Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 08:01, 25 December 2024

Elizabeth II
Head of the Commonwealth
Formal portrait, 1959
Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (full list)
Reign	6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Coronation	2 June 1953
Predecessor	George VI
Successor	Charles III
Born	Princess Elizabeth of York (1926-04-21)21 April 1926 Mayfair, London, England
Died	8 September 2022(2022-09-08) (aged 96) Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Burial	19 September 2022 King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Spouse	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh ​ ​(m. 1947; died 2021)​
Issue Detail	Charles III Anne, Princess Royal Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh
Names Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
House	Windsor
Father	George VI
Mother	Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Religion	Protestant
Signature
Queen Elizabeth II's voice Coronation speech Recorded 2 June 1953

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She had been queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.

Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark. Their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth, then 25 years old, became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities as well as its subsequent withdrawal. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. As queen, Elizabeth was served by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included state visits to China in 1986, to Russia in 1994, and to the Republic of Ireland in 2011, and meetings with five popes and fourteen US presidents.

Significant events included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees. Although there was occasional republican sentiment and media criticism of her family—particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana—support for the monarchy and her personal popularity in the United Kingdom remained consistently high. Elizabeth died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle, and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III.

Early life

Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926, the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She was delivered at 02:40 (GMT) by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London home, 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. The Anglican Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang, baptised her in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on 29 May, and she was named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after her paternal great-grandmother, who had died six months earlier; and Mary after her paternal grandmother. She was called "Lilibet" by her close family, based on what she called herself at first. She was cherished by her grandfather George V, whom she affectionately called "Grandpa England", and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery.

Elizabeth's 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. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, 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. Others echoed such observations: Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant." Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved". Elizabeth's early life was spent primarily at the Yorks' residences at 145 Piccadilly (their town house in London) and Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Heir presumptive

During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father. Later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeth's father became king, taking the regnal name George VI. Since Elizabeth had no brothers, she became heir presumptive. If her parents had subsequently had a son, he would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession, which was determined by the male-preference primogeniture in effect at the time.

Elizabeth received private tuition in constitutional history from Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton College, and learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses. A Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace Company, was formed specifically so she could socialise with girls her age. Later, she was enrolled as a Sea Ranger.

In 1939, Elizabeth's parents toured Canada and the United States. As in 1927, when they had toured Australia and New Zealand, Elizabeth remained in Britain since her father thought she was too young to undertake public tours. She "looked tearful" as her parents departed. They corresponded regularly, and she and her parents made the first royal transatlantic telephone call on 18 May.

Second World War

In September 1939, Britain entered the Second World War. Lord Hailsham suggested that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should be evacuated to Canada to avoid the frequent aerial bombings of London by the Luftwaffe. This was rejected by their mother, who declared, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave." The princesses stayed at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, until Christmas 1939, when they moved to Sandringham House, Norfolk. From February to May 1940, they lived at Royal Lodge, Windsor, until moving to Windsor Castle, where they lived for most of the next five years. At Windsor, the princesses staged pantomimes at Christmas in aid of the Queen's Wool Fund, which bought yarn to knit into military garments. In 1940, the 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities. She stated: "We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well."

In 1943, Elizabeth undertook her first solo public appearance on a visit to the Grenadier Guards, of which she had been appointed colonel the previous year. As she approached her 18th birthday, Parliament changed the law so that she could act as one of five counsellors of state in the event of her father's incapacity or absence abroad, such as his visit to Italy in July 1944. In February 1945, she was appointed an honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service with the service number 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was given the rank of honorary junior commander (female equivalent of captain at the time) five months later.

At the end of the war in Europe, on Victory in Europe Day, Elizabeth and Margaret mingled incognito with the celebrating crowds in the streets of London. In 1985, Elizabeth recalled in a rare interview, "... we asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves. I remember we were terrified of being recognised ... I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief."

During the war, plans were drawn to quell Welsh nationalism by affiliating Elizabeth more closely with Wales. Proposals, such as appointing her Constable of Caernarfon Castle or a patron of Urdd Gobaith Cymru (the Welsh League of Youth), were abandoned for several reasons, including fear of associating Elizabeth with conscientious objectors in the Urdd at a time when Britain was at war. Welsh politicians suggested she be made Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday. Home Secretary Herbert Morrison supported the idea, but the King rejected it because he felt such a title belonged solely to the wife of a Prince of Wales and the Prince of Wales had always been the heir apparent. In 1946, she was inducted into the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Elizabeth went on her first overseas tour in 1947, accompanying her parents through southern Africa. During the tour, in a broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, she made the following pledge:

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.

Marriage

Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and again in 1937. They were second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through Queen Victoria. After meeting for the third time at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939, Elizabeth—though only 13 years old—said she fell in love with Philip, who was 18, and they began to exchange letters. She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.

The engagement attracted some controversy. Philip had no financial standing, was foreign-born (though a British subject who had served in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War), and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links. Marion Crawford wrote, "Some of the King's advisors did not think him good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some of the papers played long and loud tunes on the string of Philip's foreign origin." Later biographies reported that Elizabeth's mother had reservations about the union initially and teased Philip as "the Hun". In later life, however, she told the biographer Tim Heald that Philip was "an English gentleman".

Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, officially converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and adopted the style Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, taking the surname of his mother's British family. Shortly before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style His Royal Highness. Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They received 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world. Elizabeth required ration coupons to buy the material for her gown (which was designed by Norman Hartnell) because Britain had not yet completely recovered from the devastation of the war. In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for Philip's German relations, including his three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding. Neither was an invitation extended to the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII.

Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, in November 1948. One month earlier, the King had issued letters patent allowing her children to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess, to which they otherwise would not have been entitled as their father was no longer a royal prince. A second child, Princess Anne, was born in August 1950.

Following their wedding, the couple leased Windlesham Moor, near Windsor Castle, until July 1949, when they took up residence at Clarence House in London. At various times between 1949 and 1951, Philip was stationed in the British Crown Colony of Malta as a serving Royal Navy officer. He and Elizabeth lived intermittently in Malta for several months at a time in the hamlet of Gwardamanġa, at Villa Guardamangia, the rented home of Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten. Their two children remained in Britain.

Reign

Accession and coronation

As George VI's health declined during 1951, Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. When she visited Canada and Harry S. Truman in Washington, DC, in October 1951, her private secretary Martin Charteris carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while she was on tour. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of the British colony of Kenya. On 6 February, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after a night spent at Treetops Hotel, when word arrived of the death of Elizabeth's father. Philip broke the news to the new queen. She chose to retain Elizabeth as her regnal name, and was therefore called Elizabeth II. The numeral offended some Scots, as she was the first Elizabeth to rule in Scotland. She was proclaimed queen throughout her realms, and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom. Elizabeth and Philip moved into Buckingham Palace.

With Elizabeth's accession, it seemed possible that the royal house would take her husband's name, in line with the custom for married women of the time. Lord Mountbatten advocated for House of Mountbatten, and Philip suggested House of Edinburgh, after his ducal title. The British prime minister, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary favoured the retention of the House of Windsor. Elizabeth issued a declaration on 9 April 1952 that the royal house would continue to be Windsor. Philip complained, "I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children." In 1960, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor was adopted for Philip and Elizabeth's male-line descendants who do not carry royal titles.

Amid preparations for the coronation, Princess Margaret told her sister she wished to marry Peter Townsend, a divorcé 16 years Margaret's senior with two sons from his previous marriage. Elizabeth asked them to wait for a year; in the words of her private secretary, "the Queen was naturally sympathetic towards the Princess, but I think she thought—she hoped—given time, the affair would peter out." Senior politicians were against the match and the Church of England did not permit remarriage after divorce. If Margaret had contracted a civil marriage, she would have been expected to renounce her right of succession. Margaret decided to abandon her plans with Townsend. In 1960, she married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was created Earl of Snowdon the following year. They divorced in 1978; Margaret did not remarry.

Despite Queen Mary's death on 24 March 1953, the coronation went ahead as planned on 2 June, as Mary had requested. The coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey was televised for the first time, with the exception of the anointing and communion. On Elizabeth's instruction, her coronation gown was embroidered with the floral emblems of Commonwealth countries.

Early reign

From Elizabeth's birth onwards, the British Empire continued its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was already established. In 1953, Elizabeth and Philip embarked on a seven-month round-the-world tour, visiting 13 countries and covering more than 40,000 miles (64,000 km) by land, sea and air. She became the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand to visit those nations. During the tour, crowds were immense; three-quarters of the population of Australia were estimated to have seen her. Throughout her reign, she made hundreds of state visits to other countries and tours of the Commonwealth; she was the most widely travelled head of state.

In 1956, the British and French prime ministers, Sir Anthony Eden and Guy Mollet, discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth. The proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union. In November 1956, Britain and France invaded Egypt in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to capture the Suez Canal. Lord Mountbatten said that Elizabeth was opposed to the invasion, though Eden denied it. Eden resigned two months later.

The governing Conservative Party had no formal mechanism for choosing a leader, meaning that it fell to Elizabeth to decide whom to commission to form a government following Eden's resignation. Eden recommended she consult Lord Salisbury, the lord president of the council. Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir, the lord chancellor, consulted the British Cabinet, Churchill, and the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, resulting in Elizabeth appointing their recommended candidate: Harold Macmillan.

The Suez crisis and the choice of Eden's successor led, in 1957, to the first major personal criticism of Elizabeth. In a magazine, which he owned and edited, Lord Altrincham accused her of being "out of touch". Altrincham was denounced by public figures and slapped by a member of the public appalled by his comments. Six years later, in 1963, Macmillan resigned and advised Elizabeth to appoint Alec Douglas-Home as the prime minister, advice she followed. Elizabeth again came under criticism for appointing the prime minister on the advice of a small number of ministers or a single minister. In 1965, the Conservatives adopted a formal mechanism for electing a leader, thus relieving the Queen of her involvement.

