(Redirected from Elizabeth II of Canada)
'Elizabeth II' (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary;
1 born
21 April 1926) is the
Queen regnant of sixteen independent states and their overseas territories and dependencies. Though she holds each
crown and
title separately and equally, she is resident in and most directly involved with the
United Kingdom, her oldest realm, over parts of whose territories her ancestors have reigned for more than a thousand years. She ascended the thrones of seven countries in February, 1952 (see
Context below).
In addition to the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II is also Queen of
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Jamaica,
Barbados, the
Bahamas,
Grenada,
Papua New Guinea, the
Solomon Islands,
Tuvalu,
Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Antigua and Barbuda,
Belize, and
Saint Kitts and Nevis, in each of which she is represented by a
Governor-General. The 16 countries of which she is Queen are known as
Commonwealth Realms, and their combined population (including
dependencies) is over 129 million. (''For further information, see
Commonwealth Realm monarchies.'') In practice she herself wields almost no political power in any of her realms.
Elizabeth holds a variety of other positions, among them
Head of the Commonwealth,
Supreme Governor of the Church of England,
Lord of Mann, and
Paramount Chief of Fiji. Her long reign has seen sweeping changes in her realms and the world at large, perhaps most notably the final dissolution of the former
British Empire (a process that began in the last years of her father's reign) and the consequent evolution of the modern
Commonwealth of Nations.
Since 1947, Elizabeth has been married to
Philip Mountbatten, born a prince of Greece and Denmark but by then a naturalised British citizen and
Duke of Edinburgh. To date the couple have four children and seven grandchildren.
Context
Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa,
Pakistan and
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) upon the death of her father,
George VI, on
6 February 1952. As other colonies of the
British Empire (now the
Commonwealth of Nations) attained independence from the UK during her reign, she acceded to the newly created thrones as Queen of each respective realm so that throughout her 55 years on the throne she has been the sovereign of 32 nations, half of which either subsequently adopted other
royal houses or became
republics.
Elizabeth is currently one of the longest-reigning monarchs of the UK or any of its
predecessor states, ranking behind
Victoria (who reigned over the UK for sixty-three years),
George III (who reigned over Great Britain and subsequently the UK for fifty-nine),
James VI (who reigned over Scotland for fifty-seven years), and
Henry III (who reigned over England for fifty-six).
She is one of only two people who are simultaneously
head of state of more than one independent nation. (The other is the
President of France, who is ''ex officio''
Co-Prince of Andorra.)
Following tradition, she is also styled
Duke of Lancaster and
Duke of Normandy. She is also
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of many of her realms (and
Lord Admiral of the United Kingdom), and is styled
Defender of the Faith in various realms for differing reasons.
Early life
Elizabeth was born at 17 Bruton Street, in
Mayfair,
London, on
21 April 1926.
Her father was Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future
King George VI) and her mother was the Duchess of York (born
the Hon. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth, and, after her daughter's accession to the throne, the
Queen Mother).
She was baptised in the Music Room of
Buckingham Palace by
Cosmo Gordon Lang, the
Archbishop of York. Her godparents were her paternal grandparents
King George V and
Queen Mary, the
Princess Royal, the
Duke of Connaught, her maternal grandfather the
Earl of Strathmore, and
Lady Elphinstone.
Elizabeth was named after her mother, while her two middle names are those of her paternal great-grandmother,
Queen Alexandra, and grandmother, Queen Mary, respectively. As a child her close family knew her as "Lilibet".
[3] She had a close relationship with her grandfather,
George V, and was credited for aiding his recovery from illness in
1929.
[4][5] At 10 years old, the young Princess was introduced to a preacher at
Glamis Castle. As he left, he promised to send her a book. Elizabeth replied, "Not about God. I already know all about Him."
Princess Elizabeth's only sibling was the late
Princess Margaret, who was born in 1930. The two young princesses were educated at home, under the supervision of their mother. Their
governess was
Marion Crawford, better known as "Crawfie."
[6] She studied history with C. H. K. Marten, Provost of
Eton, and also learned modern languages; she speaks
French fluently.
