Elizabeth II was Queen of Great Britain for so long that few people remember any other British monarch than her. In February 1952, her father died, and she became queen. A job she was to have for 70 years, and where she grew into as part of the British identity. Born far from the throne But nobody thought she would become queen when she was born on 21 April 1926. She was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, and was the daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. Thus it was his uncle Edward, the Prince of Wales, who was the heir to the throne. But when King George V died in 1936, great upheaval awaited. The uncle was scheduled to be Edward VIII BUT he was in love with his Mrs. Simpson – Wallis Simpson. A divorced American, he had to make a choice between love and the throne. Love won, and when he abdicated after a short time it was Elizabeth’s father who became king – George VI. And when she was just over ten years old, her future was radically changed. She had become the heir to the throne. Video: historical film clips from Queen Elizabeth’s life. The world around Elizabeth was already changing at this point. Hitler was advancing in Europe, and soon Britain was also at war. Elizabeth and her sister Margaret Rose spent a lot of time at Windsor Castle outside London. From here, the young Elizabeth made radio speeches – she was particularly keen to reassure children who had been evacuated from their families and homes. At the age of 14, she ended one of her radio speeches like this: “Everything will be fine in the end, because God holds his hand over us and will give us victory and peace.” Towards the end of the war, she was in the British Lottery Corps, and received training as both a mechanic and a driver. A glimpse into a life very different from the privileged royal life she had grown up in. Love at first sight Just as the British can hardly remember any monarch other than Queen Elizabeth II, few can remember seeing her without her prince Philip. They met for the first time just before the war broke out in earnest, specifically in 1939. History has it that it was love at first sight. Philip Mountbatten as he was called, was himself of royal blood. He was the son of Prince Andreas of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, and the youngest of five siblings. While the British heir to the throne was a quiet and reserved person, Philip was known to be very outspoken. Witty tongues have said that he has insulted most of the people listed in the telephone directory. But although love blossomed, there was no wedding until after the Second World War. They were married in Westminster Abbey in 1947. Britain was still heavily affected by the devastation of the war and the princess had to use clothing vouchers to get fabric for the dress. The then Princess Elizabeth and her Philip married on 20 November 1947. Photo: AP The year after the wedding, in 1948, an heir was born. Charles was succeeded by Anne, who was born in 1950. Later, Elizabeth and Philip had two more sons, Andrew (1960) and Edward (1964). In a photo from September 8, 1960, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sit outside Balmoral Castle with their children Princess Anne, Prince Charles and newborn Prince Andrew. They would then have another son, Prince Edward. Photo: – / Afp Queen’s work begins It wasn’t long before the lives of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip were to change dramatically again. During a trip to Kenya in February 1952, King George VI died of lung cancer. The couple had to end their journey, because their home country needed a new head of state. When the young woman christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was asked which royal name she wanted to use, she replied “Elizabeth, of course.” Thus she became Elizabeth II. Her namesake, Elizabeth I, ruled the British Isles between 1558 and 1603. The new head of state and her consort immediately moved into Buckingham Palace. The actual coronation ceremony took place over a year later, more precisely in June 1953. For the very first time in history, the ceremony was to be broadcast on television, and took place in Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned for 900 years. The nearly three-hour ceremony was watched by 27 million Britons, while 11 million followed it on radio. A total of 2,000 journalists and 500 photographers from 92 nations were present to report on the event. The British monarch is not only Queen of Great Britain. She is also Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 11 other countries that gained their independence from Great Britain after Queen Elizabeth II took over. In addition, she is head of the Commonwealth of Nations, 53 countries comprising around 30 per cent of the world’s population, the majority of which are former British colonies. Video: In the summer of 1955, Queen Elizabeth II came to Oslo. It was her first official state visit as Queen. Every week the Queen meets her Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II has had a total of 15 prime ministers to deal with. The first was Winston Churchill, the last, Liz Truss, was commissioned a few days before the Queen died. She did not have an equally good relationship with everyone, but her changing prime ministers describe her as a good conversational partner, a wise and knowledgeable queen. Modernized monarchy The British royal house has deep roots throughout history, but the changes have been great during Queen Elizabeth II’s time. Not through revolutions as it was several hundred years ago, but perhaps primarily because she has slowly but surely moved the royal house much closer to the people. The Queen never gave a single interview during her time on the throne, but was keen to meet the people. Not just in Britain, but throughout the vast Commonwealth. She was usually received with open arms by the people. In addition, many royal properties, such as both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, have been opened to the public during her time. When the queen celebrated her 90th birthday in 2016, there were two large public celebrations. First on the actual birthday in April when people traveled from far and wide to pay tribute to the Queen in Windsor, where she greeted several other 90-year-olds. It is very unusual for a British monarch to mark their actual birthday, as for generations an official birthday celebration has been held in June, when