In 1957, Elizabeth made a state visit to the United States, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth. On the same tour, she opened the 23rd Canadian Parliament, becoming the first monarch of Canada to open a parliamentary session. Two years later, solely in her capacity as Queen of Canada, she revisited the United States and toured Canada. In 1961, she toured Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran. On a visit to Ghana the same year, she dismissed fears for her safety, even though her host, President Kwame Nkrumah, who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for assassins. Harold Macmillan wrote, "The Queen has been absolutely determined all through ... She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as ... a film star ... She has indeed 'the heart and stomach of a man' ... She loves her duty and means to be a Queen." Before her tour through parts of Quebec in 1964, the press reported that extremists within the Quebec separatist movement were plotting Elizabeth's assassination. No assassination attempt was made, but a riot did break out while she was in Montreal; her "calmness and courage in the face of the violence" was noted.

Elizabeth gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew, in February 1960; this was the first birth to a reigning British monarch since 1857. Her fourth child, Prince Edward, was born in March 1964.

Political reforms and crises

The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean. More than 20 countries gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, the Rhodesian prime minister, Ian Smith, in opposition to moves towards majority rule, unilaterally declared independence while expressing "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth formally dismissed him, and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, his regime survived for over a decade. As Britain's ties to its former empire weakened, the British government sought entry to the European Community, a goal it achieved in 1973.

In 1966, the Queen was criticised for waiting eight days before visiting the village of Aberfan, where a mining disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults. Martin Charteris said that the delay, made on his advice, was a mistake that she later regretted.

Elizabeth toured Yugoslavia in October 1972, becoming the first British monarch to visit a communist country. She was received at the airport by President Josip Broz Tito, and a crowd of thousands greeted her in Belgrade.

In February 1974, British prime minister Edward Heath advised Elizabeth to call a general election in the middle of her tour of the Austronesian Pacific Rim, requiring her to fly back to Britain. The election resulted in a hung parliament; Heath's Conservatives were not the largest party but could stay in office if they formed a coalition with the Liberals. When discussions on forming a coalition foundered, Heath resigned, and Elizabeth asked the Leader of the Opposition, Labour's Harold Wilson, to form a government.

A year later, at the height of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, the Australian prime minister, Gough Whitlam, was dismissed from his post by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, after the Opposition-controlled Senate rejected Whitlam's budget proposals. As Whitlam had a majority in the House of Representatives, Speaker Gordon Scholes appealed to Elizabeth to reverse Kerr's decision. She declined, saying she would not interfere in decisions reserved by the Constitution of Australia for the governor-general. The crisis fuelled Australian republicanism.

In 1977, Elizabeth marked the Silver Jubilee of her accession. Parties and events took place throughout the Commonwealth, many coinciding with her associated national and Commonwealth tours. The celebrations re-affirmed Elizabeth's popularity, despite virtually coincident negative press coverage of Princess Margaret's separation from her husband, Lord Snowdon. In 1978, Elizabeth endured a state visit to the United Kingdom by Romania's communist leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, and his wife, Elena, though privately she thought they had "blood on their hands". The following year brought two blows: the unmasking of Anthony Blunt, former Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, as a communist spy and the assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

According to Paul Martin Sr., by the end of the 1970s, Elizabeth was worried the Crown "had little meaning for" Pierre Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister. Tony Benn said Elizabeth found Trudeau "rather disappointing". Trudeau's supposed republicanism seemed to be confirmed by his antics, such as sliding down banisters at Buckingham Palace and pirouetting behind Elizabeth's back in 1977, and the removal of various Canadian royal symbols during his term of office. In 1980, Canadian politicians sent to London to discuss the patriation of the Canadian constitution found Elizabeth "better informed ... than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats". She was particularly interested after the failure of Bill C-60, which would have affected her role as head of state.

Perils and dissent

During the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony, six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, six shots were fired at Elizabeth from close range as she rode down The Mall, London, on her horse, Burmese. Police later discovered the shots were blanks. The 17-year-old assailant, Marcus Sarjeant, was sentenced to five years in prison and released after three. Elizabeth's composure and skill in controlling her mount were widely praised. That October, Elizabeth was the subject of another attack while on a visit to Dunedin, New Zealand. Christopher John Lewis, who was 17 years old, fired a shot with a .22 rifle from the fifth floor of a building overlooking the parade but missed. Lewis was arrested, but instead of being charged with attempted murder or treason was sentenced to three years in jail for unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm. Two years into his sentence, he attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital with the intention of assassinating Charles, who was visiting the country with Diana and their son Prince William.

From April to September 1982, Elizabeth's son Andrew served with British forces in the Falklands War, for which she reportedly felt anxiety and pride. On 9 July, she awoke in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find an intruder, Michael Fagan, in the room with her. In a serious lapse of security, assistance only arrived after two calls to the Palace police switchboard. After hosting US president Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visiting his California ranch in 1983, Elizabeth was angered when his administration ordered the invasion of Grenada, one of her Caribbean realms, without informing her.

Intense media interest in the opinions and private lives of the royal family during the 1980s led to a series of sensational stories in the press, pioneered by The Sun tabloid. As Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun, told his staff: "Give me a Sunday for Monday splash on the Royals. Don't worry if it's not true—so long as there's not too much of a fuss about it afterwards." Newspaper editor Donald Trelford wrote in The Observer of 21 September 1986: "The royal soap opera has now reached such a pitch of public interest that the boundary between fact and fiction has been lost sight of ... it is not just that some papers don't check their facts or accept denials: they don't care if the stories are true or not." It was reported, most notably in The Sunday Times of 20 July 1986, that Elizabeth was worried that Margaret Thatcher's economic policies fostered social divisions and was alarmed by high unemployment, a series of riots, the violence of a miners' strike, and Thatcher's refusal to apply sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa. The sources of the rumours included royal aide Michael Shea and Commonwealth secretary-general Shridath Ramphal, but Shea claimed his remarks were taken out of context and embellished by speculation. Thatcher reputedly said Elizabeth would vote for the Social Democratic Party—Thatcher's political opponents. Thatcher's biographer John Campbell claimed "the report was a piece of journalistic mischief-making". Reports of acrimony between them were exaggerated, and Elizabeth gave two honours in her personal gift—membership in the Order of Merit and the Order of the Garter—to Thatcher after her replacement as prime minister by John Major. Brian Mulroney, Canadian prime minister between 1984 and 1993, said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid.

In 1986, Elizabeth paid a six-day state visit to the People's Republic of China, becoming the first British monarch to visit the country. The tour included the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, and the Terracotta Warriors. At a state banquet, Elizabeth joked about the first British emissary to China being lost at sea with Queen Elizabeth I's letter to the Wanli Emperor, and remarked, "fortunately postal services have improved since 1602". Elizabeth's visit also signified the acceptance of both countries that sovereignty over Hong Kong would be transferred from the United Kingdom to China in 1997.

By the end of the 1980s, Elizabeth had become the target of satire. The involvement of younger members of the royal family in the charity game show It's a Royal Knockout in 1987 was ridiculed. In Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically divisive constitutional amendments, prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau. The same year, the elected Fijian government was deposed in a military coup. As monarch of Fiji, Elizabeth supported the attempts of Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau to assert executive power and negotiate a settlement. Coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka deposed Ganilau and declared Fiji a republic.

Turbulent years

In the wake of coalition victory in the Gulf War, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress in May 1991.

In November 1992, in a speech to mark the Ruby Jubilee of her accession, Elizabeth called 1992 her annus horribilis (a Latin phrase, meaning "horrible year"). Republican feeling in Britain had risen because of press estimates of Elizabeth's private wealth—contradicted by the Palace—and reports of affairs and strained marriages among her extended family. In March, her second son, Prince Andrew, separated from his wife, Sarah; her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain Mark Phillips in April; angry demonstrators in Dresden threw eggs at Elizabeth during a state visit to Germany in October; and a large fire broke out at Windsor Castle, one of her official residences, in November. The monarchy came under increased criticism and public scrutiny. In an unusually personal speech, Elizabeth said that any institution must expect criticism, but suggested it might be done with "a touch of humour, gentleness and understanding". Two days later, John Major announced plans to reform the royal finances, drawn up the previous year, including Elizabeth paying income tax from 1993 onwards, and a reduction in the civil list. In December, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, formally separated. At the end of the year, Elizabeth sued The Sun newspaper for breach of copyright when it published the text of her annual Christmas message two days before it was broadcast. The newspaper was forced to pay her legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity. Elizabeth's solicitors had taken successful action against The Sun five years earlier for breach of copyright after it published a photograph of her daughter-in-law the Duchess of York and her granddaughter Princess Beatrice.

In January 1994, Elizabeth broke the scaphoid bone in her left wrist as the horse she was riding at Sandringham tripped and fell. In October 1994, she became the first reigning British monarch to set foot on Russian soil. In October 1995, she was tricked into a hoax call by Montreal radio host Pierre Brassard impersonating Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien. Elizabeth, who believed that she was speaking to Chrétien, said she supported Canadian unity and would try to influence Quebec's referendum on proposals to break away from Canada.

In the year that followed, public revelations on the state of Charles and Diana's marriage continued. In consultation with her husband and John Major, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury (George Carey) and her private secretary (Robert Fellowes), Elizabeth wrote to Charles and Diana at the end of December 1995, suggesting that a divorce would be advisable.

In August 1997, a year after the divorce, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. Elizabeth was on holiday with her extended family at Balmoral. Diana's two sons, Princes William and Harry, wanted to attend church, so Elizabeth and Philip took them that morning. Afterwards, for five days, the royal couple shielded their grandsons from the intense press interest by keeping them at Balmoral where they could grieve in private, but the royal family's silence and seclusion, and the failure to fly a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace, caused public dismay. Pressured by the hostile reaction, Elizabeth agreed to return to London and address the nation in a live television broadcast on 5 September, the day before Diana's funeral. In the broadcast, she expressed admiration for Diana and her feelings "as a grandmother" for the two princes. As a result, much of the public hostility evaporated.