[7] She was instructed in religion by the
Archbishop of Canterbury and has remained a devout member of the
Church of England.
[8]
As a granddaughter of the British sovereign in the male line, she held the title of a
British princess with the style
''Her Royal Highness'', her full style being ''Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York''. At the time of her birth, she was third in the
line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle the
Prince of Wales, and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, there was no reason at the time to believe that she would ever become queen, as it was widely assumed that the Prince of Wales (later King
Edward VIII) would marry and have children in due course. However, Edward did not produce any legitimate heirs, and Elizabeth's parents had no sons (who would have taken precedence over her). Therefore, she would eventually have become queen whether Edward had abdicated or not, assuming she outlived both her father and her uncle.
Heiress presumptive
When her father became King in 1936 upon the
abdication of her uncle,
King Edward VIII, she became
Heiress Presumptive and was thenceforth known as ''Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth''. There was some demand in
Wales for her to be created The
Princess of Wales, but the King was advised that this was the title of the wife of the Prince of Wales, not a title in its own right. Some feel the King missed the opportunity to make an innovation in Royal practice by re-adopting King
Henry VIII's idea, who in
1525 proclaimed his eldest daughter,
Lady Mary, Princess of Wales in her own right.
[9] But the possibility, however remote, remained that her father could have a son, who would have been heir apparent, supplanting Elizabeth in the line of succession to the throne.
Elizabeth was thirteen years old when
World War II broke out, and she and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, were
evacuated to
Windsor Castle,
Berkshire. There was some suggestion that the two princesses be evacuated to
Canada, to which their mother made the famous reply: "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave."
[10] While at Windsor, Princess Elizabeth and her sister staged
pantomimes at
Christmas with the children of members of staff of the
Royal Household. In 1940, Princess Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's
Children's Hour, addressing other children who had been evacuated. When she was 13 years old, she first met her future husband
Prince Philip.
[11] She fell in love with him and began writing to him when he was in the
Royal Navy.
Elizabeth made her first official overseas visit in 1947, when she accompanied her parents to
South Africa. During her visit to
Cape Town, she and her father were accompanied by Prime Minister
Jan Smuts when they went to the top of
Table Mountain by cable car. On her 21 birthday, she made a broadcast to the British Commonwealth and
Empire, pledging:
[12]
Military career
Princess Elizabeth changing a vehicle wheel during WWII
In 1945, Princess Elizabeth convinced her father that she should be allowed to contribute directly to the war effort. She joined the
Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she was known as No 230873 Second
Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor, trained as a driver, and drove a military truck while she served. This training was the first time she had been taught together with other students. It is said that she greatly enjoyed this and that this experience led her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home. She was later praised by many for her hard labour during the war period. She was the first, and so far only, female member of the royal family to actually serve in the armed forces, though Queen Victoria was Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian militia, and other royal women have been given honorary ranks. During the
VE Day celebrations in London, she and her sister dressed in ordinary clothing and slipped into the crowd secretly to celebrate with everyone.
Marriage
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh on their wedding day
Elizabeth married
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) on
20 November 1947. The couple are
second cousins once removed: they are both descended from
Christian IX of Denmark - Elizabeth II is a great-great-granddaughter through her paternal great-grandmother
Alexandra of Denmark, and the Duke is a great-grandson through his paternal grandfather
George I of Greece. As well as second cousins once removed, the couple are third cousins: they share
Queen Victoria as a great-great-grandmother. Elizabeth's great-grandfather was
Edward VII, while Edward's sister
Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine was the Duke's great-grandmother. Prince Philip had renounced his claim to the
Greek throne and was simply referred to as Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten before being created
Duke of Edinburgh prior to their marriage. As a Greek royal, Philip is a member of the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, the Danish royal house and a line of the House of Oldenburg. Mountbatten was an Anglicisation of his mother's name, Battenberg. The marriage was controversial. Philip was
Greek Orthodox, with no financial resources behind him, and had sisters who had married
Nazi supporters. Elizabeth's mother was reported in later biographies to have strongly opposed the marriage, even referring to Philip as "the Hun".
