Elizabeth, The Queen

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The Queen sees public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work.

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These vary from well-established international charities to smaller bodies working in a specialist area or on a local basis only. Her patronages and charities cover a wide range of issues, from opportunities for young people, to the preservation of wildlife and the environment. Having Her Majesty as Royal patron or president provides vital publicity for the work of these organisations, and allows their enormous achievements and contributions to society to be recognised. I think I speak for my generation when I say that the example and continuity provided by The Queen is not only very rare among leaders but a great source of pride and reassurance.

The Queen carries out all of her duties against the backdrop of a full personal life which has seen her raise four children and welcome grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren to the Royal Family. When she was born in Mayfair in , Princess Elizabeth now The Queen and her family did not expect that she would one day become Monarch. Her Royal Highness was expected to live a relatively normal, if privileged, life with her close-knit and loving family. The Queen was born at 2.

She was named after her mother, while her two middle names are those of her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, and paternal grandmother, Queen Mary. The Princess's early years were spent at Piccadilly, the London house taken by her parents shortly after her birth, and at White Lodge in Richmond Park. She also spent time at the country homes of her paternal grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother's parents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.

The family of four was very close.

Elizabeth I of England

When she was six years old, her parents took over Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their own country home. Princess Elizabeth was now first in line to the throne, and a figure of even more intense public interest. Princess Elizabeth's quiet family life came to an end in , when her grandfather, King George V, died.

In , at the height of the Blitz, the young Princesses were moved for their safety to Windsor Castle, where they spent most of the war years. It was a time of austerity and anxiety for the whole country, including the Royal Family.

But at Christmas time there was a period of light relief when the young Princesses put on pantomimes with the children of members of staff for the enjoyment of her family and employees of the Royal Household. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were educated at home like many girls from wealthy families at that time. After her father succeeded to the throne in and Princess Elizabeth became heir presumptive first in line to the throne , she started to study constitutional history and law as preparation for her future role. She received tuition from her father, as well as sessions with Henry Marten, the Vice-Provost of Eton.

She was also instructed in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Princess Elizabeth also learned French from a number of French and Belgian governesses.

It is a skill which has stood The Queen in good stead, as she often has cause to use it when speaking to ambassadors and heads of state from French-speaking countries, and when visiting French-speaking areas of Canada. Princess Elizabeth also studied art and music, learned to ride, and became a strong swimmer.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's enduring marriage has seen them support each other through many years of Royal duties, and has produced four children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Though the early years of their marriage saw them living a relatively normal life as a naval officer and wife, The Queen's Accession changed everything as Her Majesty took on her new role, and The Duke of Edinburgh a new status in support of her work.

Their engagement was announced on 9 July and the couple were married in Westminster Abbey on 20 November The event was fairly simple, as Britain was still recovering from the war, and Princess Elizabeth had to collect clothing coupons for her dress, like any other young bride.

In a letter from Princess Elizabeth's father, King George VI following the wedding, he wrote about his sadness at giving her away, and his joy at her evident happiness with Prince Philip:. I can see that you are sublimely happy with Philip which is right but don't forget us is the wish of. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were the first children to be born to a reigning monarch since Queen Victoria had her family.

Early life and education

Their great grandchildren are Savannah Phillips b. He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years, and I, and his whole family, and this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know. The family usually spends Christmas together at Sandringham in Norfolk, attending church on Christmas Day. The Duke of Edinburgh has made an invaluable contribution to my life over these past fifty years, as he has to so many charities and organisations with which he has been involved.

We both have a special place in our hearts for our children.

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I want to express my admiration for The Prince of Wales and for all he has achieved for this country. Our children, and all my family, have given me such love and unstinting help over the years, and especially in recent months. The Duke of Edinburgh has been a devoted companion or 'Consort' to The Queen in her official duties since she acceded the throne in Princess Elizabeth immediately acceded to the throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II and taking on all of the responsibilities which came with her new title.