In October 1997, Elizabeth and Philip made a state visit to India, which included a controversial visit to the site of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to pay her respects. Protesters chanted "Killer Queen, go back", and there were demands for her to apologise for the action of British troops 78 years earlier. At the memorial in the park, she and Philip laid a wreath and stood for a 30‑second moment of silence. As a result, much of the fury among the public softened, and the protests were called off. That November, the royal couple held a reception at Banqueting House to mark their golden wedding anniversary. Elizabeth made a speech and praised Philip for his role as consort, referring to him as "my strength and stay".

In 1999, as part of the process of devolution in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth formally opened newly established legislatures for Wales and Scotland: the National Assembly for Wales at Cardiff in May, and the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh in July.

Dawn of the new millennium

On the eve of the new millennium, Elizabeth and Philip boarded a vessel from Southwark, bound for the Millennium Dome. Before passing under Tower Bridge, she lit the National Millennium Beacon in the Pool of London using a laser torch. Shortly before midnight, she officially opened the Dome. During the singing of Auld Lang Syne, Elizabeth held hands with Philip and British prime minister Tony Blair. Following the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Elizabeth, breaking with tradition, ordered the American national anthem to be played during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace to express her solidarity with the country.

In 2002, Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of her accession. Her sister and mother died in February and March, respectively, and the media speculated on whether the Jubilee would be a success or a failure. Princess Margaret's death shook Elizabeth; her funeral was one of the rare occasions where Elizabeth openly cried. Elizabeth again undertook an extensive tour of her realms, beginning in Jamaica in February, where she called the farewell banquet "memorable" after a power cut plunged King's House, the official residence of the governor-general, into darkness. As in 1977, there were street parties and commemorative events, and monuments were named to honour the occasion. One million people attended each day of the three-day main Jubilee celebration in London, and the enthusiasm shown for Elizabeth by the public was greater than many journalists had anticipated.

In 2003, Elizabeth sued the Daily Mirror for breach of confidence and obtained an injunction which prevented the outlet from publishing information gathered by a reporter who posed as a footman at Buckingham Palace. The newspaper also paid £25,000 towards her legal costs. Though generally healthy throughout her life, in 2003 she had keyhole surgery on both knees. In October 2006, she missed the opening of the new Emirates Stadium because of a strained back muscle that had been troubling her since the summer.

In May 2007, citing unnamed sources, The Daily Telegraph reported that Elizabeth was "exasperated and frustrated" by the policies of Tony Blair, that she was concerned the British Armed Forces were overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that she had raised concerns over rural and countryside issues with Blair. She was, however, said to admire Blair's efforts to achieve peace in Northern Ireland. She became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary in November 2007. On 20 March 2008, at the Church of Ireland St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Elizabeth attended the first Maundy service held outside England and Wales.

Elizabeth addressed the UN General Assembly for a second time in 2010, again in her capacity as Queen of all Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth. The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, introduced her as "an anchor for our age". During her visit to New York, which followed a tour of Canada, she officially opened a memorial garden for British victims of the 9/11 attacks. Elizabeth's 11-day visit to Australia in October 2011 was her 16th visit to the country since 1954. By invitation of the Irish president, Mary McAleese, she made the first state visit to the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch in May 2011.

Diamond Jubilee and milestones

The 2012 Diamond Jubilee marked 60 years since Elizabeth's accession, and celebrations were held throughout her realms, the wider Commonwealth, and beyond. She and Philip undertook an extensive tour of the United Kingdom, while their children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours of other Commonwealth states on her behalf. On 4 June, Jubilee beacons were lit around the world. On 18 December, the Queen became the first British sovereign to attend a peacetime Cabinet meeting since George III in 1781.

Elizabeth, who opened the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976, also opened the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, making her the first head of state to open two Olympic Games in two countries. For the London Olympics, she portrayed herself in a short film as part of the opening ceremony, alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond. On 4 April 2013, she received an honorary BAFTA award for her patronage of the film industry and was called "the most memorable Bond girl yet" at a special presentation at Windsor Castle.

In March 2013, the Queen stayed overnight at King Edward VII's Hospital as a precaution after developing symptoms of gastroenteritis. A week later, she signed the new Charter of the Commonwealth. That year, because of her age and the need for her to limit travelling, she chose not to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the first time in 40 years. She was represented at the summit in Sri Lanka by Prince Charles. On 20 April 2018, the Commonwealth heads of government announced that Charles would succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth, which the Queen stated as her "sincere wish". She underwent cataract surgery in May 2018. In March 2019, she gave up driving on public roads, largely as a consequence of a car accident involving her husband two months earlier.

On 21 December 2007, Elizabeth surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-lived British monarch, and she became the longest-reigning British monarch and longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state in the world on 9 September 2015. She became the oldest living monarch after the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015. She later became the longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 13 October 2016, and the oldest current head of state on the resignation of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on 21 November 2017. On 6 February 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a sapphire jubilee, and on 20 November that year, she was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. Philip had retired from his official duties as the Queen's consort in August 2017.

Pandemic and widowhood

On 19 March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United Kingdom, Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle and sequestered there as a precaution. Public engagements were cancelled and Windsor Castle followed a strict sanitary protocol nicknamed "HMS Bubble".

On 5 April, in a televised broadcast watched by an estimated 24 million viewers in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth asked people to "take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again." On 8 May, the 75th anniversary of VE Day, in a television broadcast at 9 pm—the exact time at which her father had broadcast to the nation on the same day in 1945—she asked people to "never give up, never despair". In 2021, she received her first and second COVID-19 vaccinations in January and April respectively.

Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021, after 73 years of marriage, making Elizabeth the first British monarch to reign as a widow or widower since Queen Victoria. She was reportedly at her husband's bedside when he died, and remarked in private that his death had "left a huge void". Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place in England at the time, Elizabeth sat alone at Philip's funeral service, which evoked sympathy from people around the world. It was later reported in the press that Elizabeth had rejected a government offer to relax the rules. In her Christmas broadcast that year, which was ultimately her last, she paid a personal tribute to her "beloved Philip", saying, "That mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him."

Despite the pandemic, Elizabeth attended the 2021 State Opening of Parliament in May, the 47th G7 summit in June, and hosted US president Joe Biden at Windsor Castle. Biden was the 14th US president that the Queen had met. In October 2021, Elizabeth cancelled a planned trip to Northern Ireland and stayed overnight at King Edward VII's Hospital for "preliminary investigations". On Christmas Day 2021, while she was staying at Windsor Castle, 19-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail broke into the gardens using a rope ladder and carrying a crossbow with the aim of assassinating Elizabeth in revenge for the Amritsar massacre. Before he could enter any buildings, he was arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign.

Platinum Jubilee and beyond

Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on 6 February 2022, marking 70 years since her accession. In her accession day message, she renewed her commitment to a lifetime of public service, which she had originally made in 1947.

Later that month, Elizabeth fell ill with COVID-19 along with several family members, but she only exhibited "mild cold-like symptoms" and recovered by the end of the month. She was present at the service of thanksgiving for her husband at Westminster Abbey on 29 March, but was unable to attend both the annual Commonwealth Day service that month and the Royal Maundy service in April, because of "episodic mobility problems". In May, she missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years. (She did not attend the state openings in 1959 and 1963 as she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively.)

Elizabeth was largely confined to balcony appearances during the public jubilee celebrations, and she missed the National Service of Thanksgiving on 3 June. On 13 June, she became the second-longest reigning monarch in history (among those whose exact dates of reign are known), with 70 years and 127 days on the throne—surpassing King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. On 6 September, she appointed her 15th British prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. This was the only occasion on which Elizabeth received a new prime minister at a location other than Buckingham Palace. No other British monarch appointed as many prime ministers. The Queen's last public message was issued on 7 September, in which she expressed her sympathy for those affected by the Saskatchewan stabbings.

Elizabeth did not plan to abdicate, though she took on fewer public engagements in her later years and Prince Charles performed more of her duties. She told Canadian governor-general Adrienne Clarkson in a meeting in 2002 that she would never abdicate, saying, "It is not our tradition. Although, I suppose if I became completely gaga, one would have to do something." In June 2022, Elizabeth met the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who "came away thinking there is someone who has no fear of death, has hope in the future, knows the rock on which she stands and that gives her strength."

Death

On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace stated, "Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral." Her immediate family rushed to Balmoral. She died peacefully at 15:10 BST at the age of 96. Her death was announced to the public at 18:30, setting in motion Operation London Bridge and, because she died in Scotland, Operation Unicorn. Elizabeth was the first monarch to die in Scotland since James V in 1542. Her death certificate recorded her cause of death as "old age". According to her former prime minister Boris Johnson and the biographer Gyles Brandreth, she was suffering from a form of bone marrow cancer, which Brandreth wrote was multiple myeloma.

On 12 September, Elizabeth's coffin was carried up the Royal Mile in a procession to St Giles' Cathedral, where the Crown of Scotland was placed on it. Her coffin lay at rest at the cathedral for 24 hours, guarded by the Royal Company of Archers, during which around 33,000 people filed past it. On 13 September, the coffin was flown to RAF Northolt in west London to be met by Liz Truss, before continuing its journey by road to Buckingham Palace. On 14 September, her coffin was taken in a military procession to Westminster Hall, where Elizabeth's body lay in state for four days. The coffin was guarded by members of both the Sovereign's Bodyguard and the Household Division. An estimated 250,000 members of the public filed past the coffin, as did politicians and other public figures. On 16 September, Elizabeth's children held a vigil around her coffin, and the next day her eight grandchildren did the same.

Elizabeth's state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on 19 September, which marked the first time a monarch's funeral service was held at the Abbey since George II in 1760. More than a million people lined the streets of central London, and the day was declared a holiday in several Commonwealth countries. In Windsor, a final procession involving 1,000 military personnel took place, which 97,000 people witnessed. Elizabeth's fell pony and two royal corgis stood at the side of the procession. After a committal service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Elizabeth's body was interred with her husband Philip's in the King George VI Memorial Chapel later the same day, in a private ceremony attended by her closest family members.

