Summer 2006 Newsletter: Featuring Queen Elizabeth II & The Duchess of Cornwall

[GrandDuchess]

THE ROYAL FORUMS' NEWSLETTER – SUMMER 2006 *

Welcome to the summer 2006 edition of The Royal Forums’ newsletter.

The summer is upon us again! Barely have we made it through the first month of summer, June, and heat records have already been broken in at least some parts of the world.

Because of the heavy workload on the TRF Team Members who are in charge of the newsletters, busy private lives and the occasional holiday – we have decided to make this year’s summer newsletter valid for three months: June, July and August. In this special newsletter, we will pay tribute to two special, strong women – each marking an anniversary of their own this year. The women are Queen Elizabeth II, who is celebrating her 80th birthday this year in England and throughout the Commonwealth, and the other is the Duchess of Cornwall, who is marking her first year as the wife of the Prince of Wales, and her first year as a member of the British Royal Family.

For me, summer is one of my favourite times of the year, for it is during these months that the landscape around us really comes alive and my country blossoms with beauty in the radiance of the sunshine.

When I think of summer, my first natural thought is of the Swedish celebrations of the Midsummer holiday and my childhood days when I used to pick seven different flowers to place under my pillow before I went to bed on Midsummer Eve, in hopes of dreaming about my future husband that night. As far as I’m aware, I never did dream about him, but my mother always told me that it didn’t matter is I remembered the dream or not, it was the special magical air of the Midsummer that mattered the most, and my husband would appear one day, whether I knew of him or not.

Food is also something that I strongly connect to the summer, mainly pickled herring and small new potatoes served together with dill, a nice fresh sauce and perhaps some cooked fish for a summer lunch in the garden. For dessert a strawberry cake served with coffee for those who prefers that, and chilled lemonade for the others.

The third main thing I connect with summer is the simple life at the summer cottage. With it comes bathing in a sea or lake several times a day, and heating the sauna in the evening for some nice dips in between the warming up in it. And, cooking a light summer’s lunch, with ingredients bought on the town market the same day, taken on the porch overlooking the lake on a beautiful day – not much can compete with that! There is nothing that puts me as fast asleep in the evening as does a busy day at the cottage: eating, bathing, going into the town market, going to the sauna, eating ice cream. Well you get the idea, a typical summer’s day at the cottage really isn’t that busy, but the special life lead there, and I guess the connection to all of the sweet childhood memories, well it just makes my soul so happy and relaxed I feel like a new person each day.


For this very special newsletters, some of our moderators have kindly made a whole new set of avatars of Queen Elizabeth II, going hand-in-hand as you set out to enjoy a lookback at her extraordinary life on the following pages.

Before you continue reading this newsletter, I (GrandDuchess), Alexandria and the whole TRF Team would like to wish all of our members a great summer. A tip from us would be to print out some of the past newsletters that you liked extra much, pack up a pick nick and head for the sea, sun and sand. Well there, pour yourself a glass of ice tea and unfold the prints – and there you have, a perfect royal read in the sun!

The above introduction was written in early June. It was our intention to release this special newsletter in time for the official celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II's birthday (the Trooping of the Colour), but private committments of some of the TRF Team Members came in the way. Better late than never, as the saying goes. We do sincerely hope that you will all enjoy this issue, and we give you our appologies for the delay.

//GrandDuchess & Alexandria

PS. If there is a royal person or residence, or a special piece of jewellery you would like to see covered in a future issue of our newsletter, please let us know here in the newsletter feedback thread. Our member comments and suggestions are always welcome.

FORUM NOTES

We would like to turn the attention of ours members to the fact that The TRF Rules & Guidelines have recently been updated. Please have a look and read them through.

On behalf of the rest of the Moderating Team we would like to welcome the following individuals who will help us run and manage daily activities around the forum: tbhrc, purple_platinum, kwanfan, Mapple, Adry, Lady Jennifer, ~*~Humera~*~, azile1710, Zonk1189 and Danielane. Congratulations to these members!

We would also like to introduce a new sub-forum called Royal Geneology, which can be found here. You can discuss here or pose questions about the geneology of monarchs.

 

[GrandDuchess]

THE ROYAL CALENDAR - JUNE

BIRTHDAYS

Prince Christian of Hannover (1 June 1985)
Princess Désirée of Sweden (2 June 1938)
Ex-King Constantine (2 June 1940)
The Paramount Ruler of Malaysia (3 June, official birthday)
Prince Felix of Luxembourg (3 June 1984)
Irene Urdangarín y Bórbon (5 June 2005)
King Albert II of the Belgians (6 June 1934)
Prince Joachim of Denmark (7 June 1969)
Andrea Casiraghi (8 June 1984)
Countess Eloise van Oranje-Nassau (8 June 2002)
Princess Theodora of Greece (9 June 1983)
Princess Ragnhild Mrs Lorentzen (9 June 1930)
Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (10 June 1921)
Princess Madeleine of Sweden (10 June 1982)
Queen Fabiola of Belgium (11 June 1928)
Prince Alois of Liechtenstein (11 June 1968)
Henrik, The Prince Consort of Denmark (11 June 1934)
Infanta Christina of Spain (13 June 1965)
Ex-King Simeon II of Bulgaria (16 June 1937)
Prince William of Wales (21 June 1982)
Princess Alexia of The Netherlands (26 June 2005)
Prince Hussein of Jordan (28 June 1994)
Princess Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg (30 June 1964)

ANNIVERSARIES

Wedding Anniversary of Princess Désirée & Baron Silfverschiöld (5 June 1964)
Wedding Anniversary of Princess Tatjana of Liechtenstein & Philip von Lattorff (5 June 1999)
Wedding Anniversary of Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg & Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (6 June 1998)
Anniversary of the death of Princess Liliane of the Belgians (7 June 2002)
Wedding Anniversary of Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan & Masako Owada (9 June 1993)
Wedding Anniversary of King Abdullah II of Jordan and Rania Yassine (10 June 1993)
Wedding Anniversary of King Carl XVI Gustaf & Silvia Sommerlath (19 June 1976)
Enthronement Ceremony Anniversary of King Harald V of Norway (23 June 1991)
Wedding Anniversary of Prince Akishino of Japan & Kiko Kawashima (29 June 1990)

DATES OF NOTE

Sweden’s National Day (6 June)
State Visit by the King & Queen of Sweden to the Republic of Turkey (30 May-2 June)
State Visit by the King & Queen of Spain to the Kingdom of Norway (6-8 June)
Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of King Bhumibol of Thailand (12-13 June)
Official national celebrations of the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (15-17 June)
Annual Service of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Windsor (19 June)
State Visit by the Queen of The Netherlands to the Kingdom of Belgium (20-22 June)

 

[GrandDuchess]

THE ROYAL CALENDAR - JULY

BIRTHDAYS

Queen Sonja of Norway (4 July 1937)
Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand (4 July 1957)
Count Jefferson von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (12 July 1967)
The Sultan of Brunei (15 July 1946)
Camille Gottlieb (15 July 1998)
Princess Marie of Liechtenstein, née Countess Kálnoky (16 July 1975)
The Duchess of Cornwall (17 July 1947)
Felipe Juan de Marichalar y Bórbon (17 July 1998)
Prince Ernst-August Jr of Hannover (19 July 1983)
Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (20 July 1973)
Princess Alexandra of Hannover (20 July 1999)
Prince Felix of Denmark (22 July 2002)
Prince Vajiralongkorn of Thailand (28 July 1952)
Carlos Morales (30 July 2005)
Prince Johann Georg of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (31 July 1932)

ANNIVERSARIES

Wedding Anniversary of King Albert II of the Belgians & Paola Ruffo di Calabria (2 July 1959)
Wedding Anniversary of Prince Alois of Liechtenstein and Duchess Sophie in Bavaria (3 July 1993)
Wedding Anniversary of King Mohammed VI of Morocco & Salma Bennani (12 July 2002)
Wedding Anniversary of Prince Constantin of Liechtenstein & Countess Marie Kálnoky (17 July 1999)

DATES OF NOTE

State Visit by King Carl Gustaf & Queen Silvia of Sweden to The People's Republic of China (17-22 July?)