[13]
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Princess Anne 1952
After their wedding, Philip and Elizabeth took up
residence at
Clarence House, London. At various times between 1946 and 1953, the Duke of Edinburgh was stationed in
Malta as a serving
Royal Navy officer.
Lord Mountbatten of Burma had purchased the Villa Gwardamangia (also referred to as the Villa G'Mangia), in the hamlet of
Gwardamangia in Malta, in about 1929. Princess Elizabeth stayed there when visiting Philip in Malta. Philip and Elizabeth lived in Malta for a period between 1949 and 1951 (Malta being the only other country in which the Queen has lived, although at that time Malta was a British
Protectorate).
On
14 November 1948, Elizabeth gave birth to her first child,
Charles. Several weeks earlier,
letters patent had been issued so that her children would enjoy a royal and princely status they would not otherwise have been entitled to.
[14] Otherwise they would have been styled merely as children of a duke. The couple had four children (see below) in all. Though the
Royal House is named
Windsor, it was decreed, via a 1960
Order-in-Council, that those descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip who were not Princes or Princesses of the United Kingdom should have the ''personal surname''
Mountbatten-Windsor.
[15] In practice all of their children, in honour of their father, have used ''Mountbatten-Windsor'' as their surname (or in Anne's case, her maiden surname). Both Charles and Anne used ''Mountbatten-Windsor'' as their surname in the published
banns for their first marriages.
[16] The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have four children;
★
The Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales (born
14 November 1948)
★
The Princess Anne, The Princess Royal (born
15 August 1950)
★
The Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born
19 February 1960)
★
The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (born
10 March 1964)
Succession
The
coronation of the Queen, 2 June 1953 - Prince Philip swears his allegiance to his wife and new Queen
Her father's health declined during 1951, and Elizabeth was soon frequently standing in for him at public events. She visited
Greece,
Italy and
Malta (where Philip was then stationed) during that year. In October, she toured Canada and visited
President Harry S. Truman in
Washington, D.C. In January, 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. They had reached
Kenya when word arrived of the death of her father, on
6 February 1952, from lung cancer.
Elizabeth was staying at the
Treetops Hotel in
Thika (today just two hours away from
Nairobi) when she was told of her father's death and of her own succession to the throne — a unique circumstance for any such event. She was the first British monarch since the accession of George I to be outside the country at the moment of succession, and also the first in modern times not to know the exact time of her accession (because her father had died in his sleep at an unknown time). On the night her father died, the
Chief Justice of Kenya
Sir Horace Hearne, who would later accompany the Royal Party back to the UK, escorted the Princess Elizabeth, as she then was, to a dinner at the
Treetops Hotel, which is now a very popular tourist retreat in
Kenya. It was there that she "went up a princess and came down a Queen".
It was
Prince Philip who broke the news of her father's death to Elizabeth. After that,
Martin Charteris, then Assistant Private Secretary to the new Queen, asked her
what she intended to be called. "Why, my own name; what else?" she replied. The royal party returned immediately to the
United Kingdom.
Elizabeth was
proclaimed as Queen in Canada first, by the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada, on
6 February, 1952.
[17] Her British proclamation was read at
St James's Palace the following day.
A detail of Elizabeth II's coronation gown, showing the embroidered national floral emblems of Commonwealth countries.
One year later, the Queen's grandmother,
Queen Mary, died of lung cancer on
24 March 1953. Reportedly, the
Dowager Queen's dying wish was that the
coronation not be postponed. Elizabeth's
coronation took place in
Westminster Abbey, on
2 June 1953. Her coronation gown, commissioned from
Norman Hartnell, was embroidered with the floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth: the
Tudor rose of
England, the Scots
thistle, the Welsh
leek,
shamrock of Ireland,
wattle of Australia, the
maple leaf of Canada, the New Zealand
fern, South Africa's
protea, two
lotus flowers for
India and Ceylon, and Pakistan's
wheat,
cotton and
jute.
