ 400 million a year! Such colossal sums of money cause a storm of criticism from many Britons.
At the same time, supporters of the preservation of the monarchy argue that such expenses bring a large profit in the form of receipts from tourists who come to see the royal ceremonies and events. As a result, incomes exceed expenses by almost 2 times.
Photo of Elizabeth 2