 

[GrandDuchess]

THE ROYAL CALENDAR - AUGUST

BIRTHDAYS

Prince Louis of Luxembourg (3 August 1986)
Charlotte Casiraghi (3 August 1986)
Princess Beatrice of York (8 August 1986)
Princess Mabel van Oranje-Nassau (11 August 1960)
Queen Sikrit of Thailand (12 August 1932)
The Princess Royal (15 August 1950)
Countess Ingrid von Pfeil und Klein-Ellguth (16 August 2003)
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (19 August 1973)
Prince Gabriel of Belgium (20 August 2003)
King Mohammed VI of Morocco (21 August 1963)
Queen Noor of Jordan (23 August 1951)
Princess Maria-Laura of Belgium (26 August 1988)
Prince Nikolai of Denmark (28 August 1999)
Ex-Queen Anne-Marie of Greece (30 August 1946)
Queen Rania of Jordan (31 August 1970)

ANNIVERSARIES

Enthronement Ceremony Anniversary of King Albert II of the Belgians (7 August 1993)
Wedding Anniversary of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Mette-Marit Tjessem-Høiby (25 August 2001)
Enthronement Ceremony Anniversary of Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein (26 August 1984)
Wedding Anniversary of King Harald V or Norway and Sonja Haraldsen (29 August 1968)
Anniversary of the death of Queen Astrid of Belgium (29 August 1935)

DATES OF NOTE

Red Cross Ball in Monaco (4 August)

 

[GrandDuchess]

ROYAL QUICK HITS

Here are a few threads that the TRF Team feel are of note and worth to take a look at

* One year ago I (GrandDuchess) was invited to join the TRF Team, and the first thing I did a few days after joining, was to get involved in planning and creating a big July-August 2005 Newsletter about the summer residences- and holidays of our Royal Families. In my opinion, this newsletter was a huge success and it came out better that I had thought it would. Together with great TRF Team Members and forum members Dennism, Larzen, Lena, The Watcher, Elspeth and pdas1201, we created a wonderful newsletter containing all the information and pictures you could ever want or need to know about where our royals spend their summers, and what they are usually up too.

So now, one year later, it’s summer once again. Before you go on reading this newsletter, I really recommend you to take a look at the July-August 2005 Newsletter again, perhaps if you want to know more on these topics, or if you want to remind yourself. We promise good reading and nice pictures to look at!

* With the lack of grand royal weddings this year, as most royals of the right age are already hitched, why not celebrate the arrival of this summer with a glimpse into the world of royal weddings? The June 2005 Newsletter, “Princess Brides”, covered royal brides through the last centuries, from Princess Beatrix of The Netherlands to Mary Donaldson.

* Ever since April, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries have been celebrating the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. In her honour, we have created this newsletter about her life, but we recommend you to follow the celebrations that have already taken place and those that are planned in the special thread for her anniversary this year.

* At the end of June, two Benelux countries will strengthen their ties of friendship and cooperation even further as the Queen of The Netherlands will pay a State Visit to Belgium on the invitation of King Albert II. This special event can be followed in this thread.

* This year marks the first year anniversary of the death of Prince Rainier of Monaco, and in July his son, Prince Albert, has been an enthroned sovereign for one year. To remember those celebrations one year ago, go here.

* In July, the King and Queen of Sweden will pay a State Visit to The People’s Republic of China, strengthening the ties between the two countries even further. The visit will celebrate the highly noted arrival of the East Indiaman ship Götheborg to Kanton, and the Royal Couple will also visit Beijing were the President will receive them. The visit can be followed in this thread.

* The month of August, namely the 29th of that month, will mark the wedding anniversary of King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway. Crown Prince Harald truly broke new soil as he was give permission to marry the love of his life, a commoner girl, and after him many others followed. To read about their wedding and see pictures, go here.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II

For 80 years straight, Elizabeth has been one of the world's most famous people. Born into the Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha family branch Wettin, later changed to the House of Windsor, followed closely by her people ever since her first presentation to the media, the daughter of a Queen who was one of the country's most respected women, not the least in connection to the war, Queen Elizabeth II has always been in the limelight.

She has witnessed 80 years of progress and setbacks in the world, including many of the world's historical moments through the past eight centuries. Born into the British Empire, Elizabeth has seen the fall of the Empire and the birth of the Commonwealth, she has travelled the world, sent her first email in the 1970's when most of us barely knew what a computer was - and not the least, Elizabeth has been Queen over Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the other realms and territories for 54 years.

The Queen has raised four children together with her husband, and the family life of the Windsors has not always been as good as it is now. Together they have lived through many a hard times: divorces, media circuses, deaths and funerals. Their "image" has not always been the best and their rates of approval with the public not always very high - but through it all, Queen Elizabeth II has stood firm on the ground, respected by most people and loved for her immense sense of duty and dedication to her country and her role as monarch. And today, the family of Windsor is a stabile Royal Family with a future that is looking quite bright, a family respected for their hard work and service to their country.

Following this post, we will portray the life of Elizabeth, from her birth to this day. This is our way to celebrate the life of a remarkable woman. Long live the Queen!

 

[GrandDuchess]

The Summer 2006 Newsletter is made by these TRF Team Members

- Birth & Christening, Childhood, Education = GrandDuchess
- Early public life = Alexandria
- Marriage & Family Life = Anna_R

- Accession, Coronation, Elizabeth the Monarch, Titles = Alexandria
- Head of the Commonwealth = GrandDuchess
- The Queen & her Prime Ministers = Mapple
- Elizabeth & The Church of England = Alexandria
- Anniversaries & milestones = GrandDuchess, a list from the official website of the British monarchy
-The Queen and her Patronages = kwafan

-The Queen's birthday celebrations = Alexandria

 

[GrandDuchess]

Birth & Christening

On 21 April 1926 at 2:40 AM, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York came into the world. The little girl saw the light of day – not at a royal residence or hospital – but instead, at 17 Bruton Street, the London home of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, the parents of the Duchess.

The delivery was difficult, and an announcement wasn’t made to the public until the following morning, when the newspapers instantly wrote about it and an immediate joy broke loose in London. The birth received such unprecedented attention, it was a welcomed bit of happy news in the middle of the political crisis before the General Strike that would break loose only two months later. A crowd immediately gathered at Bruton Street and messenger boys arrived continuously with telegrams and presents. The Home Secretary arrived shortly afterwards to witness the birth, and among the first to arrive that morning were also King George V and Queen Mary. The Queen later noted in her diary: “Such a relief and joy. A little darling with lovely complexion and pretty fair hair”.

The new father himself, the Duke of York, was fantastically happy as he later wrote to his mother: “We always wanted a child to make our happiness complete," and considering the preference of males in the succession system, he added: “I do hope that you & Papa are as delighted as we are, to have a granddaughter, or would you sooner have another grandson. I know Elizabeth wanted a daughter."

Only five weeks after the birth, the Royal Family came together celebrating the christening of the baby girl at the private chapel in Buckingham Palace. She was christened in the names of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, named after her mother, Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary. Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of York, presided over the ceremony. Named as godparents were King George and Queen Mary, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Connaught, the Earl of Strathmore and Lady Elphinston. Her full style and title was Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York, and she was placed third in line to the Throne, behind her father and uncle, the Prince of Wales (Edward).