[18]
Life as Queen
After the Coronation, Elizabeth and Philip moved to
Buckingham Palace, in central London, the main official residence of the monarch. It has been reported, however, that, as with many of her predecessors, she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers
Windsor Castle, another official residence, to be her home.
[19]
Queen Elizabeth II reads a speech in
Sydney, upon her visit in
Australia in 1954.
Not long after, Elizabeth and Philip, from 1953 to 1954, made a six-month, around the world tour, becoming the first monarch to circumnavigate the globe. She also became the first reigning monarch of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to visit those nations. Since then, Elizabeth has undertaken many overseas voyages. In October, 1957, she made a state visit to the
United States, addressing the
United Nations General Assembly, and proceeded to tour
Canada, wherein she became the first
Canadian Monarch to open a session of that nation's
parliament. In made another
state visit to the United States, as
Queen of Canada, hosting the return dinner for
President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the
Canadian Embassy in Washington. In February, 1961, she visited
Ankara, and later toured
India,
Iran,
Pakistan and
Nepal for the first time. She has made state visits to most European countries and to many outside
Europe. In 1991 she became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the
United States Congress during another state visit to that country, and in 2007 became the first British monarch to address the
Virginia General Assembly. She has also regularly attended
Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings since the practice was established in Canada in 1973. All-together, Elizabeth is the most widely-travelled head of state in history.
[20][21]
Continuing evolution of the Commonwealth
The
British Empire began its metamorphosis following the
Balfour Declaration at the Imperial Conference of 1926, followed by the formalization of the declaration in the ''
Statute of Westminster'', 1931.
By the time of Elizabeth's accession in 1952, there was much talk of a "new Elizabethan age". Since then, one of Elizabeth's roles has been to preside over the United Kingdom as it has shared world economic and military power with a growing host of independent nations and principalities. As nations have developed economically and culturally, the Queen has witnessed, over the past 50 years, a gradual transformation of the British Empire into its modern successor, the
Commonwealth of Nations. She has worked hard to maintain links with former British possessions, and in some cases, such as
South Africa, she has played an important role in retaining or restoring good relations.
In 2007, it was discovered in declassified papers that in 1956 French Prime Minister
Guy Mollet and British Prime Minister Sir
Anthony Eden discussed the possibility of
France joining in a union with the United Kingdom; amongst the ideas put forward was having Elizabeth II as the French head of state. A paper from 28 September 1956, stated that Mollet "had not thought there need be difficulty over France accepting the headship of Her Majesty." This proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the
Treaty of Rome.
[22]
Views and perceptions
She has a strong sense of religious duty and takes her Coronation Oath seriously.
[23] This is one reason (as well as the example set by her uncle who abdicated) why it is considered highly unlikely that she will ever abdicate.
[24]
Elizabeth has shown a strong constitution in the face of turmoil; for example, during a trip to
Ghana in 1961 she pointedly refused to keep her distance from the then
President,
Kwame Nkrumah, despite the fact that he was a target for assassins.
Harold Macmillan wrote at the time: "the Queen has been absolutely determined all through. She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as… a film star... She has indeed '
the heart and stomach of a man'... She loves her duty and means to be a Queen." One author describes another incident thus: "a similar situation occurred in 1964, when the Queen was invited to
Quebec, according to Robert Speaight in ''
Vanier, Soldier, Diplomat and
Governor General: A Biography''. There were fears for the Queen’s safety, while the media whipped up a campaign of fear around the risks involved from separatist threats, and there was talk of cancelling the tour. The Queen’s Private Secretary replied that the Queen would have been horrified to have been prevented from going because of the activities of extremists."
[25] Further, during the
Trooping the Colour in 1981 there was an apparent attempt on the Queen's life: six rounds of blanks were fired at her from close range as she rode down
The Mall. Her only reaction was to duck slightly and then continue on. The
Canadian House of Commons was so impressed by her display of courage that a motion was passed praising her composure.
