Who is the Queen of Great Britain now? Elizabeth II - biography, information, personal life. Technically, the Queen of England still owns sturgeon, whales and dolphins in the waters throughout the UK, which are recognized as the "Royal Fish". Moreover, she
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor (b. April 21, 1926, London) is the 12th Queen and Head of State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is also Queen of 15 Commonwealth nations. (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica), chapter Church of England, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Lord of the Isle of Man. From 29 May 1953 to 31 May 1961 she was also Queen of South Africa.
Eldest daughter of Duke George of York, future King of Great Britain George VI (1895-1952)
and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900–2002).
Her grandparents: George V (1865–1936), King of Great Britain
and Queen Mary (1867-1953), Princess of Teck, on her father's side,
Claude George Bowes-Lyon (1855-1944), Earl of Strathmore and Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon (1883-1961), on their mother's side.
The early years of Elizabeth II
1. The Queen was born at 2:40 am on April 21, 1926 in London's Mayfair at the residence of the Earl of Strathmore at No. 17 Brewton Street.
2. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
3. At the time, she was third in line to the throne after Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and her father, the Duke of York. But no one expected her father to become king, much less that she would become queen.
4. Princess Elizabeth was baptized with the names Alexander and Mary in the chapel of Buckingham Palace. She was named after her mother, and her two middle names are after her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, and her paternal grandmother, Queen Mary.
5. The Princess's early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, her parents' London home, where they moved shortly after her birth, and at the White House in Richmond Park.
6. When she was six years old, her parents received government positions at the King's House in Windsor Great Park.
7. Princess Elizabeth was educated at home with Princess Margaret, her younger sister.
8. Elizabeth’s education was personally handled by her father, King George, and classes were also conducted with Henry Marten, Vice-Rector of Eton. The Archbishop of Canterbury studied religion with her.
9. Princess Elizabeth learned French from French and Belgian governesses. This skill served the Queen well, as she was able to personally engage in conversation with ambassadors and heads of state from French-speaking countries, as well as when visiting French-speaking areas of Canada.
Princess Elizabeth in 1933
10. Princess Elizabeth became a Scout when she was eleven years old and later became a Sea Ranger.
11. In 1940, at the height of the war, the young princesses were moved for their safety to Windsor Castle, where they spent most of the war years.
1943 with sister
Women's Auxiliary Territorial Corps: Princess Elizabeth, 2nd Chief of Internal Affairs, in overalls.
Royal romance
12. The Queen is the first British monarch to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
13. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip met at the wedding of Prince Philip's cousin, Princess Marina of Greece, to the Duke of Kent, who was Princess Elizabeth's uncle, in 1934.
14. Princess Elizabeth's engagement to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was announced on July 9, 1947. Prince Philip received the title Prince of Greece and Denmark at birth. He joined the Navy in 1939 and after the war, in February 1947, became British citizen. Prince Philip had to choose a surname in order to continue his career in the Royal Navy and he took the surname of his mother's British relatives, Mountbatten. At the wedding, King George VI elevated him to the title of Duke of Edinburgh.
15. The royal wedding rings were decorated with platinum and encrusted with diamonds by jeweler Philip Antrobus. He used diamonds from a tiara belonging to Prince Philip's mother in the jewelry.
16. Prince Philip had two stag parties before his wedding: the first - a formal one in Dorchester, which was attended by invited guests from the press, and the second - with close friends at the Belfry Club.
17. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were married in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947 at 11:30 am. The celebration was attended by 2,000 invited guests.
Video: "Wedding"
The bridesmaids' dresses were made in the same style. They were made from cheaper materials (also purchased with coupons), but due to the embroidery and interesting design they looked decent.
Princess Margaret as a bridesmaid at Queen Elizabeth’s wedding
Princess Alexandra of Kent as a bridesmaid at the Queen’s wedding
18. Elizabeth had eight bridesmaids: HRH Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Lady Mary Cambridge, Lady Elizabeth Lambert, Pamela Mountbatten, Margaret Elphinstone, Diana Bowes-Lyon.
19. Also present at the wedding were HRH Prince William of Gloucester (aged five) and HRH Prince Michael of Kent (also aged five).
20. The Queen's wedding dress was made by designer Sir Norman Hartnell.
21. The fabric for the dress was specially made by Winterthur Silks Limited in Dunfermline, Canmore factory. To make it, threads from Chinese silkworms were brought from China. Placed throughout the dress, garlands of fleur-dorange flowers (the emblem of virginity), jasmine (the emblem of happiness, purity, sincerity) and the white rose of York (a white rose means purity) were embroidered with small pearls and crystal rhinestones.