1: Group picture after the christening of Princess Elizabeth of York, 2-5: Pictures taken in connection with the christening of Princess Elizabeth, 6-7: Princess Elizabeth in 1927, 8: The Duchess of York and Elizabeth in 1928

 

[GrandDuchess]

Childhood

During the first month of her life, Princess Elizabeth had a nursery in one of the rooms in the residence of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, where she had been born, and Lady Strathmore made sure that its character was typically English.

The nation’s interest in little Elizabeth was great, and an immediate debate struck up around the country on how the young Princess should best be brought up. The National Jewellers’ Association presented her with a silver porringer with ivory handles carved in the form of thistles and a cover surmounted by an ivory and silver coronet. The Chairman declared that he hoped the porringer would take its place ‘upon the breakfast table of the first baby in the land, and may even be banged upon the table by her infant hands'.

The Duchess of York was a firm believer in modern methods when it came to the upbringing of her daughters, and so it was decided from the beginning that Elizabeth was going to have as normal a life as possible. The playful Princess’ mischiefs were never allowed to get out of hand, and her bit of fun was kept in check at all times, never was she allowed to be over-indulged or mean. “I don't think any child could be more sensibly bought up. She leads such a simple life and she's always punished when she's naughty," Queen Mary noted.

Despite being an adored child throughout the Empire, with loyal admiration expressed in excesses such as chocolates, china sets and hospital wards - and even a territory in Antarctica - being named after the young Princess, her image was on postage stamps, songs were written about her and Madame Tussaud’s had a wax model made of her – Elizabeth was protected by her family from getting in touch with this side of the coin, so to speak.

Already in her first year of life, Elizabeth formed a strong and unbreakable bond with her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, as the Duke and Duchess of York were forced to fulfil many heavy royal duties, among them a several months long official visit to Australia to open the Commonwealth Parliament.

During these kind of long trips, the infant Princess was left in the hands of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, and of course her nanny, Clara “Alla” Knight, and the King and Queen frequently corresponded with the York couple over the developments of their little girl.

During the Duke and Duchess of York’s official visit to Australia, starting in January 1927 and ending in June that year, Princess Elizabeth stayed with other parts of her family. The stay started out with the Strathmores at St Paul’s Walden Bury, where she went together with her nanny as her parents left for the long trip away from home.

Keeping the Yorks informed about every development of their daughter, the King and Queen wrote letters and sent photographs regularly. In March that year, King George V wrote: “She has 4 teeth now, which is quite good at eleven months, she is very happy and drives in a carriage every afternoon, which amuses her.”

February was spent with the paternal grandparents at Buckingham Palace, and in April, just in time for Princess Elizabeth’s first birthday, they took up residence at Windsor. The last two months before her parents would return, the little Princess spent her time with the Strathmores once again, where nanny “Alla” taught her to pronounce the word “mummy.” But as there was no one to correctly say that phrase to, Princess Elizabeth exclaimed “mummy” to every person she saw, including family portraits.

In 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York had been in need of a more central residence for some time, this was mainly due to the increasing amounts of royal duties they undertook, and because their old residence, the White Lodge in Richmond Park, was bothered with herds of curious people turning up frequently during the weekends. So that year, the York family moved to 145 Piccadilly, a town house of four stories, near Hyde Park and Apsley House (No 1 London) were they would come to live a happy and quiet family life.

A whole storey of the house was renovated to suit the needs of the young Princess Elizabeth, and later also her sister Margaret, consisting of a day nursery, a night nursery, a bathroom and a landing with windows overlooking the park. The nursery was the domain of the nanny, Clara “Alla” Knight, previously the nanny of the Duchess of York and her brother, who ran the daily life of the child with order and discipline, but who at the end of the evening would sit with her knitting in the rocking chair, telling stories. For example, Elizabeth was only allowed to play with one toy at a time.

Another fitting part of the new residence was the extensive garden at the back, shared with other houses. There the Princesses were able to play on the lawns and paths, although people came to acquire a habit of peeking through the railings.

Princess Elizabeth spent her time in between the York’s London home, and from 1931, at the age of five, also at the Royal Lodge in the Windsor Great Park, which the family used a great deal mainly as a weekend retreat – but the infant Princess was also a frequent guest with her two sets of grandparents at their country homes – Glamis Castle or Balmoral in Scotland.

Princess Elizabeth was a playful child who liked to have her bit of fun. At the 1927 Christmas party for the tenants of the buildings on the Sandringham Estate, she clambered on to the dining table from where she heaped the guests with cracker after cracker, handed to her by her mother.

King George V loved his granddaughter, Elizabeth. She was always the main person for his affections, and with her, the King played in a way that he never did with his own children, and her presence around him was always welcome.

Princess Elizabeth charmed her grandfather into playing with her, and there is one anecdote from the Archbishop of Canterbury that tells us of his encounter with King George V crawling on his feet, pretending to be a horse, while Princess Elizabeth took the role of being the groom, as he arrived to have an audience. As the Archbishop later noted, “the King-Emperor shuffling on hands and knees along the floor, while the little Princess led him by the beard.”

Yet despite all the warm affection between the two, royal etiquette could not escape the young Princess, and before her third birthday, when it had been practised and perfected extra, she curtisied to the King and Queen and simply said “I trust Your Majesty will sleep well” as she retreated backward to the door. Elizabeth adored her grandfather. Whenever he was sick, she would ask for him, and when she saw the royal landau pass down Piccadilly, a loud cry out from the balcony at nr 145 was heard: “Here comes grandpa!” The people of the nation approved her nickname for the King with delight: “Grandpa England.”

Elizabeth’s lifelong passion for horses and dogs started at a very early age. It has been said that the start of it can be accounted to the autumn of 1928, when she joined her parents to Naseby Hall in Northamptonshire for the hunting season. The little Princess loved to pat her father’s horses and dogs, and nurse “Alla” tried her best to keep a watching eye over her, as Elizabeth had a tendency to run off to the stables at any time of the day.

In December of 1936, when Princess Elizabeth was only ten years old, King Edward VIII abdicated from the Throne following the scandal with Wallis Simpson. The Duke of York, who had never any greater aspirations of any higher office, at this time succeeded his brother and became King George VI, leaving his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, to be the Heiress Presumptive and thereafter styled and titled Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth.

The following year it was time to make history. On Wednesday 12 May 1937 King George VI was crowned as the third monarch of the House of Windsor in a grand coronation of pomp and circumstance in the Westminster Abbey, first intended to be the coronation date of his brother, King Edward VIII. Queen Mary broke the tradition and attended the coronation festivities in order to show support for her son, and stood up on the royal pew together with the two young Princesses, Elizabeth, 11, and Margaret Rose, 7. This was the first time a coronation was broadcast, so people throughout the Empire tuned in to hear their new King take his Throne, and while Princess Elizabeth watched the ceremony with great admiration and big eyes, her sister had difficulty staying awake. Later, Elizabeth noted in her diary:

"I thought it was very, very wonderful and I expect the Abbey did, too. The arches and beams at the top were covered with a sort of haze of wonder as Papa was crowned, at least I thought so."


1: A portrait of Princess Elizabeth, painted by de Laszlo in 1933, 2: A portrait taken in 1934, 3: The Duchess of York with her children, Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, at King George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935, 4: The Duchess of York and Elizabeth in their home in 1936, 5: The York family in 1936, just before they were to become the main Royal Family after King Edward VIII's abdication, 6: Elizabeth as a happy child playing with dogs in 1936, 7: A memento from the coronaton of the Duke and Duchess of York as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, 8: the new main Royal Family, 9: A portrait of The Princess Elizabeth, the Heir Apparent, for her 13th birhday in 1939. Taken by Marcus Adams

 

[GrandDuchess]

Childhood

During the war, Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret Rose resided at Windsor Castle, where the best efforts were made to provide a comfortable and nice setting for the girls’ daily lives with all that it entailed – school, play and family life whenever their parents were present.