Later in the year, the date was set for the Coronation at Westminster Abbey and preparations began for the spectacular ceremony. In , King George VI's health was poor, and illness forced him to abandon a proposed Commonwealth tour. Princess Elizabeth, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his place.

On Wednesday 6 February , she received the news of her father's death and her own Accession to the throne while staying in a remote part of Kenya. Following the news, the tour was abandoned, and the young Princess flew back to Britain as Queen.

She was greeted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other officials at the airport before returning to Clarence House, where the Royal Standard was flown for the first time in her reign. The Coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June Representatives of the peers, the Commons and all the great public interests in Britain, the Prime Ministers and leading citizens of the other Commonwealth countries, and representatives of foreign states were present.

Crowds of people viewed the procession all along the route, despite heavy rain. The ceremony was also broadcast on radio around the world and, at The Queen's request, on television for the first time. Television brought home to hundreds of thousands of people around the Commonwealth the splendour and significance of the Coronation in a way never before possible.

The Coronation was followed by drives through every part of London, a review of the fleet at Spithead, and visits to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Such events help reinforce the Sovereign's role as a focus for national identity and unity as people across the Commonwealth come together to mark an important occasion for their Head of State.

The actual anniversary of The Queen's Accession on 6 February was commemorated in church services throughout that month. The Queen spent the anniversary weekend at Windsor with her family and the full jubilee celebrations began in the summer of On 4 May, at the Palace of Westminster, both Houses of Parliament presented loyal addresses to The Queen, who in her reply stressed that the keynote of the jubilee was to be the unity of the nation. During the summer months The Queen embarked on a large scale tour, having decided that she wished to mark her jubilee by meeting as many of her people as possible.

No other Sovereign had visited so much of Britain in the course of just three months - the six jubilee tours in the UK and Northern Ireland covered 36 counties. The home tours began in Glasgow on 17 May, with greater crowds than the city had ever seen before. The tours continued throughout England and Wales - in Lancashire over a million people turned out on one day - before culminating in a visit to Northern Ireland.

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The climax of the national celebrations came in early June. On the evening of Monday 6 June, The Queen lit a bonfire beacon at Windsor which started a chain of beacons across the country. She declared, 'My Lord Mayor, when I was twenty-one I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God's help to make good that vow. Although that vow was made in my salad days, when I was green in judgement, I do not regret nor retract one word of it. An estimated million people watched on television as the procession returned down the Mall.

Back at Buckingham Palace The Queen made several balcony appearances. Street parties and village parties started up all over the country: The final event of the central week of celebrations was a river progress down the Thames from Greenwich to Lambeth on Thursday 9 June, emulating the ceremonial barge trips of Elizabeth I.

About Her Majesty The Queen

After The Queen had opened the Silver Jubilee Walkway and the new South Bank Jubilee Gardens, the journey ended with a firework display, and a procession of lighted carriages took The Queen back to Buckingham Palace for more balcony appearances to a cheering crowd. The Queen's Silver Jubilee Appeal was set up in , and gave the nation an opportunity to show its affection for Her Majesty and its gratitude for her dedicated service over 25 years.

The Queen chose that the Appeal should focus on raising funds to support young people and, in particular, on encouraging and helping young people to serve others in the community. Its emphasis is in education and personal development, in and out of school, in low-income communities across the UK. For more information, please visit www.

A packed programme of events took place in to celebrate fifty years of The Queen's reign. Six key Jubilee themes shaped events: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh undertook extensive tours of the Commonwealth and the UK, leading to an extraordinarily busy year for the royal couple.

Why does the Queen not need a driving licence? The year-old has been driving since she was Queen Elizabeth II news: Her Majesty has been driving for more than 70 years Image: She is said to have a passion for driving Image: Along with no driving licence the British Monarch does not need a passport to travel abroad. This is also because Queen Elizabeth is the one to issue them. The Queen driving an ambulance during her wartime service Image: This is a privilege for the reigning monarch only. The year-old has been driving since she was 19 Image: In addition, she is signing laws, creating lords and forming Governments.

She also owns all of the swans in the River Thames, along with any dolphins in British waters.

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