22. The queen's veil was made of light transparent fabric and topped with a diamond tiara. This tiara (which can be worn as a necklace) was made for Queen Mary in 1919. The diamonds from which it is made come from a necklace and tiara purchased by Queen Victoria from Collingwood and a wedding gift to Queen Mary in 1893. In August 1936, Queen Mary gave the tiara to Queen Elizabeth when she was still Princess Elizabeth for her future wedding.
Elizabeth “borrowed” the tiara from her mother. An hour before the celebration, the tiara broke in half in the hands of the bride and she had to wait for a jeweler who urgently repaired it.
23. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Abbey is the only stone that is not covered with a special cover. The day after the wedding, Princess Elizabeth, following a royal tradition begun by her mother, sent the wedding bouquet back to the abbey, where flowers were laid on this grave.
24. The bride's wedding ring was made from a Welsh gold nugget that was sent from the Clogau St David mine near Dolgello.
25. About 10 thousand congratulatory telegrams were received at Buckingham Palace, and the royal couple also received more than 2,500 wedding gifts from well-wishers around the world.
26. In addition to jewelry, the couple received many useful items for the kitchen and home from close relatives, including salt shakers from the Queen Mother, a bookcase from Queen Mary, and a picnic set from Princess Margaret.
27. A "wedding breakfast" (lunch) was held after the wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in the Round Dining Room at Buckingham Palace. The menu included Filet de Sole Mountbatten, Pedro Casserole, and Princess Elizabeth Ice Cream.
28. On their honeymoon, the couple left Waterloo station with the princess's dog, Susan.
29. The newlyweds spent their wedding night in Hampshire, at the house of Prince Philip's uncle, Earl Mountbatten. The second part of the honeymoon took place in Birkhall, on the Balmoral estate.
30. In early 1948, the couple rented their first family home, Windlesham Moor, in Surrey, near Windsor Castle, where they remained until they moved to Clarence House on 4 July 1949.
31.After his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh continued his naval career, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander in the command of the frigate HMS Magpie.
32. Although he was the Queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh was not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony in 1953. He was the first to pay his respects and take the oath to Her Majesty. He kissed the newly crowned Queen with the words: “I, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will become your vassal in sickness and in health, and will serve you faithfully, with honor and respect, until my death. So help me God.”
Herbert James Gunn Coronation Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
33. Prince Philip accompanied the Queen on all of her Commonwealth and state visits, as well as to state functions and meetings in all parts of the UK. The first of these was the Coronation Tour of the Commonwealth from November 1953 to May 1954, in which the couple visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Cocos Islands, Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Libya, Malta and Gibraltar, covering a distance of 43,618 kilometers.
34. The coronation took place at Westinster Abbey on June 2, 1953. The sacred ceremony was led by Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury.
35. The Coronation was broadcast in every part of London, the Navy, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Norman Hartnell's sketch for Elizabeth II's coronation dress
Coronation dress designed by Norman Hartnell
Joan Hassell. Invitation from Prince Charles, 1953
36. The Queen and Duke Philip of Edinburgh have four children: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (born 1948), Princess Anne (born 1950), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 1960) and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964).
37. With the birth of Prince Andrew in 1960, the Queen became the first reigning monarch to give birth to a child since Queen Victoria, whose youngest child, Princess Beatrice, was born in 1857.
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948)
Princess Anne, (born 1950)
The Queen with her son Charles and daughter Anne, 1954.
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cornwall and Princess Anne October 1957
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (b. 1960)
Queen Elizabeth II's two youngest children, Princes Andrew and Edward.
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (b. 1964)
Prince Edward and Princess Sophie
38. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh Philip have eight grandchildren -
Peter Phillips (b. 1977),
Zara Phillips (born 1981),
Prince William (born 1982),
Prince Harry (born 1984),
Princess Beatrice (born 1988),
Princess Eugenie (born 1990),
Lady Louise Windsor (b. 2003)
and James, Viscount Severns (b. 2007),
has a great-granddaughter - Savannah (born in 2011) and great-grandson Prince George of Cambridge (2013)
The Queen and Prince Philip pose with their grandchildren (l-r) William, Harry, Zara and her brother Peter (back row) in a warm portrait sent out for Christmas 1987
Speeches of the Queen of England
39. The Queen broadcasts a Christmas message on television every year except 1969, when she decided the royals had had enough on television after an unprecedented documentary about her family. Her greeting took the form of a written address.