The two Princesses loved to play together and their imagination had no limits. During the holiday breaks, they played Christmas pantomimes at Windsor, beginning in 1941. These were staged in the huge and famous Waterloo Chamber, and the performers were local schoolchildren from royal estates’ families, young evacuees from London, friends of the Princesses, and of course - Their Royal Highnesses themselves.

Both sisters liked dressing up and wearing costumes and wigs, and they soon proved that they possessed acting talent and pretty wit, too. They both held leading roles in plays such as “Cinderella,” “Aladdin” and “Old Mother Red Riding Boots.” In the Christmas pantomime of 1941, which was “Cinderella,” Elizabeth was Prince Charming, Margaret was Cinders, Mr Tanner (the headmaster of the school on the estate) the Baron, Elizabeth Hardinge (daughter of the King’s Private Secretary) was Dandini and one of the Queen’s maids was Buttons.

The Princesses' mother, the Queen, took particular interest in the productions, and whenever she was at Windsor during the early stages of the rehearsals, she would make a point of going through the scripts with the girls, making sure that they knew their word cues.

As the plays were performed, the local audiences, a number of uniformed soldiers from the troops stationed in the Windsor district and on guard duty at the Castle included, would fill up the Waterloo Chamber. Each member of the audience was required to pay for admission and the money went to the Royal Household knitting-wool fund.

In times of peace, the walls of the Waterloo Chamber – as all visitors to the State Apartments know – are hung with large, very grand paintings of the monarchs, generals and other leading figures of Europe which shared in the defeat of Napoleon. But during World War II, when it served as a Christmastime theatre for the two Princesses, the portraits were taken out of their frames because of fear for bomb damage (they had safe storage in the Castle vaults together with many other treasures, including Crown Jewels wrapped in newspapers and crammed into leather hatboxes), so the walls were bare, but only for a time…

The King and Queen became inspired to have pantomime figures made in the newly empty surfaces around the room, in order to brighten it up. So, local art students were brought in to depict, for the first time, a whole series of large fairytale and pantomime characters on the walls, one figure in each of the empty picture frames.

When World War II ended, the precious canvases – most of them the work of Sir Thomas Lawrence – were replaced in their frames on the walls, but the King decided that the jolly pantomime figures should not be erased, but instead that the portraits of great men should be put back over them, thus preserving them in secret the pictorial souvenirs of his daughters’ happier wartime moments.

It is a diverting thought that today, were the painting of the Emperor of Russia to slip down from the Chamber’s wall, Dick Whittington would leap incongruously into view; that George IV himself is masking Mother Goose; and that his father George III has Aladdin in hiding behind his portrait.


1: The Duchess of York and her daughters Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, knitting for the World War II charities, 2: Mother and daughter at the Royal Lodge at Windsor in 1940, 3: Elizabeth in the Christmas play "Cinderella" at Windsor Castle in 1941, 4: Elizabeth portrayed by Cecil Beaton in 1942, 5: Elizabeth in 1944, 6: Elizabeth in 1945, 7: A family portrait from 1947

 

[GrandDuchess]

Education

As she grew into her school age, “P’incess Lilybet,” “Tillabeth,” “Lisbet” and “Lilliebeth” became “Lilibet,” the nickname by which she is known to her family to this very day.

Although her mother had harboured hopes of one day being able to send her daughters to public schools, it was unthinkable in King George V’s reign for royal children to go away for school as they do now - their classrooms were in the royal residences. The idea of public school was also rejected by King Edward VIII during his short reign. He found it unacceptable for a Princess to receive education together with commoners, and so the two princesses were both left to receive private tutoring under the supervision of Marion Crawford.

During the war years in the 1940’s, concentrated periods of studies at Windsor Castle became part of the daily routine for the two princesses. The Vice-Provost of Eton, C.H.K. Marten, and two or three of the school’s masters would walk up the road and across the river to the Castle several times a week in order to give lessons to Elizabeth and Margaret Rose in the subjects of history, law, constitutional history and modern languages. In need for her future role as monarch, Princess Elizabeth was also instructed in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury and took piano lessons from Miss Mabel Lander.

Princess Elizabeth’s passion for history is showcased by a famous anecdote from a dinner at Windsor Castle. Having spoken about her life for a long while, Princess Marie Louise apologised sincerely to the guests, upon which the young Elizabeth immediately replied:
“But Cousin Louise, it’s history, and therefore so thrilling!”

 

[GrandDuchess]

Early Public Life

From a young age, the importance of public service was instilled in Princess Elizabeth.

In October 1940, at the tender age of 14, she made her first radio broadcast on the BBC to children being evacuated because of the war. The message was short and sympathetic:

"Thousands of you in this country have had to leave your homes and be separated from your fathers and mothers. My sister - Margaret Rose - and I feel so much for you, as we know from experience what it means to be away from those we love most of all. To you, living in new surroundings, we send a message of true sympathy; and at the same time we would like to thank the kind people who have welcomed you to their homes in the country."

On her sixteenth birthday, she carried out her first official public engagement, inspecting the regiment of the Grenadier Guards, for which she was the Colonel-in-Chief. The following year, in April 1943, she carried out her first solo engagment by spending a day with the Grenadier Guards in a tank battalion in Southern Command.

More public duties followed, particularly those connected with young people. Princess Elizabeth was the President of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

The year 1944 was a major year for Princess Elizabeth as she took on more public responsibilities. In early 1944, she accompanied her parents on their tours of Britain. And after her 18th birthday, while her father was abroad in Italy, Princess Elizabeth was appointed a Counsellor the State, enabling her to carry out the duties of a Head of State. Later that year, with the assistance of her mother, Princess Elizabeth received and replied to an address from the House of Commons on behalf of the Throne. By the end of the year, she had embarked on her first official tour of Scotland with her parents and opened the newly-constructed Aberdeen Sailors' Home.

In 1945, Princess Elizabeth was made a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), and by the end of the war, she had achieved the rank of Junior Commander and was a fully qualified driver.

Princess Elizabeth travelled extensively around the British Isles for the next two years for various public engagements.

In 1947 she made her first official overseas visit, when along with her parents and Princess Margaret she went to South Africa. It was while in Cape Town that she celebrated her 21st birthday and addressed the Commonwealth dedicating herself to them, a speech which she would later repeat at her accession to the throne.

" On my twenty-first birthday I welcome the opportunity to speak to all the peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak.

Let me begin by saying 'thank you' to all the thousands of kind people who have sent me messages of good will. This is a happy day for me; but it is also one that brings serious thoughts, thoughts of life looming ahead with all its challenges and with all its opportunity.

At such a time it is a great help to know that there are multitudes of friends all round the world who are thinking of me and who wish me well. I am grateful and I am deeply moved.

As I speak to you today from Cape Town I am six thousand miles from the country where I was born. But I am certainly not six thousand miles from home. Everywhere I have travelled in these lovely lands of South Africa and Rhodesia my parents, my sister and I have been taken to the heart of their people and made to feel that we are just as much at home here as if we had lived among them all our lives.

That is the great privilege belonging to our place in the world-wide commonwealth - that there are homes ready to welcome us in every continent of the earth. Before I am much older I hope I shall come to know many of them.

Although there is none of my father's subjects from the oldest to the youngest whom I do not wish to greet, I am thinking especially today of all the young men and women who were born about the same time as myself and have grown up like me in terrible and glorious years of the second world war.

Will you, the youth of the British family of nations, let me speak on my birthday as your representative? Now that we are coming to manhood and womanhood it is surely a great joy to us all to think that we shall be able to take some of the burden off the shoulders of our elders who have fought and worked and suffered to protect our childhood.

We must not be daunted by the anxieties and hardships that the war has left behind for every nation of our commonwealth. We know that these things are the price we cheerfully undertook to pay for the high honour of standing alone, seven years ago, in defence of the liberty of the world. Let us say with Rupert Brooke: "Now God be thanked who has matched us with this hour".