25
Politics
As a
constitutional monarch, Elizabeth does not express her personal political opinions publicly. She has maintained this discipline throughout her reign, doing little in public to reveal what they might be, and thus her political views are not clearly known. However, there is some evidence to suggest that, in economic terms, she leans towards a
One Nation point of view. During
Margaret Thatcher's years as
British Prime Minister, it was rumoured that the Queen worried that Mrs. Thatcher's economic policies were fostering social divisions, and she was reportedly alarmed by high unemployment, a series of riots in 1981, and the violence of the miners' strike.
[26] Mrs. Thatcher once said to
Brian Walden, referring to the
Social Democratic Party: "The problem is, the Queen is the kind of woman who could vote SDP."
26
Canadian national unity
While not speaking directly against
Quebec sovereignty in Canada, she has publicly praised Canada's unity and expressed her wish to see the continuation of a unified Canada, sometimes courting controversy over the matter. Like her mother, Elizabeth has shown an affection for Canada, stating in 1983, when departing
California, "I am going home to Canada tomorrow," and at a dinner in Saskatchewan in 2005: "this country and Canadians everywhere have been a constant presence in my life and work."
[27] She has also stated that Canada feels like "a home away from home".
[28]
In a speech to the
Quebec Legislature, at the height of the
Quiet Revolution of 1964, she ignored the national controversy (including riots during her appearance in Quebec City — see
History of Monarchy in Canada) in favour of praising Canada's two "complementary cultures", speaking, in both French and English, about the strength of Canada's two founding peoples, stating, "I am pleased to think that there exists in our Commonwealth a country where I can express myself officially in French," and, "whenever you sing [the French words of] '
O Canada' you are reminded that you come of a proud race."
[29][30]
After she proclaimed the
Constitution Act in 1982, which was the first time in Canadian history that a major constitutional change had been made without the agreement of the
government of Quebec, Elizabeth attempted to demonstrate her position as head of the whole Canadian nation, and her role as conciliator, by privately expressing to journalists her regret that Quebec was not part of the settlement.
29
In 1995, during a separatist referendum campaign, the Queen was tricked into speaking, in both French and English, for fourteen minutes with 29-year-old
Pierre Brassard, a DJ for Radio CKOI-FM Montreal, pretending to be then Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien. When told that the separatists were showing a lead, the Queen did reveal that she felt the "referendum may go the wrong way," adding, "if I can help in any way, I will be very happy to do so". However, she pointedly refused to accept "Chrétien"s advice that she intervene on the issue without first seeing a draft speech sent by him. (Her tactful handling of the call won plaudits from the DJ who made it.)
[31]
Rhodesia
On
18 November 1965, the Governor of
Rhodesia,
Sir Humphrey Vicary Gibbs, was made a
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, an honour in the personal gift of the Queen, a week after
Ian Smith had made his
Unilateral Declaration of Independence. Gibbs was intensely loyal to Rhodesia, and, although he had refused to accept the UDI, the award was criticised by some as badly timed. Others praised it as indicating support for her Rhodesian representative in the face of an illegal action by her Rhodesian prime minister.
United Kingdom
During an event in
Westminster Hall marking her Silver Jubilee, in 1977, Elizabeth stated, "I cannot forget that I was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." This reference came at a time when the Labour government was attempting to introduce a controversial
devolution policy to
Scotland and
Wales, and was interpreted as opposition to devolution. She has spoken in favour of the continued union of
England and
Scotland, angering some
Scottish nationalists. Her statement of praise for the
Northern Ireland Belfast Agreement raised some complaints among some
Unionists (who were traditionally strong monarchists).
Ian Paisley, leader of the rightwing
Democratic Unionist Party and founder of the evangelical
Free Presbyterian church, famously broke with Unionism's traditional deference for the British Crown by calling the Queen "a parrot" of Tony Blair. He suggested that her support for the Belfast Agreement would weaken the monarchy's standing amongst Northern Irish Protestants, a substantial number of whom remained opposed to certain parts of the Agreement. However, Paisley's criticism of the Queen on this matter was rejected by more traditional and moderate unionists.
