On September 8, 2022, Queen Elizabeth (Elizabeth II) passed away peacefully.
He is actually 96 years old.
Her eldest son, Prince Charles, inherited the throne as king, but her loss would have been enormous for the British people.
She was beloved by her people and oversaw the end of the vast British Empire, and her reign lasted for 70 years.
So what was his reign like?
Including his achievements in his younger years, which are not well known to Japanese people,Explore the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
Table of contents that lets you jump to your favorite topics
- Page 1
- Beloved by his grandfather, King George V
- World War I
- In the military, he excelled at driving military trucks.
- From my first love with a cadet…
- “La Belle Princess” (The Beautiful Princess)
- Page 2
- The 25-year-old young queen and television take on the coronation
- Even Queen Elizabeth can’t escape frugality
- Even Her Majesty the Queen is troubled by the adolescent prince
- International Order Including Japan
- Page 3
- Irish Republican Army (IRA)
- Iron Lady Thatcher
- The Cold War ends in the year of his 40th anniversary
- Visiting India and Malaysia
- Page 4
- Charles remarried in the same year as the London bombings
- Grandson Charles gets married
- Brexit
- Family issues and the coronavirus
Table of contents that lets you jump to your favorite topics
- Beloved by his grandfather, King George V
- World War I
- In the military, he excelled at driving military trucks.
- From my first love with a cadet…
- “La Belle Princess” (The Beautiful Princess)
Beloved by his grandfather, King George V
In the early hours of April 21, 1926, a baby girl was born in London, England.
The eldest daughter of Albert, Duke of York and his wife Elizabeth, was named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, and was affectionately known as “Lilibet” by her family.
She was truly born with the history of Britain on her shoulders.
Queen Elizabeth II at age 3 – TIME magazine cover, April 29, 1929 issue / Quoted from Wikipedia
“For someone so young, she has such grace and dignity…”
Churchill was said to have been astonished when he met Elizabeth, who was just two years old at the time, and from 1932, when she was in kindergarten, she was assigned a governess named Marion Crawford and given a special education.
Thus began her life as a regal British princess.
The one person who especially doted on young Lilibet was her grandfather, King George V. He was the British king during World War I, the war that claimed the greatest number of lives in British history.
The king’s second son, Prince Albert, Duke of York, also known as “Bertie,” was also a naval officer.
We also had a close call with the K-class submarine accident.
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Her mother, Elizabeth, was the granddaughter of the Scottish noble Earl of Strathmore. During the war, she helped treat the wounded of World War I at her relatives’ Earl’s house, which was opened as a hospital.
Both of them witnessed World War I.
The marriage between such a prince of the House of Windsor and an aristocratic lady of Scottish descent connected to the House of Stuart could be said to be a blood bond of the United Kingdom.
However, Albert was only the second son of the king, and Elizabeth was merely a princess of royal blood.
World War I
The First World War marked a major turning point in British history.
Why is “Downton Abbey” set in that time period, when the story includes the Great War? It is because it was a turbulent time when the privileges of royalty and aristocracy were being taken away.
-The limits of British naval power are demonstrated.
→The British Navy, which reached its peak at the Battle of Trafalgar, would see the limits of its fleet-based decisive battle doctrine in this war.
Dominating the world through piracy: the incredible history of the British Navy is enough to blow your mind
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During World War I, many children of aristocrats were killed in battle.
→Successive noble families were cut off due to the death of the nobles themselves or their successors.
・Economic limits
→The Great War left a deep wound in Europe. In terms of scientific and technological power, economic power… the collapse of the British Empire became apparent.
In Downton Abbey, the Earl of Grantham takes in an American wife to help him financially.
From the wife’s point of view, it was her status as a British aristocrat, and from the husband’s point of view, it was economic power. It was a relationship that benefited both parties.
However, this is also proof of the irony that the British aristocracy would not have been possible without assistance from the United States. Winston Churchill was also the son of such a couple.
The royal family, who stood above the aristocracy, were also exposed to American influence and historical changes.
While it may be possible for a nobleman to marry an American, it would be difficult for a king, especially if he is already married.
Ironically, this was evidenced by Elizabeth’s uncle, King Edward VIII, who gave up the crown to marry Mrs Simpson, an American.
Edward VIII abdicated in favor of a royal love affair
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What may have seemed like a romantic relationship was a huge nuisance to her brother Albert’s family.
Albert himself was confused that he had not received an education as the Crown Prince, and overcoming his stuttering became a major issue.
Albert’s wife, Elizabeth, was furious that her brother-in-law and his wife’s life might be shortened, and she never got over the intense anger she felt toward them for the rest of her life.
His daughter Elizabeth’s life has also changed dramatically: her uncle’s abdication means she will become the next Queen.
When her uncle abdicated and the family moved to Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth lamented the situation:
“If Uncle hadn’t abdicated…”
It must have been quite a shock to find out at the age of 10 that he would be the next to inherit the crown.
Here’s some trivia.
The British monarch is called the “Prince of Wales”.
So, was Elizabeth the “Princess of Wales”? No, she was not.
“Princess of Wales” is the title given to the wife of the Crown Prince. Diana, who was Prince Charles, was one of those titles, but Queen Elizabeth II is not.