I am sure that you will see our difficulties, in the light that I see them, as the great opportunity for you and me. Most of you have read in the history books the proud saying of William Pitt that England had saved herself by her exertions and would save Europe by her example. But in our time we may say that the British Empire has saved the world first, and has now to save itself after the battle is won.

I think that is an even finer thing than was done in the days of Pitt; and it is for us, who have grown up in these years of danger and glory, to see that it is accomplished in the long years of peace that we all hope stretch ahead.

If we all go forward together with an unwavering faith, a high courage, and a quiet heart, we shall be able to make of this ancient commonwealth, which we all love so dearly, an even grander thing - more free, more prosperous, more happy and a more powerful influence for good in the world - than it has been in the greatest days of our forefathers.

To accomplish that we must give nothing less than the whole of ourselves. There is a motto which has been borne by many of my ancestors - a noble motto, "I serve". Those words were an inspiration to many bygone heirs to the Throne when they made their knightly dedication as they came to manhood. I cannot do quite as they did.

But through the inventions of science I can do what was not possible for any of them. I can make my solemn act of dedication with a whole Empire listening. I should like to make that dedication now. It is very simple.

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."

That same year, she received the freedom of the City of London in June 1947 and the freedom of the city of Edinburgh. In November 1947, her father, the King, created Princess Elizabeth a Lady of the Garter in a private investiture.


1: Elizabeth, watched by sister Margaret Rose, makes her first radio broadcast to children in the Empire, October 1940, 2: Elizabeth with Lady Margaret Seymour in 1946, 3: During her service in the Auxiliary Territorial Service at Aldershot in 1945

 

[GrandDuchess]

Marriage & Early Family Life

Love struck the (then) Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain at a young age. It was in 1939, at the age of 13, while on a visit to the Royal Naval College with her parents that the future Queen Elizabeth II met her future husband, an 18-year-old cadet named Phillip Mountbatten of Greece. After Phillip returned from his World War II services in 1945, he and Elizabeth began to spend increasingly more time together. They became engaged in 1945 but it wasn’t until 1946 that they informed her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who granted their approval for the marriage.

Elizabeth and Phillip married on 20 November 1947. The Duke is Queen Elizabeth's second cousin once removed; they are both descended from Christian IX of Denmark (she being a great-great-granddaughter through Alexandra of Denmark, and the Duke is a great-grandson through George I of Greece). The couple are also third cousins; they share Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. Prince Philip had renounced his claim to the Greek throne and was simply referred to as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten before being created Duke of Edinburgh before their marriage. This marriage was controversial. Greece's royals were seen as minor on the international stage and had received a bad press in preceding decades. Furthermore he was Greek Orthodox, with no financial resources behind him and had sisters who had married Nazi supporters. Elizabeth's mother was reported in later biographies to have strongly opposed the marriage.

Elizabeth wore a full length gown made of ivory duchesse satin by Norman Hartnell, it had a 15-foot train, which was attached at the shoulders. The dress was embroidered at the neckline, as well as along the sleeve edges, the front bodice and throughout the skirt and train with garlands of orange blossoms, syringas, jasmin, the white rose of York and shafts of wheat. Ten thousand (10,000!) seed pearls were used for the embroidery. (Norman Hartnell also designed the bride's going away outfit.)

Elizabeth wore The Hanover Fringe tiara, the diamonds of which were originally used in 1830 by court jewellers Rundell, Bridge & Rundell to form a necklace from the diamonds. It was later mounted on a frame for Queen Victoria so that it could be worn as a tiara, and her veil contained more than 100 miles of gassamer silk thread.

After her marriage Princess Elizabeth paid formal visits with The Duke of Edinburgh to France and Greece; in autumn 1951 they toured Canada.

Philip and Elizabeth took up residence at Clarence House, London. But at various times between 1946 and 1953, the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed in Malta as a serving Royal Navy officer. Lord Louis Mountbatten of Burma had purchased the Villa Gwardamangia (also referred to as the Villa G'Mangia) in the hamlet of Gwardamangia in Malta in about 1929, and it was here that Princess Elizabeth stayed when visiting Philip in Malta. Philip and Elizabeth lived in Malta for a period between 1949 and 1951 (Malta being the only foreign country in which the Queen has ever lived).

 

[GrandDuchess]

Marriage & Early Family Life

Philip and Elizabeth's first child, Charles Arthur Philip George was born on November 14, 1948 at Buckingham Palace, London. Under letters patent issued by the Prince's great grandfather, King George V, the title of a British prince and the style His Royal Highness was only available to the children and grandchildren in the male-line of the sovereign and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. As Charles was a female-line grandchild of the sovereign, he would have taken his title from his father, The Duke of Edinburgh, and would have been styled by courtesy as Earl of Merioneth.

However, the title of Prince and Princess, with the style HRH was granted to all the children of Princess Elizabeth by new letters patent issued by King George VI. In this way the children of the heiress presumptive had a royal and princely status not thought necessary for the children of King George VI's other daughter, Princess Margaret. Thus from birth Charles was known as His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Edinburgh.

Two years later, on August 15, 1950, Elizabeth and Philip welcomed their second child, a daughter, that was born at Clarence House, London. Details of the baby's arrival were posted on the gates of Clarence House, on a board outside the Home Office in Whitehall and at Mansion House in the City.

Queen Elizabeth, mother of the princess, was seen arriving at Clarence House about five minutes before the baby was born. She returned later in the day for a second visit, lasting about two hours. The Duke of Edinburgh toasted the new princess' health in champagne with his staff. He then telephoned Balmoral Castle where the King was shooting on the moors. A special messenger was despatched to find him and give him the good news.

The Royal Salute was fired at 1530 in Hyde Park by the King's Troop of the Royal Horse Artillery. According to tradition, the case of the first round fired was engraved and sent to Princess Elizabeth.

On 29 August 1950, the name of the new princess was announced: Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. Her official title was Princess Anne of Edinburgh. She took her middle names from relatives: Elizabeth was after her mother and grandmother, Alice was the name of Princess Andrew of Greece - the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, Louise was the name of the eldest daughter of King Edward VII - her great-great grandfather.

The Westminster Registrar went to Clarence House to complete the birth certificate. After the Duke had signed the document, he was given his daughter's identity card, a ration book and bottles of cod-liver oil and orange juice.

In 1952, King George VI's illness forced him to abandon his proposed visit to Australia and New Zealand. The Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his place.

On 6 February, during the first stage of this journey, in Kenya, she received the news of her father's death and her own accession to the throne.

 

[GrandDuchess]

The Accession of Elizabeth II to the Throne

As the famous story goes, Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne was a peculiar one: She went up a treetop hotel in Kenya a princess and came down a queen.

Her father, King George VI, died in his sleep of lung cancer on February 6, 1952. At the time of his death, Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Phillip, had undertaken a tour of Australia and New Zealand in her father’s steed.

That she became queen while abroad was a most unusual predicament: It was the first time since the Act of Union in 1801 that a British monarch had become one while out of the country.


The new monarch, Queen Elizabeth, returns to London, England after the notice of her father, King George VI's death.

 

[GrandDuchess]

The Coronation

On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place at Westminster Abbey. The ceremony was broadcast internationally around the world, and at the request of the new queen, on television as well. The novelty of television made the pomp and ceremony of the coronation seem even more lavish to the hundreds of thousands of viewers from home.

The elaborate ceremony was attended by the British prime minister of the day Winston Churchill, as well as surviving predecessors, representatives from the Commonwealth and foreign nations.

Internationally renowned photographer Cecil Beaton took some of the grand official photographs of the queen’s coronation.

