The Legendary Life of Queen Elizabeth II

On September 8, 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away at the Ballemore estate in Scotland at the age of 96.

From the first human landing on the moon, to the Internet age, the Queen's life has gone through almost the entire modern history. At the age of 96, she reigned for 70 years. After 15 prime ministers, Queen Elizabeth II broke the record of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria's reign of 64 years and became the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

Just a few days ago, she accepted Johnson's resignation at Balmoral Castle and officially appointed Elizabeth Truss as the new prime minister. In 70 years, the vicissitudes of life, the crown accompanies her to age gracefully, witnessing her journey as a queen and the changes of the world.

Accidental heir

Back in 1936, who would have thought that the daughter of the Albert family would eventually become the Queen of England? The crown prince at that time was Edward VIII, who gave up the throne in order to choose Mrs. Simpson.

In May 1937, Edward VIII announced his abdication in order to marry Mrs. Simpson, and his younger brother Albert became King of England, known as George VI. When it comes to Elizabeth's mother, Bowes-Lyon, it's important to mention the huge role she played in Albert's fulfillment of the kingship.

Albert proposed to Bowes-Lyon twice, but was rejected. His father, King George V, encouraged him to say: "If she agrees to your proposal, you will be the luckiest man in the world." Later, he finally succeeded. Bowes-Lyon married Albert at the age of 23.

Ever since he was a child, Albert stuttered. So Bowes-Lyon found a voice trainer to train her husband to speak. Later, George VI not only dared to speak in public, but also expressed his views clearly. Years later, the film "The King's Speech", which won the 83rd Academy Awards, told the story of King George VI.

After George VI became king, his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, naturally became the first in line to the throne. In Elizabeth's impression, the mother's face was always smiling. "I think my mother is more witty and more humorous than my father. She can go in and out of any situation!" Elizabeth said.

Once, when my mother wanted to drink some wine, the service staff accidentally spilled the wine and was very scared. He thought that a scolding was inevitable, but his mother said, "It's okay, just sprinkle more." Her mother's favorite thing to do in Elizabeth's memory was grooming the garden. "You can't call yourself a gardener unless you have dirt on your hands. Mother always said that."

On March 30, 2002, Elizabeth's mother died in her sleep at the age of 101. During her mother's illness, Elizabeth would accompany her whenever she was free, taking care of her mother's daily life. After her mother died, Elizabeth said with emotion: "I lost the most important person in my life!"

Fairy tale love

That year, Elizabeth was only 13 years old and Philip was 18 years old. One is a British princess, the other is a Greek and Danish prince, and the fairy tale love story takes root in reality.

In 1939, King George VI took his family on a visit to the Royal Naval School at Dartmouth, where Elizabeth's distant cousin, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, was studying.

At that time, Philip was 18 years old, a handsome young man with charming personality and beautiful blue eyes. Compared with the elegant British aristocrats, Philip is outgoing and even rough, and will play tennis and speedboats with his cousin. After that, Elizabeth never looked at anyone else.

Not long after, World War II broke out. Philip followed the British warships abroad, and Elizabeth, who was far away in London, quietly placed a photo sent to her by Philip on the dresser in her bedroom. The two separated by the war could only rely on letters to convey their love.

For their love, Elizabeth's mother is firmly opposed. At that time, Philip's so-called title of prince had already existed in name only, and he still had German blood in him--in extraordinary times, this could indeed be used to make a fuss. However, Elizabeth insisted, and Philip showed sincerity.

In 1947, in accordance with the provisions of the British Succession to the Throne Act, Philip gave up his right to the Greek throne, gave up his surname and religion, and became a British citizen only to marry Elizabeth. Later, someone joked that Philip gave up his right to the Greek throne and served Elizabeth as a "guardian" for 70 years. However, in Philip's eyes, only "Lily White (Elizabeth's nickname) is the only “thing” that really exists". The throne and imperial power, in front of love, are all clouds.

Like many newlyweds, they always hold hands and have endless things to say. Elizabeth wrote to her father on her honeymoon: "We have a tacit understanding as if we have been together for decades, we are a natural pair!"

Become a queen overnight

However, not long after the happy life, Elizabeth's father died suddenly. When she left the UK, she was Princess Elizabeth; when she returned, she was the Queen.

In 1952, George VI died of cancer. Elizabeth, 26, was visiting Kenya with her husband Prince Philip when news of her father's death suddenly came. Overnight, she went from princess to queen, ruling the United Kingdom and the 16 member states of the Commonwealth. After taking the throne on a hunting ranch in Kenya, Elizabeth rushed back to London.

She could never let go of her father's death. She believes that Uncle's abdication is irresponsible, and this heavy work has to be undertaken by her father, who overdrafts his life prematurely. Therefore, she decided to "never abdicate", took up this responsibility, and died from the beginning.