To make things more confusing, Prince Charles’ second wife Camilla also does not use the title Duchess of Cornwall (Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland).
Title aside, she was both a woman and first in line to the throne.
In the military, he excelled at driving military trucks.
After World War I, the League of Nations was established in 1920, six years before Elizabeth was born. It was the product of a political movement that wanted to ensure that no world war would break out again.
However, it soon crumbles.
During Elizabeth’s youth, when she was training to succeed the throne, Nazi Germany rose to power, and Britain, under Chamberlain, adopted a policy of appeasement.
Ultimately, this policy was unsuccessful, and in 1940, as Germany began to dominate Europe, the King and Queen and Elisabeth and her sister Margaret were forced to separate.
The King and Queen had no time to reflect on their tense home life as they entered a time of war that required constant attention to politics.
George VI was not particularly prominent before his accession to the throne, but after he ascended to the throne, he gained much respect and love for his earnest personality. At his side was the intelligent and equally popular Queen Elizabeth.
The Queen was so courageous and daring that Hitler said, “She is the most dangerous woman in Europe…” and she inspired those around her and her people.
Elizabeth also had a role to play.
He appeared on BBC radio, which was just beginning to become popular, and gave an encouraging speech on behalf of British children who had no contact with their parents.
Radio, television and the Internet – Elizabeth’s life has been one of constant flux in media and its influence.
Though still a young girl, Elizabeth had a soothing voice and a presence befitting the radio age.
His father, King George VI, suffered from a stutter, and his efforts to overcome it were made into a film called The King’s Speech. With the development of the media, the talent for speech became increasingly important to the royal family.
When it comes to royalty, their wartime roles are not limited to that.
Royal families have a tradition of noblesse oblige, and are required to serve in the military, and many of Elizabeth’s descendants have served in the military.
In 1942, when she was 15 years old, Elizabeth was first appointed as Colonel of the 1st Regiment of the Guards.
When he turned 18 in 1944, he was elected as a temporary representative for state affairs.
In those days, London was also bombed. If anything happened to her father, she would have to take his place.
In 1945, she enlisted as a warrant officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) of the British Army. By the turn of the 20th century, women were also required to serve in the military.
Queen Elizabeth on military duty (1945) / Quoted from Wikipedia
Although they couldn’t become snipers or fighter pilots like in the Soviet Union, they could take part in transporting military supplies.
She was put behind the wheel of a military truck and learned how to maintain, repair, and drive large vehicles. Her driving skills were quite impressive, and there are accounts of her driving at high speeds even after she ascended to the throne.
From my first love with a cadet…
On May 8, 1945, World War II finally came to an end.
As the King and Queen and Churchill waved at Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth and Mary were smiling with joy.
The photographs and footage of this event are famous for capturing a history-changing moment.
After this, with their father’s permission, Princesses Elizabeth and Mary secretly traveled to London and spent the night in triumphant London.
The pair’s relationship was made into a film titled “Royal Knight.”
Elizabeth has always lived an upright life, but her first love was sweet and romantic.
In 1939, the Royal Family were given a tour of the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth by a tall, handsome midshipman called Philip.
The cadet followed the royal family in a rowboat as they left. Her father, the King, was astonished, but the 13-year-old princess was thrilled with the 18-year-old cadet.
This Philip was a noble young man whose father was Prince Andrew of Greece.
In 1943, during the war, the two met again and began to correspond, but Philip’s German ancestry made him an unsuitable romantic partner for a British princess fighting against Germany.
Still, Elizabeth is desperate to marry her love.
After the war, in 1946, Philip proposed to Elizabeth, and her strong feelings finally led to her father relenting, and the royal wedding took place.
Elizabeth and Philip were united in the dark climate of the post-war world. They were a dazzlingly beautiful couple, as if they had come from another world.
“Oh, how beautiful you two are! You look like gods straight out of a myth…”
A servant who saw the newlywed couple testified in awe, saying:
This live-action Disney couple faced many difficulties after getting married, and Philip’s outrageous behavior is often the subject of conversation, but they were a shining couple when they got married.
In 1948, the couple’s first son, the future King Charles, was born. This was happy news and meant that the royal family was in good health.
“La Belle Princess” (The Beautiful Princess)
The young couple began to attract attention from all over the world.
It was Elizabeth who took charge of diplomacy in place of her father, who was already in poor health and exhausted from World War II.
She was warmly welcomed in France, which had abolished the monarchy through revolution, and in America, which had gained independence from the British king.
In France, headlines such as “La Belle Princesse” (the Beautiful Princess) adorned the newspapers.
US President Truman was so enthralled that he remarked:
“When I was a child I read stories about fairy princesses, and now I have a real one in front of me!”
The young Elizabeth was a fascinating and beautiful being, something out of a myth or a fairy tale.
This was also a critical turning point.
The American War of Independence and the French Revolution were events of the 18th century. Over the course of more than a hundred years, and through various world wars, the world order was changing. The British Royal Family, once an enemy and even hated, became a beloved presence.
However, it’s not all good.
No matter how beautiful a princess is, if she has power, she will be feared. The British royal family had come to have a presence as beloved idols.
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