Legacy

Beliefs, activities, and interests

Elizabeth rarely gave interviews, and little was known of her political opinions, which she did not express explicitly in public. It is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views. When Times journalist Paul Routledge asked her about the miners' strike of 1984–85 during a royal tour of the newspaper's offices, she replied that it was "all about one man" (a reference to Arthur Scargill), with which Routledge disagreed. Routledge was widely criticised in the media for asking the question and claimed that he was unaware of the protocols. After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron was overheard saying that Elizabeth was pleased with the outcome. She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.

Elizabeth had a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and took her Coronation Oath seriously. Aside from her official religious role as supreme governor of the established Church of England, she worshipped with that church and with the national Church of Scotland. She demonstrated support for inter-faith relations and met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes: Pius XII, John XXIII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. A personal note about her faith often featured in her annual Christmas Message broadcast to the Commonwealth. In 2000, she said:

To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.

Elizabeth was patron of more than 600 organisations and charities. The Charities Aid Foundation estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4 billion for her patronages during her reign. Her main leisure interests included equestrianism and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Her lifelong love of corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first of many royal corgis. Scenes of a relaxed, informal home life were occasionally witnessed; she and her family, from time to time, prepared a meal together and washed the dishes afterwards.

Media depiction and public opinion

In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen". After the trauma of the Second World War, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a "new Elizabethan age". Lord Altrincham's accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a "priggish schoolgirl" was an extremely rare criticism. In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of the monarchy were made in the television documentary Royal Family and by televising Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. Elizabeth also instituted other new practices; her first royal walkabout, meeting ordinary members of the public, took place during a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970. Her wardrobe developed a recognisable, signature style driven more by function than fashion. In public, she took to wearing mostly solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, allowing her to be seen easily in a crowd. By the end of her reign, nearly one third of Britons had seen or met Elizabeth in person.

At Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic; but, in the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny. Her popularity sank to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace was opened to the public. Although support for republicanism in Britain seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republican ideology was still a minority viewpoint, and Elizabeth herself had high approval ratings. Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself, and the conduct of Elizabeth's wider family, rather than her own behaviour and actions. Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity—as well as general support for the monarchy—rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days after Diana's death.

In November 1999, a referendum in Australia on the future of the Australian monarchy favoured its retention in preference to an indirectly elected head of state. Many republicans credited Elizabeth's personal popularity with the survival of the monarchy in Australia. In 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard noted that there was a "deep affection" for Elizabeth in Australia and that another referendum on the monarchy should wait until after her reign. Gillard's successor, Malcolm Turnbull, who led the republican campaign in 1999, similarly believed that Australians would not vote to become a republic in her lifetime. "She's been an extraordinary head of state", Turnbull said in 2021, "and I think frankly, in Australia, there are more Elizabethans than there are monarchists." Similarly, referendums in both Tuvalu in 2008 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009 saw voters reject proposals to become republics.

Polls in Britain in 2006 and 2007 revealed strong support for the monarchy, and in 2012, Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee year, her approval ratings hit 90 per cent. Her family came under scrutiny again in the last few years of her life due to her son Andrew's association with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre amidst accusations of sexual impropriety, and her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan's exit from the working royal family and subsequent move to the United States. Polling in Great Britain during the Platinum Jubilee, however, showed support for maintaining the monarchy and Elizabeth's personal popularity remained strong. As of 2021 she remained the third most admired woman in the world according to the annual Gallup poll, her 52 appearances on the list meaning she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.

Elizabeth was portrayed in a variety of media by many notable artists, including painters Pietro Annigoni, Peter Blake, Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, Terence Cuneo, Lucian Freud, Rolf Harris, Damien Hirst, Juliet Pannett and Tai-Shan Schierenberg. Notable photographers of Elizabeth included Cecil Beaton, Yousuf Karsh, Anwar Hussein, Annie Leibovitz, Lord Lichfield, Terry O'Neill, John Swannell and Dorothy Wilding. The first official portrait photograph of Elizabeth was taken by Marcus Adams in 1926.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Titles and styles

Elizabeth held many titles and honorary military positions throughout the Commonwealth, was sovereign of many orders in her own countries and received honours and awards from around the world. In each of her realms, she had a distinct title that follows a similar formula: Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories in Saint Lucia, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories in Australia, etc. She was also styled Defender of the Faith.

Arms

From 21 April 1944 until her accession, Elizabeth's arms consisted of a lozenge bearing the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a label of three points argent, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose and the first and third a cross of Saint George. Upon her accession, she inherited the various arms her father held as sovereign, with a subsequently modified representation of the crown. Elizabeth also possessed royal standards and personal flags for use in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and elsewhere.

• Coat of arms as Duchess of Edinburgh (1947–1952)
• Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
• Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland
• Royal coat of arms of Canada

Issue

Ancestry

See also

• Finances of the British royal family
• Household of Elizabeth II
• List of things named after Elizabeth II
• List of jubilees of Elizabeth II
• List of special addresses made by Elizabeth II
• Royal eponyms in Canada
• List of covers of Time magazine (1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 2010s)

Notes

1. As monarch, Elizabeth was Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She was also a member of the Church of Scotland.
2. Her godparents were: King George V and Queen Mary; Lord Strathmore; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (her paternal great-granduncle); Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles (her paternal aunt); and Lady Elphinstone (her maternal aunt).
3. The oft-quoted speech was written by Dermot Morrah, a journalist for The Times.
4. Television coverage of the coronation was instrumental in boosting the medium's popularity; the number of television licences in the United Kingdom doubled to 3 million, and many of the more than 20 million British viewers watched television for the first time in the homes of their friends or neighbours. In North America, almost 100 million viewers watched recorded broadcasts.
5. The Sunday Times Rich List 1989 put her number one on the list with a reported wealth of £5.2 billion (approximately £12.6 billion in 2023's value), but it included state assets like the Royal Collection that were not hers personally. In 1993, Buckingham Palace called estimates of £100 million "grossly overstated". In 1971, Jock Colville, her former private secretary and a director of her bank, Coutts, estimated her wealth at £2 million (equivalent to about £15 million in 1993).
6. The only previous state visit by a British monarch to Russia was made by King Edward VII in 1908. The King never stepped ashore, and met Nicholas II on royal yachts off the Baltic port of what is now Tallinn, Estonia. During the four-day visit, which was considered to be one of the most important foreign trips of Elizabeth's reign, she and Philip attended events in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

