She crossed the 20th century, knew 14 American presidents, 7 popes and 15 British Prime Ministers. His every move has been scrutinized in hundreds of books, press articles and documentaries. His life has been the subject of one of the most ambitious television series of recent years.
Queen Elizabeth II has died. She will have had the longest reign in the history of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, far ahead of Queen Victoria who had held the position for 63 years.
Rumors of abdication, regularly launched in recent years, have never been verified. The sovereign held her role until the end. A role started when his father died in February 1952.
queen in spite of herself
The reign of Elizabeth II is the result of an accident in history, caused by the weight of tradition. Daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York and Elizabeth née Bowes-Lyon, she was only third in line to the throne.
Until the day when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicates to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice divorced American. Result: in 1936, Prince Albert became Georges VI. Elizabeth’s fate is sealed. One day she will be queen herself.
During World War II, the future monarch was a teenager. At 14, she gave her first official speech. “Lilibet”, as she is nicknamed in private, is then addressed to children of her age who have had to leave the bombarded cities to find refuge in the countryside. “We know, each of us, that everything will end well“, she says into the microphone with a tone of voice and an accent that will make her recognizable among all.