the capricious British weather has been more predictable. Thus, the 90th anniversary was marked with a huge lunch on the parade street Tha Mall which runs from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. Partly in pouring rain, of course. The queen was also no stranger to taking part in several non-traditional performances. When London hosted the Summer Olympic Games in 2012, she performed with James Bond actor Daniel Craig, among others. In 2016, she appeared in a PR video for grandson Prince Harry’s sports toys for injured war veterans, and sent out her first tweet when she visited London’s Science Museum. Scandals and divorces The Queen’s family has not always made it easy for her. Divorces and scandals have, to the Queen’s dismay, been part of the later history of the House of Windsor. Her eldest son and heir to the throne Prince Charles had a number of lovers, but none of them crossed the Queen’s eye. Finally, Charles was introduced to a young, shy teenage noble girl – Lady Diana Spencer was the perfect match for a British prince. The wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981 was watched by millions around the world. The monarchy’s popularity reached a peak. And when Princes William and Harry were born, happiness was complete. Prince Charles marries Princess Diana on 29 July 1981. Photo: – / AFP The Queen’s three other children, Anne, Andrew and Edward, also married. But out of four marriages, three ended in divorce. The worst was with Charles and Diana, who exposed their miserable cohabitation and infidelity in the media. In a speech at the end of the year in 1992, Queen Elizabeth spoke of her “annus horribilis” – the terrible year. In March this year, it became known that her son, Andrew, Duke of York, was to divorce his wife Sarah Ferguson. Later that year, a picture was published of a topless Sarah kissing her new friend. In April, the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, separated from her husband, Mark Philips. In November there was an extensive fire at Windsor Castle. And in December, Charles and Diana filed for separation. The queen took it hard. Diana’s death Diana, Princess of Wales, had a role in the British public, even though she was divorced from Prince Charles. She was loved by the British, performed at various events and supported a number of charities. In addition, she created a role for herself as an ambassador for international issues, such as the fight against landmines. When Diana was killed in a traffic accident in Paris on the last day of August 1997, the family was at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, and Diana’s sons William and Harry did not appear in public, while the rest of Britain and the world mourned her whom Tony Blair named “The People’s Princess”. Demands for the Queen to speak about her former daughter-in-law were vociferous, and eventually the Queen went to London and spoke about Diana from Buckingham Palace. But the lack of response gave the queen an unusual scratch in the paint. The Queen’s support among the British had never been lower. Video: Criticism of the Queen after Diana’s death. (We apologize that the format of the clip is wrong) New heirs and new record Royal life went on after Princess Diana’s death, with both ups and downs. In 2002, the Queen lost both her sister Margaret and later her mother, Dowager Queen Elizabeth – or simply the Queen Mother, as she was known. The crown prince, Prince Charles, married again in 2005 – then to his childhood sweetheart Camilla Parker Bowles, with whom he cheated during his marriage to Diana. In 2011, there was a far more grandiose wedding when grandson Prince William married his Catherine (Kate) Middleton. She was given the title Duchess of Cambridge. On 22 July 2013, another piece of British royal history was written. Then the Duchess gave birth to the couple’s first child, little Prince George. Barely an inch of the pavement outside St. Mary’s Hospital in London was empty, after press people from around the world besieged the area for weeks to cover the event. A few years later, the prince was joined by both a little brother and a little sister. Video: In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II had been on the throne for 60 years. Queen Elizabeth II also marked several milestones on the throne in her later years. In 2012 she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee – she had been queen for a full 60 years! But her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria was still the one who had sat on the throne the longest with her 63 years and seven months. It would turn out that Queen Elizabeth was more enduring, and on 9 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II also broke that record, becoming Britain’s longest-serving monarch of all time. She continued to be active until the end, although she had long passed the normal retirement age. She invited presidents and heads of state to visit both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. She opened railway lines and visited charities. Every single day she read through documents from the government to stay informed about what was happening in the kingdom. Sometimes the doctors had to ask her to take it easy, which the queen is said to have disliked very much. The queen’s deed trumped everything. More hardship But the last period on the throne was also to present challenges. Grandson Prince Harry broke with the royal family, and took his wife Duchess Meghan and son Archie with him and moved to the United States. The Queen’s second youngest son, Prince Andrew, was accused of sexual abuse in 2019, and the Queen had to deprive him of all public duties. The last time the members of the House of Windsor gathered – at the funeral of Prince Philip on 17 April 2021. Photo: ALASTAIR GRANT / AFP It was going to be even more difficult in the spring of 2021 when her life partner Prince Phillip passed away, aged 99. After 82 years of friendship and love, she had to run the House of Windsor alone after he was laid to rest on 17 April. This was also to be the last time the whole family was together. Although not everyone supported the monarchy, Queen Elizabeth was popular with people whether they lived in Britain, the Bahamas or Fiji. She was probably the world’s most famous queen.
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The queen who was never supposed to be queen – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