Along with the role of queen, came a new home: Queen Elizabeth II, her husband and their young family, Prince Charles and Princess Anne moved into Buckingham Palace. (Princes Andrew and Edward would join their elder siblings upon their birth in 1960 and 1964, respectively.)

 

[GrandDuchess]

Elizabeth as Monarch

Queen Elizabeth II is the most widely travelled head of state in history, commencing with a six-month world tour she embarked on with her husband that lasted from 1953 to 1954. The tour marked the first time a reigning monarch had travelled around the world, and the first to visit Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. Three years later, the Queen visited United States and Canada, during which time she opened the 23rd session of the Canadian parliament. In 1959, the Queen made another tour of Canada and a state visit to the United States as the Queen of Canada, hosting a dinner for American President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Within her first decade as Queen, official visits were also made to India, Pakistan and to most of Europe.

She has also travelled to nearly every county in Britain, seeing agricultural, cultural and industrial changes over the past several decades.

 

[GrandDuchess]

The Titles of Elizabeth

Throughout her lifetime thus far, Queen Elizabeth II has held the following titles:

* Princess Elizabeth of York
* The Princess Elizabeth
* The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh

* Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith

* Queen of Australia
* Queen of Canada
* Queen of New Zealand
* Queen of Jamaica
* Queen of Barbados
* Queen of the Bahamas
* Queen of Grenada
* Queen of Papua New Guinea
* Queen of the Solomon Islands
* Queen of Tuvalu
* Queen of Saint Lucia
* Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Queen of Antigua and Barbuda
* Queen of Belize
*Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis

 

[GrandDuchess]

Head of the Commonwealth


1: Pukekohe, New Zealand in 1953, 2: Tu-rangawaewae, the seat of the Maori King, New Zealand 1953, 3: Adelaide, Australia 1954, 4: The launch of the St Laurence Seaway in Canada 1959, 5: Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada 1967, 6: With Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and wife, Canada 1973, 7: At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, with her family, 8: With Prime Minister Trudeau in during the Silver Jubilee Tour in Ottawa, Canada 1977, 9: Silver Jubilee Tour at children’s rally in Melbourne, Australia 1977, 10: Silver Jubilee Tour, New Zealand 1977

 

[GrandDuchess]

Head of the Commonwealth


1: Signing Canada’s new constitution, Ottawa 1982, 2: In Singapore with their Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew in 1989, 3: State Banquet during a State Visit to Malaysia in 1989, 4: At the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada 1994, 5: With Prime Minister Chétien, Canada 1997, 6: With Australia’s visiting Prime Minister John Howard at Windsor in 1997, 7: Opening the UK-Mozambique partnership week in 1999

 

[GrandDuchess]

Head of the Commonwealth


1: In Canada together with their Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, John Howard, John Gorton and Gough Whitham in 2000, 2: In connection to a church service at the St Paul’s Anglican Church in Canberra, Australia 2000, 3: The Commonwealth Day Service in Westminster Abbey in 2000, 4: At the Commonwealth Games, Manchester, England in 2000, 5: At the Commonwealth Games’ closing ceremony, Manchester, England in 2000, 6: The Golden Jubilee Tour in Australia, spring 2002, 7: The Golden Jubilee Tour, Jamaica 2002, 8-9: The Golden Jubilee Tour in Canada 2002, 10: The Golden Jubilee Tour, New Zealand 2002

 

[GrandDuchess]

Head of the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth today - member countries & facts

Countin in 2006, the Commonwealth has 53 member countries. Membership is voluntary, and any member can withdraw or join at any time. The Republic of Ireland (1949) and Zimbabwe (2003) are examples of countries that have chosen to do so.

Each member country has their own form of government - some are 'realms', meaning that the country has retained the British monarchy as their own, recognising Queen Elizabeth as Sovereign, others are their own monarchy, indicating an indigenous monarchical constitution.

Learn more: The Commonwealth Secretariat

Membership list - country, join date, form of government

Antigua and Barbuda, 1981, Realm
Australia, 1931, Realm
The Bahamas, 1973, Realm
Bangladesh, 1972, Republic
Barbados, 1966, Realm
Belize, 1981, Realm
Botswana, 1966, Republic
Brunei, 1984, Monarchy
Cameroon, 1995, Republic
Canada, 1931, Realm
Cyprus, 1961, Republic
Dominica, 1978, Republic
Fiji Islands, 1997, Republic
The Gambia, 1965, Republic
Ghana, 1957, Republic
Grenada, 1974, Realm
Guyana, 1966, Republic
India, 1947, Republic
Jamaica, 1962, Realm
Kenya, 1963, Republic
Kiribati, 1979, Republic
Lesotho, 1966, Monarchy
Malawi, 1964, Republic
Malaysia, 1957, Monarchy
The Maldives, 1982, Republic
Malta, 1964, Republic
Mauritius, 1968, Republic
Mozambique, 1995, Republic
Namibia, 1990, Republic
Nauru, 1968, Republic
New Zealand, 1931, Realm
Nigeria, 1960, Republic
Pakistan, 1947, Republic
Papua New Guinea, 1975, Realm
St. Christopher and Nevis, 1983, Realm
St. Lucia 1979 Realm
St. Vincent and the Grenadines, 1979, Realm
Samoa, 1970, Republic
Seychelles, 1976, Republic
Sierra Leone, 1961, Republic
Singapore, 1965, Republic
Solomon Islands, 1978, Realm
South Africa, 1931 (withdrew in 1961, rejoined in 1994), Republic
Sri Lanka, 1948, Republic
Swaziland, 1968, Monarchy
Tanzania, 1961, Republic
Tonga, 1970, Monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago, 1962, Republic
Tuvalu, 1978, Realm
United Kingdom, Monarchy
Uganda, 1962, Republic
Vanuatu, 1980, Republic
Zambia, 1964, Republic


1-2: In Nigeria, where she was to open the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in December 2003, 3-7: The Royal Tour of Canada in May 2005, 8: At the opening of the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Malta in October 2005, 9-10: In Australia to open the Commonwealth Games in March 2006, and the Commonwealth Day Service

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & her Prime Ministers

From Churchill to Home - Part 1

Every year in a great display of pageantry the Queen travels to the Houses of Parliament to give a Speech from the Throne at the State Opening of Parliament. This speech, outlining the governmental programme for the coming year however, is written by the ministers of her Government and approved by the Prime Minister of the day.

The Queen, in theory, chooses her prime minister in accordance with constitutional requirements. Usually no choice is required as the issue of whom to ask to form a government is clear from who controls the House of Commons, except in exceptional circumstances. The Queen also decides the basis on which a person is asked to form a government. That is, whether a government should be formed capable of surviving in the House of Commons—the standard requirement—or capable of commanding majority support in the House of Commons, i.e., a requirement to form a coalition if no one party has a majority. This requirement is normally only made in emergencies or in wartime, and happened only three times in the 20th century.

The Prime Minister who greeted the young Queen when she returned to the United Kingdom from Kenya, where she had received the sad news of the death of her father, King George VI, was Winston Churchill. The famous statesman, who needs no introduction, admired the Queen and always treated her with supreme courtesy. He was her willing tutor in all affairs of state, and it seems that the Queen delighted in talking to the old Prime Minister, and Churchill was appreciative of her earnestness and attention to details. The traditional weekly 'half-hour' meetings of the Sovereign and the Sovereign's Prime Minister ran al least for an hour and a half!) In 1954 the Queen made her Prime Minister Knight of the Garter – Winston was thenceforth Sir Winston, just like the father of the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

Nevertheless, Churchill was already very old and infirm. He suffered a major stroke three weeks after Elizabeth's Coronation, and his physicians feared for his life; his capacity to lead the Government was severely compromised. However, his designated successor, Anthony Eden, was himself on the brink of death in the Boston hospital. The Queen assented to the proposed temporary arrangement which envisaged Lord Salisbury heading the Government until Eden's recovery without assuming the title of Prime Minister; however, Churchill made a remarkable recovery and headed the Government for almost two more years, at last yielding his place to Eden in April 1955. He declined the dukedom which was offered to him by the Queen.

