Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father ascended the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947 she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children.
About Elizabeth II in brief
Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. Her father ascended the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947 she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew and Edward, Earl of Wessex. When her father died in 1952, Elizabeth became head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries. She has reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, accession of the European Communities, and the decolonisation of Africa. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee. She is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch. She is also the world’s oldest living monarch, longest- reigning current monarch, and oldest and longest serving current head of state. Her many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and visits to or from five popes. Support for the monarchy in the UK has been and remains consistently high, as does her personal popularity. During her grandfather’s reign, Elizabeth was third in line to the British throne, behind her uncle Edward and her father, as Edward was still young and likely to have children of his own.
If her parents had a later son, Elizabeth would have been the heir apparent in line of succession to the throne. Consequently, Edward was not expected to marry while she was still a young girl. If he had, she would have provoked a constitutional crisis, as she would precede his own children and have her own children of her own, who would have precede her own in the succession line of monarchs. Her only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. In 1950, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret’s childhood years entitled The Little Princesses, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeth’s love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, and her attitude of responsibility. Elizabeth was cherished by her grandfather George V, and during his serious illness in 1929 her regular visits were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery. She named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after George V’s mother, who had died six months earlier; and Mary after her paternal grandmother. In 1953, she was coronated in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012, respectively. Between 1956 and 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence, and as realms, including South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, became republics.
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This page is based on the article Elizabeth II published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 17, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