References

Citations

1. "No. 33153", The London Gazette, 21 April 1926, p. 1
2. Bradford 2012, p. 22; Brandreth 2004, p. 103; Marr 2011, p. 76; Pimlott 2001, pp. 2–3; Lacey 2002, pp. 75–76; Roberts 2000, p. 74
3. Hoey 2002, p. 40
4. Brandreth 2004, p. 103; Hoey 2002, p. 40
5. Brandreth 2004, p. 103
6. Pimlott 2001, p. 12
7. Williamson 1987, p. 205
8. Pimlott 2001, p. 15
9. Lacey 2002, p. 56; Nicolson 1952, p. 433; Pimlott 2001, pp. 14–16
10. Crawford 1950, p. 26; Pimlott 2001, p. 20; Shawcross 2002, p. 21
11. Brandreth 2004, p. 124; Lacey 2002, pp. 62–63; Pimlott 2001, pp. 24, 69
12. Brandreth 2004, pp. 108–110; Lacey 2002, pp. 159–161; Pimlott 2001, pp. 20, 163
13. Brandreth 2004, pp. 108–110
14. Brandreth 2004, p. 105; Lacey 2002, p. 81; Shawcross 2002, pp. 21–22
15. Brandreth 2004, pp. 105–106
16. Crawford 1950, pp. 14–34; Heald 2007, pp. 7–8; Warwick 2002, pp. 35–39
17. Bond 2006, p. 8; Lacey 2002, p. 76; Pimlott 2001, p. 3
18. Lacey 2002, pp. 97–98
19. Marr 2011, pp. 78, 85; Pimlott 2001, pp. 71–73
20. Brandreth 2004, p. 124; Crawford 1950, p. 85; Lacey 2002, p. 112; Marr 2011, p. 88; Pimlott 2001, p. 51; Shawcross 2002, p. 25
21. ^ "Her Majesty The Queen: Early life and education", Royal Household, 29 December 2015, archived from the original on 7 May 2016, retrieved 18 April 2016
22. Marr 2011, p. 84; Pimlott 2001, p. 47
23. ^ Pimlott 2001, p. 54
24. ^ Pimlott 2001, p. 55
25. Warwick 2002, p. 102
26. Goodey, Emma (21 December 2015), "Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 7 May 2016, retrieved 18 April 2016
27. Crawford 1950, pp. 104–114; Pimlott 2001, pp. 56–57
28. Crawford 1950, pp. 114–119; Pimlott 2001, p. 57
29. Crawford 1950, pp. 137–141
30. ^ "Children's Hour: Princess Elizabeth", BBC Archive, 13 October 1940, archived from the original on 27 November 2019, retrieved 22 July 2009
31. "Early public life", Royal Household, archived from the original on 28 March 2010, retrieved 20 April 2010
32. Pimlott 2001, p. 71
33. "No. 36973", The London Gazette (Supplement), 6 March 1945, p. 1315
34. • Bradford 2012, p. 45; Lacey 2002, pp. 136–137; Marr 2011, p. 100; Pimlott 2001, p. 75;
    • "No. 37205", The London Gazette (Supplement), 31 July 1945, p. 3972
35. Bond 2006, p. 10; Pimlott 2001, p. 79
36. • "The Queen Remembers VE Day 1945", The Way We Were (Interview), interviewed by Godfrey Talbot, BBC Radio 4, 8 May 1985, retrieved 4 April 2024 – via YouTube;
    • The Way We Were Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
37. "Royal plans to beat nationalism", BBC News, 8 March 2005, archived from the original on 8 February 2012, retrieved 15 June 2010
38. Pimlott 2001, pp. 71–73
39. "Gorsedd of the Bards", National Museum of Wales, archived from the original on 18 May 2014, retrieved 17 December 2009
40. Fisher, Connie (20 April 1947), "A speech by the Queen on her 21st birthday", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 3 January 2017, retrieved 18 April 2016
41. Utley, Charles (June 2017), "My grandfather wrote the Princess's speech", The Oldie, archived from the original on 31 May 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
42. Brandreth 2004, pp. 132–139; Lacey 2002, pp. 124–125; Pimlott 2001, p. 86
43. Bond 2006, p. 10; Brandreth 2004, pp. 132–136, 166–169; Lacey 2002, pp. 119, 126, 135
44. Heald 2007, p. 77
45. Edwards, Phil (31 October 2000), "The Real Prince Philip", Channel 4, archived from the original on 9 February 2010, retrieved 23 September 2009
46. Crawford 1950, p. 180
47. • Davies, Caroline (20 April 2006), "Philip, the one constant through her life", The Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 9 January 2022, retrieved 23 September 2009;
    • Brandreth 2004, p. 314
48. Heald 2007, p. xviii
49. Hoey 2002, pp. 55–56; Pimlott 2001, pp. 101, 137
50. "No. 38128", The London Gazette, 21 November 1947, p. 5495
51. ^ "60 Diamond Wedding anniversary facts", Royal Household, 18 November 2007, archived from the original on 3 December 2010, retrieved 20 June 2010
52. Hoey 2002, p. 58; Pimlott 2001, pp. 133–134
53. Hoey 2002, p. 59; Petropoulos 2006, p. 363
54. Bradford 2012, p. 61
55. • Letters Patent, 22 October 1948;
    • Hoey 2002, pp. 69–70; Pimlott 2001, pp. 155–156
56. Pimlott 2001, p. 163
57. Brandreth 2004, pp. 226–238; Pimlott 2001, pp. 145, 159–163, 167
58. Brandreth 2004, pp. 240–241; Lacey 2002, p. 166; Pimlott 2001, pp. 169–172
59. Brandreth 2004, pp. 245–247; Lacey 2002, p. 166; Pimlott 2001, pp. 173–176; Shawcross 2002, p. 16
60. Bousfield & Toffoli 2002, p. 72; Bradford 2002, p. 166; Pimlott 2001, p. 179; Shawcross 2002, p. 17
61. Mitchell 2003, p. 113
62. Pimlott 2001, pp. 178–179
63. Pimlott 2001, pp. 186–187
64. Soames, Emma (1 June 2012), "Emma Soames: As Churchills we're proud to do our duty", The Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 2 June 2012, retrieved 12 March 2019
65. Bradford 2012, p. 80; Brandreth 2004, pp. 253–254; Lacey 2002, pp. 172–173; Pimlott 2001, pp. 183–185
66. Pimlott 2001, pp. 297–298
67. "No. 41948", The London Gazette (Supplement), 5 February 1960, p. 1003
68. Brandreth 2004, pp. 269–271
69. Brandreth 2004, pp. 269–271; Lacey 2002, pp. 193–194; Pimlott 2001, pp. 201, 236–238
70. Bond 2006, p. 22; Brandreth 2004, p. 271; Lacey 2002, p. 194; Pimlott 2001, p. 238; Shawcross 2002, p. 146
71. "Princess Margaret: Marriage and family", Royal Household, archived from the original on 6 November 2011, retrieved 8 September 2011
72. Bradford 2012, p. 82
73. "50 facts about The Queen's Coronation", Royal Household, 25 May 2003, archived from the original on 7 February 2021, retrieved 18 April 2016
74. Pimlott 2001, p. 207
75. Briggs 1995, pp. 420 ff.; Pimlott 2001, p. 207; Roberts 2000, p. 82
76. Lacey 2002, p. 182
77. Lacey 2002, p. 190; Pimlott 2001, pp. 247–248
78. Marr 2011, p. 272
79. Pimlott 2001, p. 182
80. "The Commonwealth: Gifts to the Queen", Royal Collection Trust, archived from the original on 1 March 2016, retrieved 20 February 2016
81. • "Australia: Royal visits", Royal Household, 13 October 2015, archived from the original on 1 February 2019, retrieved 18 April 2016;
    • Vallance, Adam (22 December 2015), "New Zealand: Royal visits", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 22 March 2019, retrieved 18 April 2016;
    • Marr 2011, p. 126
82. Brandreth 2004, p. 278; Marr 2011, p. 126; Pimlott 2001, p. 224; Shawcross 2002, p. 59
83. Campbell, Sophie (11 May 2012), "Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Sixty years of royal tours", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 20 February 2016
84. Thomson, Mike (15 January 2007), "When Britain and France nearly married", BBC News, archived from the original on 23 January 2009, retrieved 14 December 2009
85. Pimlott 2001, p. 255; Roberts 2000, p. 84
86. Marr 2011, pp. 175–176; Pimlott 2001, pp. 256–260; Roberts 2000, p. 84
87. Lacey 2002, p. 199; Shawcross 2002, p. 75
88. • Altrincham in National Review, quoted by
    • Brandreth 2004, p. 374; Roberts 2000, p. 83
89. Brandreth 2004, p. 374; Pimlott 2001, pp. 280–281; Shawcross 2002, p. 76
90. ^ Hardman 2011, p. 22; Pimlott 2001, pp. 324–335; Roberts 2000, p. 84
91. Roberts 2000, p. 84
92. ^ "Queen and Canada: Royal visits", Royal Household, archived from the original on 4 May 2010, retrieved 12 February 2012
93. Bradford 2012, p. 114
94. Pimlott 2001, p. 303; Shawcross 2002, p. 83
95. ^ Macmillan 1972, pp. 466–472
96. Dubois, Paul (12 October 1964), "Demonstrations Mar Quebec Events Saturday", The Gazette, p. 1, archived from the original on 23 January 2021, retrieved 6 March 2010
97. Bousfield & Toffoli 2002, p. 139
98. "Royal Family tree and line of succession", BBC News, 4 September 2017, archived from the original on 11 March 2021, retrieved 13 May 2022
99. "No. 43268", The London Gazette, 11 March 1964, p. 2255
100. Bond 2006, p. 66; Pimlott 2001, pp. 345–354
101. Bradford 2012, pp. 123, 154, 176; Pimlott 2001, pp. 301, 315–316, 415–417
102. "Aberfan disaster: The Queen's regret after tragedy", BBC News, 10 September 2022, archived from the original on 23 November 2022, retrieved 20 December 2022
103. "How filming the agony of Aberfan for The Crown revealed a village still in trauma", The Guardian, 17 November 2019, archived from the original on 21 December 2022, retrieved 20 December 2022
104. Hoey 2022, p. 58
105. "Big Crowds in Belgrade Greet Queen Elizabeth", The New York Times, 18 October 1972, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
106. Bradford 2012, p. 181; Pimlott 2001, p. 418
107. Bradford 2012, p. 181; Marr 2011, p. 256; Pimlott 2001, p. 419; Shawcross 2002, pp. 109–110
108. ^ Bond 2006, p. 96; Marr 2011, p. 257; Pimlott 2001, p. 427; Shawcross 2002, p. 110
109. Pimlott 2001, pp. 428–429
110. Pimlott 2001, p. 449
111. Hardman 2011, p. 137; Roberts 2000, pp. 88–89; Shawcross 2002, p. 178
112. Elizabeth to her staff, quoted in Shawcross 2002, p. 178
113. Pimlott 2001, pp. 336–337, 470–471; Roberts 2000, pp. 88–89
114. ^ Heinricks, Geoff (29 September 2000), "Trudeau: A drawer monarchist", National Post, Toronto, p. B12
115. "Queen's 'fantasy assassin' jailed", BBC News, 14 September 1981, archived from the original on 28 July 2011, retrieved 21 June 2010
116. Lacey 2002, p. 281; Pimlott 2001, pp. 476–477; Shawcross 2002, p. 192
117. McNeilly, Hamish (1 March 2018), "Intelligence documents confirm assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth in New Zealand", The Sydney Morning Herald, archived from the original on 26 June 2019, retrieved 1 March 2018
118. Ainge Roy, Eleanor (13 January 2018), "'Damn ... I missed': the incredible story of the day the Queen was nearly shot", The Guardian, archived from the original on 1 March 2018, retrieved 1 March 2018
119. Bond 2006, p. 115; Pimlott 2001, p. 487
120. Pimlott 2001, p. 487; Shawcross 2002, p. 127
121. Lacey 2002, pp. 297–298; Pimlott 2001, p. 491
122. Bond 2006, p. 188; Pimlott 2001, p. 497
123. Pimlott 2001, pp. 488–490
124. Pimlott 2001, p. 521
125. • Hardman 2011, pp. 216–217; Pimlott 2001, pp. 503–515; see also
     • Neil 1996, pp. 195–207; Shawcross 2002, pp. 129–132
126. • Thatcher to Brian Walden, quoted in Neil 1996, pp. 207;
     • Neil quoted in Wyatt 1999, diary of 26 October 1990
127. Campbell 2003, p. 467
128. Hardman 2011, pp. 167, 171–173
129. Roberts 2000, p. 101; Shawcross 2002, p. 139
130. ^ Geddes, John (2012), "The day she descended into the fray", Maclean's (Special Commemorative ed.), p. 72
131. ^ MacQueen, Ken; Treble, Patricia (2012), "The Jewel in the Crown", Maclean's (Special Commemorative ed.), pp. 43–44
132. "Queen fulfills a Royal Goal: To visit China", The New York Times, 13 October 1986, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
133. BBC Books 1991, p. 181
134. Hardman 2019, p. 437
135. Bogert, Carroll R. (13 October 1986), "Queen Elizabeth II Arrives In Peking for 6-Day Visit", The Washington Post, ISSN 0190-8286, archived from the original on 26 March 2023, retrieved 12 October 2022
136. Lacey 2002, pp. 293–294; Pimlott 2001, p. 541