Sir Winston's successor was Sir Anthony Eden. He treated the Queen with utmost respect, even seeking her advice upon a broad spectrum of questions. Eden was extremely thankful to the Queen for not asking his personal opinion on the possible event of marriage of her sister, Princess Margaret, and Colonel Townsend. It would have been hard for him to give his advice, for he had divorced his first wife himself in order to marry Churchill's niece!


1: In a victorious moment, Prime Minister Winston Churchill joined the Royal Family at the Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of World War II, on what became to be knows as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day or Veteran's Day) on 8 May 1945, 2: In 1955, Churchill bowed out after many active years in office and a strong position in the history books. The Queen attended his farewell reception at the famous 10 Downing Street. In the picture is also his wife, Clementine

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & her Prime Ministers

From Churchill to Home - Part 2

The Suez Crisis of 1956 put an end to Eden's premiership. The absence of a formal open mechanism within the Conservative Party for choosing a leader meant that following the sudden resignation of Eden in January 1957 it fell on the Queen to decide whom to commission to form a government. Eden did not proffer binding advice and so the Queen consulted Lords Salisbury and Kilmuir for the opinion of the Cabinet and Churchill, as the only living former Conservative Prime Minister. Rab Butler was passed over, and the Queen sent for Harold Macmillan.

Macmillan certainly was a very complicated person, who merits a separate study. He was an old-fashioned Royalist, who later wrote that the Prime Minister must be first and foremost the Queen's First Minister. The six years of their business relationship were fruitful for both of them, although towards the close of Macmillan's premiership he was very ashamed of numerous scandals, in which were embroiled several members of the Government.

In October 1963 Harold Macmillan resigned and advised the Queen to appoint the 14th Earl of Home Prime Minister, appending the dubious reports of party opinion. Home duly took office. There were suggestions that the Queen and her advisers had been too gullible or maybe too ready to collude in the plot which had passing over Rab Butler for the second time as its main objective. Nevertheless, given the evidence Macmillan adduced, it would have been unthinkable for the Palace to ask for a second opinion, and the advice of outgoing Prime Minister had to be followed.

Alec Douglas-Home, as Lord Home came to be known after disclaiming his peerage, was the Prime Minister for only a year. He lost the general election of 1964, and the Queen got her first Labour Prime Minister.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & her Prime Ministers

From Wilson to Blair - Part 1

Harold Wilson had a quite different background than the previous four Tory Prime Minister, hailing from lower middle class. He also was much younger than his predecessors. Nevertheless, the Queen took a great liking to his engaging manner of conversation, his wit and clarity of presentation. Wilson opened to her the whole new world of Labour politics and trade unionism.

In 1970 the Conservatives won the general election, and the Queen invited their leader Edward Heath to form the government. Their relations were correct but cool, gruff manners of Heath being notorious among the politicians of the day. Heath was a tight-lipped and reserved man, and his hobbies of music and sailing were as indifferent to the Queen as her hobbies to him.

In February 1974, an inconclusive general election result meant that Heath, who had won more of the popular vote, could stay in power if he formed a coalition government with the Liberal Party. Rather than immediately resign as prime minister he explored the option and only resigned when the discussions foundered. (Had he chosen to, he could have stayed on until defeated in the debate on the Queen's Speech, as was the earlier custom.) Only when he resigned was the Queen able to ask Harold Wilson to form a government. His minority government lasted for 8 months before a new general election was held.

Harold Wilson started his second term as PM having lost much of his energy, and soon he was thinking about retirement. In 1976 he stepped down, and the Queen waited for the results of the Labour leadership election before commissioning James Callaghan to form the government.

Callaghan was one of the more Royalist Labour politicians of the 1960s and 1970s, and he always spoke favorably of the Queen. Their relations were businesslike, although it must be noted that some sources cite their working relationship as the closest among all Elizabeth's Prime Minister so far. He oversaw the Silver Jubilee celebrations of 1977.

In 1979 the general election brought Tory Margaret Thatcher to power. The Iron Lady needs no introduction. For the first time the Queen had to deal with the Prime Minister who was the person of the same age and gender. Their relationship was full not only of mutual respect and understanding, but also of tension – it is said that the Queen was less than happy with many aspects of Thatcher's policy. Nevertheless, in recognition of the transformation of the country that her first woman prime minister achieved, the Queen made Thatcher the first non-royal Lady of the Garter on her retirement from the Commons in 1992.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & her Prime Ministers

From Wilson to Blair - Part 2

When John Major replaced Thatcher in 1990, the Queen had for the first time a prime minister younger than her. More informality came into the relationship, and Elizabeth's experience in matters of state went into play. One rumour had it that when Major was threatening to call a general election in the autumn of 1992, because of indiscipline in his party, he was warned by the Palace that, as he had only won an election seven months earlier, and had a working majority, the Queen would not necessarily agree to a request for a dissolution invoking the so-called Lascelles Principles detailing the reserve power of the monarch not to accede to the dissolution request. Major was also criticized by some for failing to protect the Queen at a time of great turbulence in the life of the Royal Family and public dissatisfaction with the House of Windsor.

Soon after Tony Blair succeeded Major as Prime Minister after the 1997 Labour landslide than the Royal Family was faced with its gravest crisis since the Abdication of 1936: the public response to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Tony Blair's description of her as "the people's Princess" seemed to some monarchists to be nothing less than manipulating the Royal Family at a time of great vulnerability. But soon the normal balance appeared to be reasserting itself. Prime Minister Blair, her tenth First Minister, has a stable working relationship with the Queen.


1: Prime Minister Tony Blair holds a speech in the Queen's honour at the Guildhall luncheon, celebrating her Golden Jubilee in 2002, 2: During the Golden Jubilee year of 2002, a remarkable moment occured when the Queen met with five of England's Prime Minister all at one time, 3: In May 2005, Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived at Buckingham Palace to ask permission to form a historic third government, 4: In October 2005, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, today the Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, celebrated her 80th birthday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in London, graced by the presence of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & her Prime Ministers

Prime Minister that have served under Elizabeth II's reign

* Winston Churchill, 1951-55
* Sir Anthony Eden, 1955-57
* Harold Macmillan, 1957-63
* Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 1963-64
* Harold Wilson, 1964-70 & 1974-76
* Edward Heath, 1970-74
* James Callaghan, 1976-79
* Margaret Thatcher, 1979-90
* John Major, 1990-97
* Tony Blair, 1997-present

Tony Blair is the first Prime Minister to have been born during the Queen's reign. He was born in early May 1953 - a month before the Coronation.


The Queen's reflections on working with the Prime Ministers, from her speech at the Banqueting House Luncheon in November 1997 (Golden Wedding celebrations)

"As you say Prime Minister, since I came to the throne in 1952, ten Prime Ministers have served the British people and have come to see me each week at Buckingham Palace. The first, Winston Churchill, had charged with the cavalry at Omdurman. You, Prime Minister, were born in the year of my Coronation. You have all had, however, one thing in common. Your advice to me has been invaluable, as has that from your counterparts, past and present, in the other countries of which I am Queen. I have listened carefully to it all. I say, most sincerely, that I could not have done my job without it.

For I know that, despite the huge constitutional difference between a hereditary monarchy and an elected government, in reality the gulf is not so wide. They are complementary institutions, each with its own role to play. And each, in its different way, exists only with the support and consent of the people. That consent, or the lack of it, is expressed for you, Prime Minister, through the ballot box. It is a tough, even brutal, system but at least the message is a clear one for all to read. For us, a Royal Family, however, the message is often harder to read, obscured as it can be by deference, rhetoric or the conflicting currents of public opinion. But read it we must. I have done my best, with Prince Philip's constant love and help, to interpret it correctly through the years of our marriage and of my reign as your Queen. And we shall, as a family, try together to do so in the future.

