Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth ll
We are all in shock after the news of the Queen’s passing. She was a strong monarch, leading our nation for 70 years with her faith and strength at the forefront. We hope after serving her country for so many years, she has found rest with her beloved Phillip. We dedicate this blog to her, to reminisce about her years as queen and the many things she accomplished.
Born on 21st April 1926 to George Vl and Elizabeth, the Duchess of York. She was third in line to the throne after her uncle, Edward lll. However, after his abdication to marry socialite Wallis Simpson in 1936, she became heir presumptive, meaning she would succeed the throne as long as no male relatives were born that could succeed her.
At the start of WWll in 1939, Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margret both remained in the country despite the suggestion to move to Canada to avoid the bombings. When she turned 18 she trained as a mechanic and driver and eventually earned the rank of honorary junior commander.
Elizabeth married Prince Phillip in 1947, after having met when they were young and exchanged many letters. Philip had both Greek and Danish titles, having to renounce both and convert to Anglicanism in order to marry Elizabeth. This was a controvertial match as Phillip was foreign born with sisters who were married to German nobles with nazi ties. However after his dedication to the British public, and to the then Princess Elizabeth, he was accepted by the public and the royal family.
Elizabeth became queen on 6th February 1952 after the death of her father King George Vl. Her official coronation was held on 2nd June 1953, the first to be broadcasted on live tv and viewed by over 27 million people. At the time of her ascension she became the queen of 7 independent commonwealth countries, Uk, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (at the time known as Ceylon).
In the same year Elizabeth and her husband embarked on a tour of the world, visiting 13 nations and becoming the first monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand. She became the most traveled head of state after visiting many countries and conducting countless tours during her reign.
During the 1960s and 70s decolonisation grew and over 20 countries gained independence from Britain. This began with India in 1947, followed quickly by Sri Lanka and Myannmar in 1948. The ideals of nationalism and independence quickly spread leading other countries within the commonwealth to break away from British rule. The last significant British colony of Hong Kong was returned to Chinese rule in 1997, finally ending the stain of British imperialism.
During her reign the Queen celebrated her silver, gold, diamond and platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012 and 2022. She also survived two attempts on her life, the first in 1981 were 6 shots were fired at her while she rode her horse down The Mall in London. The shots were later found to be blanks and the control she showed over her horse was widely praised. The second was during a visit to New Zealand in the same year, a young man fired a shot at her from a 5th story window during the parade. Despite these harrowing experiences, she remained strong and continued to lead her country.
The world has greatly changed since 1953, however her majesty Queen Elizabeth ll adapted to whatever crisis was thrown at her and has governed the commonwealth with pride and dignity. We have lost an amazing woman as well as monarch, and we can only hope Charles will live up to the legacy his mother has left behind.
If you are thinking of hosting an event in remembrance of the Queen, we would be honoured to provide you with our catering. We have the very relevant, The British, buffet option which could be a good choice for an event dedicated to our former British monarch. Feel free to get in touch and let us know how we can help to make your event more special.