137. Hardman 2011, pp. 82–83; Lacey 2002, p. 307; Pimlott 2001, pp. 522–526
138. Pimlott 2001, pp. 515–516
139. Pimlott 2001, p. 538
140. Fisher, Connie (24 November 1992), "Annus horribilis speech", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 3 January 2017, retrieved 18 April 2016
141. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024), "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 15 July 2024
142. "Rich List: Changing face of wealth", BBC News, 18 April 2013, archived from the original on 6 November 2020, retrieved 23 July 2020
143. • Lord Airlie, the lord chamberlain, quoted in
     • Hoey 2002, p. 225; Pimlott 2001, p. 561
144. • "£2m estimate of the Queen's wealth 'more likely to be accurate'", The Times, 11 June 1971, p. 1;
     • Pimlott 2001, p. 401
145. Pimlott 2001, pp. 519–534
146. Lacey 2002, p. 319; Marr 2011, p. 315; Pimlott 2001, pp. 550–551
147. Stanglin, Douglas (18 March 2010), "German study concludes 25,000 died in Allied bombing of Dresden", USA Today, archived from the original on 15 May 2010, retrieved 19 March 2010
148. Brandreth 2004, p. 377; Pimlott 2001, pp. 558–559; Roberts 2000, p. 94; Shawcross 2002, p. 204
149. Brandreth 2004, p. 377
150. Bradford 2012, p. 229; Lacey 2002, pp. 325–326; Pimlott 2001, pp. 559–561
151. Bradford 2012, p. 226; Hardman 2011, p. 96; Lacey 2002, p. 328; Pimlott 2001, p. 561
152. Pimlott 2001, p. 562
153. "Queen Threatens to Sue Newspaper", Associated Press News, London, 3 February 1993, archived from the original on 7 April 2022, retrieved 27 December 2021
154. "Queen Breaks Wrist in Riding Accident", Associated Press News, 17 January 1994, archived from the original on 31 August 2022, retrieved 1 September 2022
155. • "Elizabeth II to visit Russia in October", Evansville Press, Associated Press, 15 July 1994, p. 2, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022;
     • Tomaszewski 2002, p. 22
156. Sloane, Wendy (19 October 1994), "Not all's forgiven as queen tours a czarless Russia", The Christian Science Monitor, Moscow, archived from the original on 5 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
157. "British queen in Moscow", United Press International, Moscow, 17 October 1994, archived from the original on 12 March 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
158. de Waal, Thomas (15 October 1994), "Queen's Visit: Lifting the Clouds of the Past", The Moscow Times
159. • "Allo! Allo! Ici the Queen. Who's This?", The New York Times, 29 October 1995, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022;
     • "Queen falls victim to radio hoaxer", The Independent, 28 October 1995, archived from the original on 3 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
160. Brandreth 2004, p. 356; Pimlott 2001, pp. 572–577; Roberts 2000, p. 94; Shawcross 2002, p. 168
161. Brandreth 2004, p. 357; Pimlott 2001, p. 577
162. Brandreth 2004, p. 358; Hardman 2011, p. 101; Pimlott 2001, p. 610
163. Bond 2006, p. 134; Brandreth 2004, p. 358; Marr 2011, p. 338; Pimlott 2001, p. 615
164. Bond 2006, p. 134; Brandreth 2004, p. 358; Lacey 2002, pp. 6–7; Pimlott 2001, p. 616; Roberts 2000, p. 98; Shawcross 2002, p. 8
165. Brandreth 2004, pp. 358–359; Lacey 2002, pp. 8–9; Pimlott 2001, pp. 621–622
166. ^ Bond 2006, p. 134; Brandreth 2004, p. 359; Lacey 2002, pp. 13–15; Pimlott 2001, pp. 623–624
167. ^ "Indian group calls off protest, accepts queen's regrets", Amritsar, India: CNN, 14 October 1997, archived from the original on 3 May 2021, retrieved 3 May 2021
168. ^ Burns, John F. (15 October 1997), "In India, Queen Bows Her Head Over a Massacre in 1919", The New York Times, archived from the original on 17 May 2013, retrieved 12 February 2013
169. ^ Fisher, Connie (20 November 1997), "A speech by The Queen on her Golden Wedding Anniversary", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 10 January 2019, retrieved 10 February 2017
170. Gibbs, Geoffrey (27 May 1999), "Welsh crown day with a song", The Guardian, archived from the original on 20 September 2022, retrieved 16 September 2022
171. Engel, Matthew (2 July 1999), "Something for everyone as Scots at last put history behind them", The Guardian, archived from the original on 14 September 2022, retrieved 14 September 2022
172. • "Queen to visit Southwark on Millennium Eve", London SE1, December 1999, archived from the original on 13 February 2022, retrieved 13 February 2022;
     • "Beacons blaze across UK", BBC News, 31 December 1999, archived from the original on 13 February 2022, retrieved 13 February 2022
173. Knappett 2016, p. 24
174. Shawcross 2002, p. 224; Bedell Smith 2017, p. 423
175. Kelso, Paul (14 September 2001), "US anthem played at changing of the guard", The Guardian, archived from the original on 8 December 2015, retrieved 14 December 2023
176. "After Sept. 11, Queen Elizabeth Ordered Up 'The Star-Spangled Banner'", The New York Times, 11 September 2022, archived from the original on 14 December 2023, retrieved 14 December 2023
177. Bond 2006, p. 156; Bradford 2012, pp. 248–249; Marr 2011, pp. 349–350
178. McDowell, Erin (6 December 2022), "13 photos that show Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret's close sisterly bond", Insider, retrieved 8 November 2023
179. Brandreth 2004, p. 31
180. Bond 2006, pp. 166–167
181. Bond 2006, p. 157
182. Higham, Nick (14 September 2012), "Analysis: The Royal Family's history of legal action", BBC News, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 31 May 2022
183. Wells, Matt (24 November 2003), "Palace and Mirror settle over fake footman", The Guardian, archived from the original on 1 June 2022, retrieved 22 May 2022
184. "Queen cancels visit due to injury", BBC News, 26 October 2006, archived from the original on 17 February 2007, retrieved 8 December 2009
185. Alderson, Andrew (28 May 2007), "Revealed: Queen's dismay at Blair legacy", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 31 May 2010
186. Alderson, Andrew (27 May 2007), "Tony and Her Majesty: an uneasy relationship", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 31 May 2010
187. "Queen celebrates diamond wedding", BBC News, 19 November 2007, archived from the original on 13 September 2021, retrieved 10 February 2017
188. "Historic first for Maundy service", BBC News, 20 March 2008, archived from the original on 12 April 2009, retrieved 12 October 2008
189. Berry, Ciara (6 July 2010), "A speech by the Queen to the United Nations General Assembly", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 14 November 2018, retrieved 18 April 2016
190. ^ "Queen addresses UN General Assembly in New York", BBC News, 7 July 2010, archived from the original on 15 July 2010, retrieved 7 July 2010
191. "Royal tour of Australia: The Queen ends visit with traditional 'Aussie barbie'", The Telegraph, 29 October 2011, archived from the original on 30 October 2011, retrieved 30 October 2011
192. Bradford 2012, p. 253
193. • "Prince Harry pays tribute to the Queen in Jamaica", BBC News, 7 March 2012, archived from the original on 18 March 2012, retrieved 31 May 2012;
     • "Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Undertake a Royal Tour of Canada in 2012" (Press release), Government of Canada, 14 December 2011, archived from the original on 20 May 2018, retrieved 31 May 2012
194. "Event News", The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Beacons, archived from the original on 16 November 2018, retrieved 28 April 2016
195. "UK to name part of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land", BBC News, 18 December 2012, archived from the original on 28 January 2013, retrieved 9 June 2019
196. "Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium Announces Broadcast Details for London 2012 Opening Ceremony, Friday", PR Newswire, 24 July 2012, archived from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 22 March 2015
197. Brown, Nicholas (27 July 2012), "How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics", BBC News, archived from the original on 19 April 2019, retrieved 27 July 2012
198. "Queen honoured with Bafta award for film and TV support", BBC News, 4 April 2013, archived from the original on 7 April 2013, retrieved 7 April 2013
199. Berry, Ciara (9 September 2015), "A speech by The Queen at the Borders Railway, Scotland", The Royal Family, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
200. "Queen leaves hospital after stomach bug", BBC News, 4 March 2013, archived from the original on 4 March 2013, retrieved 4 March 2013
201. "Recovering Queen signs Commonwealth charter", BBC News, 11 March 2013, archived from the original on 24 October 2016, retrieved 23 October 2016
202. "Queen to miss Commonwealth meeting", BBC News, 7 May 2013, archived from the original on 25 January 2021, retrieved 7 May 2013
203. "Charles to be next Commonwealth head", BBC News, 20 April 2018, archived from the original on 20 April 2018, retrieved 21 April 2018
204. Collier, Hatty (8 June 2018), "The Queen undergoes eye surgery to remove cataract", Evening Standard, archived from the original on 8 March 2021, retrieved 19 March 2021 – via Yahoo! News
205. Nikkash, Roya (31 March 2019), "Queen slams brakes on driving in public", The Times, archived from the original on 31 March 2019, retrieved 31 March 2019
206. • "Elizabeth Set to Beat Victoria's Record as Longest Reigning Monarch in British History", HuffPost, 6 September 2014, archived from the original on 26 September 2014, retrieved 28 September 2014;
     • Modh, Shrikant (11 September 2015), "The Longest Reigning Monarch Queen Elizabeth II", Philately News, archived from the original on 1 December 2017, retrieved 20 November 2017
207. • "Queen Elizabeth II is now world's oldest monarch", The Hindu, 24 January 2015, archived from the original on 2 January 2020, retrieved 20 November 2017;
     • Rayner, Gordon (23 January 2015), "Queen becomes world's oldest monarch following death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 20 November 2017
208. • "Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at 88", BBC News, 13 October 2016, archived from the original on 13 October 2016, retrieved 23 April 2022;
     • Addley, Esther (13 October 2016), "Queen Elizabeth II is longest-reigning living monarch after Thai king's death", The Guardian, archived from the original on 23 April 2022, retrieved 23 April 2022
209. "Queen Elizabeth II will be the world's oldest head of state if Robert Mugabe is toppled", MSN, 14 November 2017, archived from the original on 15 November 2017, retrieved 20 November 2017
210. Rayner, Gordon (29 January 2017), "The Blue Sapphire Jubilee: Queen will not celebrate 65th anniversary but instead sit in 'quiet contemplation' remembering father's death", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 3 February 2017
211. "Queen and Prince Philip portraits released to mark 70th anniversary", The Guardian, Press Association, 20 November 2017, archived from the original on 20 November 2017, retrieved 20 November 2017