40. In a 1991 message, the Queen denied rumors of abdication as she pledged to continue serving.
41. The Queen issued an injunction against The Sun newspaper in 1992 after it published the full text of her speech two days before it was broadcast. She later accepted an apology and £200,000 in donations to charity.
42. The Queen's grandfather, King George V, was the first royal to perform live on radio at Sandringham in 1932.
43. George V was initially against the use of wireless communication devices, but eventually agreed.
44. There was no Christmas broadcast in 1936 and 1938.
45. In 2010, the Queen's speech was broadcast from Hampton Court Palace - the first time the historic building had been used.
46. Each speech is written personally by the Queen, each has a strict religious framework, reflects current issues and is often based on her own experience.
Interests and hobbies
48. An animal lover since childhood, the Queen has a keen and very knowledgeable interest in horses. As an owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds, she often comes to watch races to evaluate how her horses perform in the race, and also frequently attends horse racing events.
49. Elizabeth II took part in the Derby, one of Britain's classic races, and the Ascot summer race, which has been a royal race since 1911.
50. The Queen's horses have won races at Royal Ascot several times. Notable was the double victory on 18 June 1954 when Landau won the Rous Memorial Stakes and Halo won the Hardwicke Stakes, and in 1957 Queen had four winners during the race.
Zara Phillips, Princess An and Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II also encourages her young grandchildren (the children of Prince Edward) to become interested in horses.
51. Other interests include walking in nature and the countryside. The Queen also loves to walk with her Labradors, which were specially bred at Sandgreenham.
52. Less known is the Queen's interest in Scottish dancing. Each year during her stay at Balmoral Castle, the Queen hosts dances known as the Gillis Balls for neighbors, estate owners, castle staff and members of the local community.
53. The Queen is the only person in the UK who can drive without a license or registration number on her car. And she doesn't have a passport.
54. The Queen is the patron of more than 600 charities.
55. To formally greet the Queen, men must bow their heads slightly, while women curtsy slightly. When presented to the Queen, the proper formal address would be "Your Majesty" followed by "Ma'am".
Queen's leisure
56. Queen Elizabeth II is the fortieth English monarch since William the Conqueror.
57. She visited Australia 15 times, Canada 23 times, Jamaica 6 times and New Zealand 10 times.
58. Her Majesty sent about 100 thousand telegrams to centenarians in the UK and Commonwealth countries.
59. The Queen dined on 23 ships and spoke with five astronauts at Buckingham Palace.
60. She made her first airplane flight in July 1945.
61. Her Majesty is the only British monarch in history who knows how to change spark plugs.
62. On VE Day, the Queen and her sister Princess Margaret slipped in the crowd during celebrations.
63. For her wedding dress, the Queen collected coupons for clothes.
64. The Queen has a bank account with Coutts & Co.
65. The Queen celebrated her golden jubilee in 2002 by visiting 70 cities and towns across the UK.
66. Tony Blair was the first prime minister born during her reign, during which there were already nine prime ministers before him.
67. The Queen attended 91 state banquets and posed for 139 official portraits.
68. Technically, the Queen of England still owns sturgeon, whales and dolphins in the waters throughout the UK, which are recognized as the "King's Fish". In addition, she owns all the wild flocks of swans that live in open water.
69. The Queen developed a new breed of dog known as the Dorgi when one of the Corgis was bred to a Dachshund named Pipkin.
70. The Queen is the first British monarch to see her children divorce three times.
71. Her Majesty demoted a footman for serving whiskey to her corgi.
72. The Queen has nine Royal Thrones: one in the House of Lords, two in Westminster Abbey and six in the throne room at Buckingham Palace.
73. She is a patron of the Royal Pigeon Racing Association. One of the queen's birds is called the Sandringham Lightning.
74. During the queen's reign, there were six archbishops of Canterbury.
75. The Queen is 5 feet 4 inches or 160 centimeters tall.
Egbert the Great (Anglo-Saxon. Ecgbryht, English Egbert, Eagberht) (769/771 - February 4 or June 839) - king of Wessex (802 - 839). A number of historians consider Egbert to be the first king of England, since for the first time in history he united under the rule of one ruler most of the lands located on the territory of modern England, and the remaining regions recognized his supreme power over themselves. Officially, Egbert did not use such a title and it was first used in his title by King Alfred the Great.
Edward II (English: Edward II, 1284-1327, also called Edward of Caernarfon, after his birthplace in Wales) was an English king (from 1307 until his deposition in January 1327) from the Plantagenet dynasty, son of Edward I.