When crowned laurels, Queen Elizabeth II solemnly swore: "I will serve Britain and the British people for life." It was 1953, and she was 27 years old. For the first time in British history, a monarch's coronation was broadcast live on television.

When she first ascended the throne, like those court battles, nobles publicly criticized her style as a "pretentious little girl". But it didn't take long for the queen to prove her composure.

A Royal Army parade, the queen in a bright red dress rode a black horse into the boulevard. At this time, a young man in the crowd raised his pistol and fired six shots at the Queen at close range. The queen was extremely calm, holding the reins firmly and taking control of her mount.

Everything was safe, but the police found out that what was fired was just an empty bomb. The queen's poise and good riding skills were widely praised for a while.

The Queen travels frequently, and she didn't cancel her trip even when she learned that she was pregnant with her third child just before takeoff.

In 1970, when she visited Australia and New Zealand, she also took the initiative to walk into the crowd waiting to see the Queen's face and greet the local ordinary citizens, which caused a sensation. People must know that at that time, the monarch was generally considered to be "the result of God's choice".

Royal Crisis

In 1981, Britain welcomed a beautiful princess, Diana. Completely different from the old-fashioned and serious traditional royal family, she is lively, outgoing and daring. Everyone loved her and called her "the people's princess".

Elizabeth tried hard to educate Diana in the royal family's way. She took Diana on a horse ride at Sandringham and wanted to introduce her to the royal hobby. However, Diana did not like to ride horses, and the ride was a mixed bag.

Diana often felt uneasy in the presence of Elizabeth, and increasingly did not want to be alone with the Queen. There was also less and less common topics between the two. Sometimes, Diana would say that she had dated some non-existent friends and avoided Elizabeth.

During her pregnancy, Diana was very tired and once told a friend, "She didn't live to be a fertility machine." At that time, Elizabeth expressed understanding and sympathy for Diana's situation, but she still believed that Diana could adapt to royal life. Unfortunately, this marriage went to failure, and the real fairy tale was finally shattered.

For Elizabeth, the happiness of her son is important, but the future of the royal family, the continuation of the Windsor dynasty, is still above everything else.

Diana accused the prince and the royal family of "evil deeds" to the media. Everyone unanimously pointed the finger at the Queen, believing that her indifference and inaction led to Diana's tragedy. Many people even believe that Diana's death was caused by the Queen's agents.

British newspapers after Diana's death are blaming are blaming the Queen. Elizabeth, who was at the cusp of the storm, neither refuted nor defended all the accusations, always kept silent, and didn't even say a word about Diana's fault. Elizabeth bowed her head in condolences as Diana's coffin passed by the gates of Buckingham Palace.

Elizabeth also gave a nationally televised address, saying, "I'm not just your queen, I'm a grandmother, too"; "I'm grateful for her dedication to others, especially her two children," she said with respect. A sincere speech calmed the people's emotions, and also resolved this unprecedented crisis of the royal family invisibly.

Since then, the Queen has let go of the stance that the royal family originally held, gave up her original lofty attitude, and embarked on a path that is more close to the people and more in line with the times.

In 2014, the Queen also opened a Twitter account. Once the first tweet was sent, it was immediately retweeted more than 4,000 times. Although more close to the people, Elizabeth still maintains the most respected character of the aristocracy: self-control. As a child, she did not like to make trouble like her younger sister Margaret. When her father George VI took the throne, the 10-year-old said to her sister: "Don't fall asleep. It's rude."

Her self-discipline is also reflected in her diet. No matter how delicious food is, she only eats one or two bites. Darren McGrady, the former "royal chef" who has been in charge of the Queen for more than 10 years, once revealed that the Queen insists on eating seasonal vegetables and fruits, such as strawberries produced in the Royal Garden only in summer, and will never eat this kind of fruit in January.

Elizabeth, who became Queen, knew very well how to "live in harmony" with the British Prime Minister: she faced Churchill as a junior, treated Thatcher with respect, and treated Blair with humor.

In 1997, after Blair was elected as the British Prime Minister, Elizabeth, who advocates order, said to Blair indifferently: "You are the 10th Prime Minister since my succession. You were just born the year I was crowned."

"I felt like I was just a small part of a long history," Blair later recalled.

In 2015, after Elizabeth surpassed Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, then British Prime Minister Cameron also said this: "In the past 63 years, the world has changed, and the Queen is as strong as a rock."

Whether it's forbearance and restraint in her youth or humor in her later years, the Queen has devoted her life to fulfilling her vow to protect Britain. Perhaps, for the United Kingdom, the meaning of the Queen to them has long been more than a symbol of the country.

The BBC once broadcast a documentary called "Coronation". When the reporter asked her, is the crown very heavy? "Yes, if you bow your head, the crown will fall off," she said.