212. Bilefsky, Dan (2 August 2017), "Prince Philip Makes His Last Solo Appearance, After 65 Years in the Public Eye", The New York Times, retrieved 4 August 2017
213. Friel, Mikhaila (16 March 2020), "The royal family is canceling events because of the coronavirus, and the Queen may be asked to self-isolate for up to 4 months", Insider, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 5 July 2021
214. "Coronavirus: Queen and Prince Philip return to Windsor Castle for lockdown", Sky News, 2 November 2020, archived from the original on 21 June 2021, retrieved 5 July 2021
215. "Coronavirus: The Queen's message seen by 24 million", BBC News, 6 April 2020, archived from the original on 10 July 2021, retrieved 5 July 2021
216. "Coronavirus: The Queen's broadcast in full", BBC News, 5 April 2020, archived from the original on 25 August 2021, retrieved 5 July 2021
217. "VE Day: UK's streets not empty as filled with love, says Queen", BBC News, 8 May 2020, archived from the original on 9 July 2021, retrieved 5 July 2021
218. • Busby, Mattha (9 January 2021), "The Queen and Prince Philip receive first dose of Covid vaccine", The Guardian, archived from the original on 9 July 2021, retrieved 5 July 2021;
     • Petit, Stephanie (1 April 2021), "Queen Elizabeth Received Her Second COVID-19 Vaccine Before First Maskless Outing of the Year", People, archived from the original on 8 August 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
219. • "Prince Philip: After over 70 years by her side, the Queen faces a future without her 'strength and stay'", ITV News, 9 April 2021, archived from the original on 9 April 2021, retrieved 9 April 2021;
     • Elliott, Caitlin (9 April 2021), "Queen will complete her reign in the same sad way as great-great grandmother Queen Victoria", GoodtoKnow, archived from the original on 11 June 2021, retrieved 11 June 2021
220. Tominey, Camilla (9 April 2021), "Prince Philip's peaceful passing reflects a remarkable life lived in self-effacing dignity", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 April 2021, retrieved 11 May 2021
221. "Prince Philip: The Queen says his death has 'left a huge void' – Duke of York", BBC News, 11 April 2021, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
222. • Abraham, Ellie (17 April 2021), "Social Media Reacts to 'heartbreaking' Image of Queen Sitting Alone at Prince Philip's Funeral", The Independent, archived from the original on 6 July 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022;
     • Hassan, Jennifer (17 April 2021), "Image of Queen Elizabeth II sitting alone at Philip's funeral breaks hearts around the world", The Washington Post, archived from the original on 12 May 2021, retrieved 8 September 2022
223. Burford, Rachael (20 January 2022), "No10 'offered to ease Covid rules for Prince Philip's funeral but Queen declined because it wouldn't be fair'", Evening Standard, archived from the original on 29 March 2022, retrieved 29 March 2022
224. • "Queen's Christmas message pays tribute to 'beloved' Philip", BBC News, 25 December 2021, archived from the original on 20 February 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022;
     • Ship, Chris (25 December 2021), "Queen remembers 'mischievous twinkle' of Prince Philip in emotional Christmas message", ITV News, archived from the original on 15 February 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
225. "Queen's Speech 2021: What can we expect?", BBC News, 10 May 2021, archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 10 May 2021
226. Mills, Rhiannon (12 June 2021), "G7 summit: Queen charms prime ministers and presidents", Sky News, archived from the original on 12 June 2021, retrieved 12 June 2021
227. "Queen meets Joe Biden at Windsor Castle", BBC News, 13 June 2021, archived from the original on 17 June 2021, retrieved 8 September 2023
228. Taylor, Harry (21 October 2021), "The Queen spent night in hospital after cancelling Northern Ireland visit", The Guardian, archived from the original on 7 December 2023, retrieved 4 March 2024
229. "Man admits treason after breaking into grounds of Windsor Castle with crossbow 'to kill Queen'", Sky News, 3 February 2023, archived from the original on 3 February 2023, retrieved 3 February 2023
230. Turner, Lauren (5 February 2022), "Queen holds reception to mark Platinum Jubilee", BBC News, archived from the original on 21 February 2022, retrieved 5 February 2022
231. Goodey, Emma (5 February 2022), "Accession Day 2022", Royal Family, archived from the original on 20 February 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
232. • Lee, Dulcie; Durbin, Adam (20 February 2022), "The Queen tests positive for Covid", BBC News, archived from the original on 20 February 2022, retrieved 20 February 2022;
     • Foster, Max; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (20 February 2022), "Britain's Queen Elizabeth tests positive for Covid-19", CNN, archived from the original on 27 May 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
233. Hinton, Megan (28 February 2022), "Queen enjoys time with family after recovering from Covid", LBC, archived from the original on 5 March 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
234. Lauren, Turner (29 March 2022), "Queen attends Prince Philip memorial service at Westminster Abbey", BBC News, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 5 April 2022
235. Thompson, Eliza (14 March 2022), "Prince Charles Fills in for Queen Elizabeth II at Commonwealth Day Service Alongside Prince William", Us Weekly, archived from the original on 14 March 2022, retrieved 14 March 2022
236. Adams, Charley (14 April 2022), "Prince Charles stands in for Queen at Maundy Service", BBC News, archived from the original on 6 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
237. "Queen to miss State Opening of Parliament – Prince of Wales to read speech instead", Sky News, 9 May 2022, archived from the original on 11 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
238. Furness, Hannah (2 June 2022), "The Queen to miss service of thanksgiving after suffering discomfort", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 27 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
239. Turner, Lauren (13 June 2022), "Queen Elizabeth II becomes second-longest serving monarch", BBC News, archived from the original on 15 June 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
240. Foster, Max; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (31 August 2022), "Queen won't return to London to appoint new British PM, for first time in her reign", CNN, archived from the original on 2 September 2022, retrieved 2 September 2022
241. "10 Little known facts about British Prime Ministers", Sky HISTORY, archived from the original on 10 October 2022, retrieved 10 October 2022
242. "In last public statement, Queen Elizabeth extended condolences following Saskatchewan stabbing rampage", The StarPhoenix, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 29 January 2023
243. Brandreth 2004, pp. 370–371; Marr 2011, p. 395
244. • Mansey, Kate; Leake, Jonathan; Hellen, Nicholas (19 January 2014), "Queen and Charles start to 'job-share'", The Sunday Times, archived from the original on 3 February 2014, retrieved 20 January 2014;
     • Marr 2011, p. 395
245. Tasker, John Paul (19 September 2022), "Canada is the country it is today because of Queen Elizabeth, Mulroney says at memorial service", CBC News, archived from the original on 13 January 2023, retrieved 15 October 2022
246. Sherwood, Harriet (9 September 2022), "Queen had no fear of death, says archbishop of Canterbury", The Guardian, archived from the original on 9 September 2022, retrieved 9 September 2022
247. "Queen's doctors concerned for her health – palace", BBC News, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
248. Davies, Caroline (8 September 2022), "Queen under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors' concerns", The Guardian, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
249. "Queen under medical supervision as doctors are concerned for her health. Prince Charles, Camilla and Prince William are currently travelling to Balmoral, Clarence House and Kensington Palace said", Sky News, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
250. Shaw, Neil (8 September 2022), "Duke of York, Princess Anne and Prince Edward all called to Queen's side", Plymouth Live, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
251. Furness, Hannah (12 January 2024), "King found out his mother had died while 'driving back to Balmoral from picking mushrooms'", The Telegraph, ISSN 0307-1235, archived from the original on 14 January 2024, retrieved 14 January 2024
252. ^ Coughlan, Sean (29 September 2022), "Queen's cause of death given as 'old age' on death certificate", BBC News, archived from the original on 1 October 2022, retrieved 29 September 2022
253. Prynn, Jonathan (9 September 2022), "Queen died 'with Charles and Anne by side as other royals dashed to Balmoral'", Evening Standard, archived from the original on 9 September 2022, retrieved 17 October 2022
254. "Queen Elizabeth II has died", BBC News, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
255. Kottasová, Ivana; Picheta, Rob; Foster, Max; Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (8 September 2022), "Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96", CNN, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 8 September 2022
256. "Operation Unicorn: what happens after the Queen's death in Scotland?", The Guardian, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 8 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022
257. ""Operation Unicorn", Not "London Bridge": The Codename For Queen's Death", NDTV, Agence France-Presse, 8 September 2022, archived from the original on 21 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022
258. Silver, Christopher (13 September 2022), "Elizabeth, the last Queen of Scots?", Prospect, archived from the original on 13 September 2022, retrieved 26 September 2022
259. "Queen Elizabeth died of 'old age', death certificate says", The Guardian, 29 September 2022, archived from the original on 4 December 2022, retrieved 8 December 2022
260. Keate, Noah (30 September 2024), "Boris Johnson says Queen Elizabeth II had bone cancer", Politico, retrieved 30 September 2024
261. Dawson, Bethany (26 November 2022), "Queen Elizabeth II was battling bone marrow cancer before she died, claims new book", Business Insider, archived from the original on 2 March 2024, retrieved 2 March 2024
262. "The quiet symbolism of the Queen's farewell to Scotland", BBC News, 13 September 2022, archived from the original on 23 September 2022, retrieved 22 September 2022
263. "Queen's coffin vigil in Edinburgh witnessed by 33,000 people", BBC News, 13 September 2022, archived from the original on 13 September 2022, retrieved 13 September 2022