The first English heir to the throne who bore the title “Prince of Wales” (according to legend, at the request of the Welsh to give them a king who was born in Wales and did not speak English, Edward I showed them his newborn son, who had just been born in his camp) . Having inherited the throne of his father at the age of less than 23, Edward II was very unsuccessful in his military operations against Scotland, whose troops were led by Robert the Bruce. The king's popularity was also undermined by his commitment to the people's hated favorites (who were believed to be the king's lovers) - the Gascon Pierre Gaveston, and then the English nobleman Hugh Despenser the Younger. Edward's reign was accompanied by conspiracies and rebellions, the inspiration of which was often the king's wife, Queen Isabella, the daughter of the French king Philip IV the Fair, who fled to France.
Edward III, Edward III (Middle English Edward III) (November 13, 1312 - June 21, 1377) - king of England from 1327 from the Plantegenet dynasty, son of King Edward II and Isabella of France, daughter of King Philip IV the Fair of France .
Richard II (eng. Richard II, 1367-1400) - English king (1377-1399), representative of the Plantagenet dynasty, grandson of King Edward III, son of Edward the Black Prince.
Richard was born in Bordeaux - his father fought in France on the fields of the Hundred Years' War. When the Black Prince died in 1376, while Edward III was still alive, the young Richard received the title Prince of Wales, and a year later inherited the throne from his grandfather.
Henry IV of Bolingbroke (English: Henry IV of Bolingbroke, April 3, 1367, Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire - March 20, 1413, Westminster) - king of England (1399-1413), founder of the Lancastrian dynasty (junior branch of the Plantagenets).
Henry V (English Henry V) (August 9, according to other sources, September 16, 1387, Monmouth Castle, Monmouthshire, Wales - August 31, 1422, Vincennes (now in Paris), France) - king of England since 1413, from the Lancaster dynasty, one of the greatest commanders of the Hundred Years' War. Defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). According to the Treaty of Troyes (1420), he became the heir of the French king Charles VI the Mad and received the hand of his daughter Catherine. He continued the war with Charles’s son, the Dauphin (the future Charles VII), who did not recognize the treaty, and died during this war, just two months before Charles VI; if he had lived these two months, he would have become king of France. He died in August 1422, presumably from dysentery.
Henry VI (English Henry VI, French Henri VI) (December 6, 1421, Windsor - May 21 or 22, 1471, London) - the third and last king of England from the Lancaster dynasty (from 1422 to 1461 and from 1470 to 1471). The only English king who bore the title “King of France” during and after the Hundred Years’ War, who was actually crowned (1431) and reigned over a significant part of France.
Edward IV (April 28, 1442, Rouen - April 9, 1483, London) - king of England in 1461-1470 and 1471-1483, a representative of the York Plantagenet line, seized the throne during the Wars of the Roses.
Eldest son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecilia Neville, brother of Richard III. On his father's death in 1460, he inherited his titles as Earl of Cambridge, March and Ulster and Duke of York. In 1461, at the age of eighteen, he ascended the English throne with the support of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
Was married to Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492), children:
Elizabeth (1466-1503), married to King Henry VII of England,
Maria (1467-1482),
Cecilia (1469-1507),
Edward V (1470-1483?),
Richard (1473-1483?),
Anna (1475-1511),
Catherine (1479-1527),
Bridget (1480-1517).
The king was a great lover of women and, in addition to his official wife, was secretly engaged to one or more women, which later allowed the royal council to declare his son Edward V illegitimate and, together with his other son, imprison him in the Tower.
Edward IV died unexpectedly on April 9, 1483.
Edward V (November 4, 1470(14701104)-1483?) - King of England from April 9 to June 25, 1483, son of Edward IV; not crowned. Deposed by his uncle the Duke of Gloucester, who declared the king and his younger brother Duke Richard of York illegitimate children, and himself became King Richard III. A 12-year-old and a 10-year-old boy were imprisoned in the Tower; their further fate is precisely unknown. The most common point of view is that they were killed on the orders of Richard (this version was official under the Tudors), but various researchers accuse many other figures of that time, including Richard’s successor Henry VII, of the murder of the princes.
Richard III (English: Richard III) (October 2, 1452, Fotheringhay - August 22, 1485, Bosworth) - King of England since 1483, from the York dynasty, the last representative of the Plantagenet male line on the English throne. Brother of Edward IV. He took the throne, removing the young Edward V. At the Battle of Bosworth (1485) he was defeated and killed. One of two kings of England to die in battle (after Harold II, killed at Hastings in 1066).
Henry VII (eng. Henry VII;)
