The whole of the UK, and potentially the World, has been mourning the loss of The Queen since she passed away peacefully at Balmoral Castle on Thursday 8th September aged 96. After her dear husband, Prince Philip passed away last year, she said “Grief is the price you pay for love” and I think this statement has been true for UK citizens ever since Her Majesty’s death.
I think it is fair to say that many people, myself included, were shocked by the great sadness they felt when the news was announced on the evening of 8th September. The Queen has been a figure in all our lives for such a long, long time that to be without her is a very strange feeling. The Queen was the second longest reigning monarch in world history and was the longest serving monarch for the UK and the commonwealth.
It has been widely repeated since her death, the words that she said to the Commonwealth when she was just a young 21 year old Princess; “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”. I don’t think that there is a single person who could disagree that Her Majesty fulfilled this promise ten times over. She lived a long, long life and served her country and the Commonwealth every single day until her very last days; even welcoming a new Prime Minister just 48 hours before her death.
When Elizabeth was born in 1926, she held the title of Princess immediately and was third in line for the Throne. As a child, it was not expected that she would ever rule and it is only because of her uncle’s abdication of the throne, followed by her father’s sudden death that she actually became Queen. Elizabeth was only 10 when her father ascended the throne and became King George VI. He ruled through the dark period of World War II and Elizabeth was determined to serve the nation in any way she could. At the age of 19, she joined Auxiliary Territorial Service where she served as a skilled auto mechanic. Still to this day, she is the only female member of the Royal Family to have ever served in the military.
Elizabeth married Philip in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Many were not agreeable to the match given his German relatives asUK was still recovering from World War II. As such, it was not deemed appropriate for Philip’s sisters to be invited to the wedding as they were both married to German noblemen. Before their marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles and converted to Anglicanism. Whilst Philip had his links to other countries, he was already a British subject through his mother and he served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Before the wedding, Philip was given the title Duke of Edinburgh and was granted the style His Royal Highness. Elizabeth and Philip had 4 children together; Prince Charles (now King Charles III), Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
King George VI ruled for only 16 years and so Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II immediately after his death on 6th February 1952, although her coronation did not take place until June 1953. This coronation was the first to be broadcast live on television and it was watched by over 27 million people with another 11 million listening on the radio.
Queen Elizabeth ruled for so long that she celebrated her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and most recently Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012 and 2022 respectively. The whole of the UK celebrated in earnest at the beginning of June 2022 to mark the occasion of the Queens Platinum Jubilee meaning she had ruled for an epic 70 years. There were street parties and celebrations up and down the country with the Palace hosting many events, such as a live televised concert outside Buckingham Palace.
The Queen loved animals and everyone is aware that she kept Corgi’s for most of her life. She also inherited King George VI’s breeding and racehorse stock after his death. The Queen enjoyed numerous wins with her racehorses over the years and even earned the title Champion Owner in 1954 and 1957. She is described by many as being at her happiest at the races and attended the Royal Ascot festival most years.
I could write for hours about the life of The Queen, she travelled to more than 120 countries and witnessed an enormous change in the World. Thank you for your service Ma’am; a debt that can never be repaid. Everyone at Veritas Hearing sends their deepest condolences to the entire Royal Family.