264. "Plane carrying coffin of Queen Elizabeth lands in London", Reuters, 13 September 2022, archived from the original on 7 June 2023, retrieved 13 September 2022
265. "In Photos: World Leaders Join Public to Pay Respects to Queen", Voice of America, 18 September 2022, archived from the original on 13 January 2023, retrieved 18 September 2022
266. "At least 250,000 people lined up to see queen's coffin", AP News, 20 September 2022, archived from the original on 20 September 2022, retrieved 20 September 2022
267. Therrien, Alex (16 September 2022), "Royals hold sombre watch over Queen's coffin", BBC News, archived from the original on 23 September 2022, retrieved 16 September 2022
268. Bowden, George; Faulkner, Doug (16 September 2022), "Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren to observe lying-in-state vigil", BBC News, archived from the original on 22 September 2022, retrieved 16 September 2022
269. "A History of Royal Burials and Funerals", Westminster Abbey, archived from the original on 12 September 2022, retrieved 11 September 2022
270. ^ Minelle, Bethany (19 September 2022), "Tens of thousands in London and Windsor as world says goodbye to the Queen at her funeral", Sky News, archived from the original on 19 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022
271. ^ "Your complete guide to the Queen's funeral", BBC News, 19 September 2022, archived from the original on 9 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022
272. Heald, Claire (19 September 2022), "Queen's corgis and pony wait at Windsor Castle as coffin approaches", BBC News, archived from the original on 24 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022
273. "Family say final goodbye as Queen buried next to Philip", BBC News, 19 September 2022, archived from the original on 19 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022
274. Hunter, Sophie (19 September 2022), "The State Funeral for Her Majesty The Queen", The Royal Family, archived from the original on 25 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022
275. "State Funeral for Her Majesty The Queen", The Royal Family, archived from the original on 18 September 2022, retrieved 19 September 2022 – via YouTube
276. Walton, John (16 January 1999), "The author of political scandal", BBC News, archived from the original on 18 December 2022, retrieved 19 November 2022
277. ^ Routledge 1994, p. xiii
278. Dominiczak, Peter (24 September 2014), "David Cameron: I'm extremely sorry for saying Queen 'purred' over Scottish Independence vote", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 9 January 2022, retrieved 8 October 2018
279. Quinn, Ben (19 September 2019), "David Cameron sought intervention from Queen on Scottish independence", The Guardian, archived from the original on 7 November 2021, retrieved 16 October 2022
280. • "Queen 'will do her job for life'", BBC News, 19 April 2006, archived from the original on 8 December 2008, retrieved 4 February 2007;
     • Shawcross 2002, pp. 194–195
281. "Our structure", Church of Scotland, 22 February 2010, archived from the original on 25 January 2020, retrieved 23 April 2022
282. "Queen meets Pope Francis at the Vatican", BBC News, 3 April 2014, archived from the original on 28 May 2017, retrieved 28 March 2017
283. • Fisher, Connie (25 December 2000), "Christmas Broadcast 2000", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 7 May 2016, retrieved 18 April 2016;
     • Shawcross 2002, pp. 236–237
284. "About The Patron's Lunch", The Patron's Lunch, 5 September 2014, archived from the original on 17 March 2016, retrieved 28 April 2016
285. Hodge, Kate (11 June 2012), "The Queen has done more for charity than any other monarch in history", The Guardian, archived from the original on 22 February 2021, retrieved 25 February 2021
286. "80 facts about The Queen", Royal Household, archived from the original on 21 March 2009, retrieved 20 June 2010
287. • Bush 2007, p. 115;
     • Pierce, Andrew (1 October 2007), "Hug for Queen Elizabeth's first corgi", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 21 September 2012
288. Delacourt, Susan (25 May 2012), "When the Queen is your boss", Toronto Star, archived from the original on 7 March 2013, retrieved 27 May 2012
289. Bond 2006, p. 22
290. Bond 2006, p. 35; Pimlott 2001, p. 180; Roberts 2000, p. 82; Shawcross 2002, p. 50
291. Bond 2006, p. 35; Pimlott 2001, p. 280; Shawcross 2002, p. 76
292. Bond 2006, pp. 66–67, 84, 87–89; Bradford 2012, pp. 160–163; Hardman 2011, pp. 22, 210–213; Lacey 2002, pp. 222–226; Marr 2011, p. 237; Pimlott 2001, pp. 378–392; Roberts 2000, pp. 84–86
293. Hardman 2011, pp. 213–214
294. Hardman 2011, p. 41
295. Cartner-Morley, Jess (10 May 2007), "Elizabeth II, belated follower of fashion", The Guardian, archived from the original on 7 November 2021, retrieved 5 September 2011
296. Smith, Matthew (17 May 2018), "Almost a third of the country has seen or met the Queen in real life", YouGov, archived from the original on 18 April 2021, retrieved 11 August 2023
297. Bond 2006, p. 97; Bradford 2012, p. 189; Pimlott 2001, pp. 449–450; Roberts 2000, p. 87; Shawcross 2002, pp. 1114–117
298. Bond 2006, p. 117; Roberts 2000, p. 91
299. Bond 2006, p. 134; Pimlott 2001, pp. 556–561, 570
300. • MORI poll for The Independent newspaper, March 1996, quoted in
     • Pimlott 2001, p. 578;
     • O'Sullivan, Jack (5 March 1996), "Watch out, the Roundheads are back", The Independent, archived from the original on 12 December 2012, retrieved 17 September 2011
301. Pimlott 2001, p. 578
302. Bond 2006, p. 134; Pimlott 2001, pp. 624–625
303. Hardman 2011, p. 310; Lacey 2002, p. 387; Roberts 2000, p. 101; Shawcross 2002, p. 218
304. "Australia's PM says Elizabeth II should be country's last British monarch", The Guardian, Canberra, Associated Press, 17 August 2010, archived from the original on 27 October 2022, retrieved 16 October 2022
305. Ireland, Judith (15 July 2017), "We're all Elizabethans now: When Malcolm Turnbull met the monarch", The Sydney Morning Herald, archived from the original on 1 July 2021, retrieved 16 October 2022
306. Lagan, Bernard (9 March 2021), "Australians in new push to break royal links after Meghan and Harry interview", The Times, Sydney, archived from the original on 2 December 2021, retrieved 16 October 2022
307. "Vincies vote 'No'", BBC News, 26 November 2009, archived from the original on 10 October 2021, retrieved 26 November 2009
308. • "Monarchy poll", Ipsos MORI, April 2006, archived from the original on 23 January 2021, retrieved 22 March 2015;
     • "Monarchy Survey" (PDF), Populus Ltd, 16 December 2007, p. 9, archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2011, retrieved 17 August 2010;
     • "Poll respondents back UK monarchy", BBC News, 28 December 2007, archived from the original on 8 February 2012, retrieved 17 August 2010
309. "Monarchy/Royal Family Trends – Satisfaction with the Queen", Ipsos MORI, 19 May 2016, archived from the original on 23 January 2021, retrieved 19 September 2017
310. • Mills, Rhiannon (7 September 2019), "Epstein, Andrew and private jets: The royals have had a tumultuous summer", Sky News, archived from the original on 23 September 2021, retrieved 26 September 2021;
     • Gallagher, Sophie; Hall, Harriet (19 May 2021), "How the couple who were supposed to 'modernise the monarchy' turned their backs on it", The Independent, archived from the original on 27 September 2021, retrieved 27 September 2021
311. • Skinner, Giden; Garrett, Cameron (11 January 2022), "Three in five favour Britain remaining a monarchy, although support falls from 2012 peak as more become uncertain", Ipsos, archived from the original on 12 July 2022, retrieved 26 July 2022;
     • "Queen Elizabeth II", YouGov, archived from the original on 14 September 2022, retrieved 26 July 2022;
     • Kirk, Isabelle (1 June 2022), "Platinum Jubilee: where does public opinion stand on the monarchy?", YouGov, archived from the original on 2 June 2022, retrieved 26 July 2022;
     • Ship, Chris (2 June 2022), "Poll: Dramatic decline in support for monarchy in decade since Diamond Jubilee", ITV News, archived from the original on 22 July 2022, retrieved 26 July 2022;
     • Smith, Matthew (13 September 2022), "How have Britons reacted to Queen Elizabeth II's death?", YouGov, archived from the original on 11 October 2022, retrieved 12 October 2022
312. • Beaver, Kelly; Skinner, Gideon; Garrett, Cameron (30 May 2022), "The Queen remains the nations' favourite royal as the public associate her with tradition and a positive symbol of Britain at home and abroad", Ipsos, archived from the original on 20 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022;
     • Kirk, Isabelle (1 June 2022), "Platinum Jubilee: where does public opinion stand on the monarchy?", YouGov, archived from the original on 4 October 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022;
     • Ibbetson, Connor (31 May 2022), "Platinum Jubilee: how popular are the royals?", YouGov, archived from the original on 2 October 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022;
     • "IPSOS Attitudes to the Royal Family" (PDF), Ipsos, March 2022, archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2022, retrieved 20 May 2022;
     • Merrick, Jane (2 June 2022), "Half of Britons won't be celebrating Platinum Jubilee and think Royal Family is out of touch", i, archived from the original on 29 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022;
     • "Sky high public approval for the Queen ahead of Platinum Jubilee", Ipsos, 30 May 2022, archived from the original on 9 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022;
     • "Has the Queen done a good job during her time on the throne?", YouGov, archived from the original on 24 September 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022
313. Smith, Matthew (14 December 2021), "World's most admired 2021", YouGov America, archived from the original on 18 April 2022, retrieved 14 December 2021
314. Riley, Ben (12 February 2016), "Revealed: Damien Hirst's only portrait of the Queen found in government archives", The Telegraph, archived from the original on 10 January 2022, retrieved 10 September 2016
315. "Elizabeth II", National Portrait Gallery, archived from the original on 3 December 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013
316. "Marcus Adams", National Portrait Gallery, archived from the original on 15 January 2013, retrieved 20 April 2013
317. "Coat of Arms: Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth", Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, archived from the original on 6 November 2013, retrieved 6 April 2013
318. Berry, Ciara (15 January 2016), "Personal flags", The Royal Family, Royal Household, archived from the original on 7 May 2016, retrieved 18 April 2016
319. • Louda & Maclagan 1999, p. 34;
     • Montgomery-Massingberd 1973, pp. 252, 293, 307;
     • Wagner, A. R. (1940), "Some of the Sixty-four Ancestors of Her Majesty the Queen", Genealogist's Magazine, 9 (1): 7–13