It often falls to the Prime Minister, and the Government of the day, to be the bearer of the messages sent from people to Sovereign. Prime Minister, I know that you, like your predecessors, will always pass such messages, as you read them, without fear or favour. I shall value that, and am grateful for your assurances of the loyalty and support of your Government in years to come. I wish you wisdom and God's help in your determination that Britain should remain a country to be proud of. And, as one working couple to another, Prince Philip and I hope that on 29th March two thousand and thirty you and your wife will be celebrating your own Golden Wedding.

And talking of the future, I believe that there is an air of confidence in this country of ours just now. I pray that we, people, Government and Royal Family, for we are one, can prove it to be justified and that Britain will enter the next millennium, glad, confident and a truly United Kingdom."


Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher's reflections about the Queen

"I know I speak for the whole House and a grateful nation when I can say to Her Majesty - long may she reign over us."

"Throughout, as part of the Royal Family and as the Queen, she has been a reassuring and unifying presence for her people."

"It is this sense of duty which motivates her, defines her reign and since it communicates itself unobtrusively but none the less obviously to her subjects, brings her I believe the love of the people of this country."

Tony Blair


"This is a great day - a day when we can express our boundless admiration and affection for our Queen. She is truly an inspiration and an example to the whole nation. Long may she rule. Happy Birthday Ma'am."

Margaret Thatcher

 

[GrandDuchess]

Queen Elizabeth II & the Church of England

Queen Elizabeth II is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the official organization of worship in England. As with her predecessors, Queen Elizabeth II bears the historical title Fidei Defensor, Latin for “Defender of the Faith.” This title was first held by King Henry VIII, granted to him by Pope Leo X. As a symbol of her religious leadership, her coronation was a religious service filled with theological readings and meanings as well as constitutional ones.

The Queen is a devout Christian, and regularly worships at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel or St. Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk. Like other aspects of her life, Queen Elizabeth II rarely makes personal comments about her personal life or her personal beliefs. But in her Christmas Day broadcast in 2000, in honour of the 2000th anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Queen 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.”

A notable exception is the Queen’s religious role in Scotland. The Presbyterian-following of the Church of Scotland is the official organization of worship in Scotland. The Queen holds no official role within the Church of Scotland and is considered an ordinary member when she worships at Crathie Kirk and Kirk of the Canongate.


1: Together with King George V and Queen Mary leaving a church service in the Crathie Church in Scotland during their stay at Balmoral. 1st September 1932. 2: Meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Winchester at the Royal School of Music's Festival Service at the Albert Hall in London. 20 June 1951. 3: Christmas Service at St George's Chapel at Windsor, seen here with the Right Reverend Michael Mann, the Dean of Windsor. 25 December 1980. 4: New Year's Service at the All Saints Church in Windsor together with the Queen Mother. 1 January 1987. 5: Christmas Service at Sandringham. 25 December 1994. 6: Laying down a cross of remembrance at the Service of Remembrance at St Margaret's Church in Westminster, London. 7 November 2002. 7: The first meeting with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan William, after he succeded the office after previously being the Archbishop of Wales, at Windsor Castle. December 2003. 8: Christmas Service at Sandringham. 25 December 2005. 9: New Year's Service in the Church of St Mary Magdalene. 1 January 2006.

 

[GrandDuchess]

Anniversaries & Milestones

In 1977 The Queen's Silver Jubilee was celebrated in Britain and throughout the Commonwealth. Accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen travelled some 90,000 kilometres (56,000 miles) to share the anniversary with her people.

Enormous crowds greeted them wherever they went, and millions more shared in the celebrations through radio and television. In 1986 The Queen took part in celebrations in Windsor and London to mark her sixtieth birthday.

Although it was not regarded as a Jubilee, the 40th anniversary of The Queen's Accession in 1992 was marked by a number of events and community projects in the UK. These were organised privately or through the Royal Anniversary Trust.

On Accession Day itself, 6 February, the BBC broadcast Elizabeth R, a television documentary on The Queen's working life. This was subsequently shown in over 25 countries around the world.

On 20 November 1997 The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Golden Wedding. A special Garden Party for couples celebrating their Golden Wedding was held at Buckingham Palace in July.

The anniversary itself was marked by a service at Westminster Abbey, a lunch hosted by the Government at Banqueting House and a family dance held in the newly restored State Rooms at Windsor Castle.

The year 2002 saw The Queen's Golden Jubilee, marking 50 years since The Queen's Accession (rather than the Coronation, which took place in 1953). This special milestone had previously been achieved by only five earlier British monarchs - King Henry III, King Edward III, King James VI and I, King George III and Queen Victoria.

Celebrations in the United Kingdom ran throughout the summer months of 2002, including extensive regional visits.

The Jubilee Weekend saw the focus of national celebrations, including two free public concerts for over 24,000 people in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, a pageant in the Mall, a service of thanksgiving at St. Paul's Cathedral, and an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace before a crowd of one million people.

During the course of the year The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh also visited Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and Canada.


1-2: In 1977, the Commonwealth celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Two of the activities were a National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and the Queen and Prince Philip receiving the pearl sword, 3: In 1997, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, 4-9: Throughout the year of 2002, England and the Commonwealth celebrated their Queen’s Golden Jubilee, 50 years on the throne, with a long row of activities, large and small, 10: In April 2006, the Queen turned 80 years old

 

[GrandDuchess]

The Queen & Her Patronages

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is patron of countless charitable organizations. The organizations she is affiliated with cover various fields, from sports, to medicine, to military. Many of the patronages that the Queen holds are ones she has held for over fifty years.

Many of the patronages of Her Majesty involve sports. She is patron of The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The most memorable involvement of the Queen with the All England Club would have to be her presenting the winner’s trophy to the last British Champion-Virginia Wade-in her Silver Jubilee year of 1977. Another sporting patronage of Her Majesty is the Queen’s Plate Horse Race. The race, which is the oldest thoroughbred race in North America, takes place in Canada each year. The Queen has attended the race on various occasions, including 1997. Her Majesty is also patron of the Rugby Football Union, the British Olympic Association, the Commonwealth Games Foundation, the Royal Caledonian Curling Society, and the Marlybone Cricket Club.

Her Majesty also lends her patronage to many organizations involving medicine. Her Majesty is patron of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. She is also patron of the Royal London Hospital, at which she visited victims of the 7/7/05 terrorist bombings. The Queen is patron of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, which was commonly affiliated with Princess Diana. Other medicinal patronages of the Queen include the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, Moorfields Eye Hospital, the Stroke Association, and the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Queen Elizabeth II also has many military patronages, which reflect her years as a military wife before becoming queen. The queen is the patron of the Royal Army Chaplains Department. Another military patronage of the queen is the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Families Association, an organization that serves ex-service men and women, and their families.

The overall count of the Queen’s patronages is said to number over 600. Along with her patronages in the United Kingdom, the Queen has patronages in Canada, New Zealand and other commonwealth nations. The number and variety of Her Majesty’s patronages show the Queen’s devotion to duty and interest in all aspects of society in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.


1: Visiting victims of the 7/7/05 terrorist bombings at the Royal London Hospital of which she is patron, 2: Lighting a candle in remembrance of Holocaust Victims. The Queen is patron of the British Holocaust Memorial Day, 3: Meeting the winner of the Queen's Plate Race, 4: Presenting the winner's trophy to Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977, 5: As patron of the Scout Association, reviewing a parade of Scouts, 6: Visiting the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust as Patron, 7: Visiting Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children on its 150th Anniversary, 8: Launching a lifeboat on behalf of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution-which she patron of.