21 avril 1926 Queen Elizabeth II of England, born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, was born in London. During her childhood, her mother traveling a lot, she was raised by a nurse. In 1936, her father became king and the royal family moved to Buckingham where Queen Mary educated her granddaughter.
November 20, 1947 Elizabeth II and Philip Mountbatten celebrate their wedding at Westminster Abbey. During the summer of 1939, the future queen accompanied her father to the naval school in Dartmouth and fell in love with Philip of Greece, a third cousin, 5 years her senior. They will secretly get engaged during the summer of 1946. From this union will be born Charles in 1948, Anne in 1950, then Andrew in 1960 and Edward in 1964.
June 2, 1952 Elizabeth II is crowned queen at the age of 26, having acceded to the throne of England in February of the same year, following the death of her father George VI. She thus became queen of sixteen independent states and head of the Commonwealth. Supreme leader of the State, of the Anglican Church and of the armies, Elizabeth II does not however have any absolute direct power.
>> Images of the coronation of Elizabeth II:
>> The archive of the day on the coronation in La Matinale:
1992 The queen evokes in her end-of-year speech an “annus horribilis”. Three of her children separate from their spouse, Windsor Castle is affected by an accidental fire, there are many controversies over the Queen’s fortune and the lifestyle of the royal family.
August 31, 1997 Pursued by paparazzi, Princess Diana, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and their driver died in a road accident in Paris. Elizabeth II is widely criticized for the shyness of her reaction, out of step with popular emotion.
November 20, 1997 Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrate 50 years of marriage. In a rare public tribute, the monarch says her husband “is someone who doesn’t take compliments easily, but he’s just been my rock for all these years.”
February 6, 2012 Celebrations are organized on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II. The sovereign visited a town hall and a kindergarten in particular. Other events will follow over the next five months, including a major parade on the Thames in June 2012.
September 9, 2015 Elizabeth II breaks the record for longevity on the British throne, exceeding the 63 years, 7 months and 2 days on the throne of her great-grandmother, Queen-Empress Victoria, in power between 1837 and 1901.
November 20, 2019 Prince Andrew is stepping down from public duties, mired in a controversy over his ties to American financier Jeffrey Epstein and accusations of sexual assault.
August 1, 2020 Grandson of Elizabeth II, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan distance themselves from the British royal family and denounce the ruthless pressure of the media. They renounce their title of royal highness and leave to live in North America, causing what will be called the “Megxit”.
9 avril 2021 Death of Prince Philip at the age of 99, after a life in withdrawal and devoted to the service of the monarchy since his marriage, 73 years earlier, with his “Lilibet”. Elizabeth II loses the one who was, in her words, her “strength” and her “support” since her coronation in 1952.
The Queen sits alone in St George’s Chapel in Windsor during Prince Philip’s funeral amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 17, 2021. [Jonathan Brady – Keystone]
>> Read also: Grand return of Elizabeth II in public for a tribute to Prince Philip
February 6, 2022: Elizabeth II reaches the milestone of 70 years of reign, her platinum jubilee.
>> Our large format on the 70 years of reign of Elizabeth II: Elizabeth II, 70 years of reign