[32]
In the late 1990s, after referendums approved a devolution policy, Elizabeth sent her best wishes to the new Scottish Parliament and the
National Assembly of Wales, the first sessions of which she opened in person. Several
MSPs stayed away from the ceremony attending a
republican rally instead. A number of
AMs boycotted her opening of the first session of the National Assembly for Wales.
Plaid Cymru's
Leanne Wood AM also boycotted the opening of National Assembly's new building (the
Senedd) in 2006 and was thrown out of chamber for calling the Queen 'Mrs Windsor' during an Assembly debate.
[33] Her reference in the Silver Jubilee speech is also believed, by some, to refer to the disturbances in Northern Ireland at that time.
Religion
Elizabeth, as the Monarch of the United Kingdom, is the
Supreme Governor of the
Church of England and sworn protector of the
Church of Scotland. Elizabeth holds no religious role as Sovereign of the other Realms.
The Queen takes a keen personal interest in the Church of England, but, in practice, delegates authority in the Church of England to the
Archbishop of Canterbury. She regularly worships at
St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, or at St. Mary Magdalene Church when staying at Sandringham House, Norfolk.
The Royal Family also regularly attends services at
Crathie Kirk when holidaying at Balmoral Castle, and when in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the family attends services at the
Canongate Kirk. The Queen has attended the annual
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on several occasions, most recently in 1977 and 2002, although, in most years, she appoints a
Lord High Commissioner to represent her.
The Queen made particular reference to her
Christian convictions in her Christmas Day television broadcast in 2000, in which she spoke about the theological significance of the Millennium as marking the 2000 anniversary of the birth of
Jesus Christ:
[34]
Elizabeth often meets with leaders from other religions as well. She is Patron of
The Council of Christians and Jews in the UK.
[35]
Family relations
The Jubilee year coincided with the deaths, within a few months, of Elizabeth's mother and sister. Elizabeth's relations with her children have become much warmer since these deaths. She is particularly close to her daughter-in-law,
Sophie, The Countess of Wessex and is very close to her grandchildren, noticeably
Prince William,
Princess Beatrice and
Zara Phillips.
Health and longevity
In late February 2003, the Queen's reign, then just over 51 years, surpassed the reigns of all four of her immediate predecessors combined — (
Edward VII,
George V,
Edward VIII and
George VI). She is currently the
second-longest-serving head of state in the world, after King
Bhumibol of
Thailand (fourth if one includes the rulers of the subnational entity
Ras Al Khaimah and of the
Government of Tibet in Exile), and
the fourth-longest serving British or English monarch. Her reign of over half a century has seen eleven different
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and numerous Prime Ministers in the
Commonwealth Realms.
In June 2005, she was forced to cancel several engagements after contracting what the Palace described as a bad cold. Nonetheless, the Queen has been described as being in excellent health, and is seldom ill.
[36]
In October 2006, she suffered a burst blood vessel in her right eye, causing her entire eye to appear deep red in colour.
[37] While the palace would not comment on the Queen's condition, medical experts stated that the Queen would be in no pain and that her eye would heal within a week or two with no lasting damage. They also stated that blood vessel bursts are common amongst the elderly, but can also be a sign of high blood pressure. Later that month, on
26 October, she was due officially to open the new
Emirates Stadium, the home of
Arsenal F.C., but she was forced to cancel the engagement due to a strained
back muscle that had troubled her since the end of her Balmoral holiday.
[38] Her back troubles appear to be ongoing. There was serious concern in November, 2006 that she wouldn't be well enough to open Parliament, and plans were drawn up to cover her possible absence. However, she was able to attend. The following month, the Queen faced more rumours that she was in declining health when she was seen in public with a
plaster on her right hand. The positioning of the plaster seemed to suggest that the Queen may have been fitted with an
intravenous drip. Medical experts suggest that given her back troubles and age she may be suffering from
osteoporosis. Buckingham Palace refused comment.
[39] However, it was later revealed that the plaster was as a result of one of her
corgis biting her hand as she separated two fighting pets.
[40]
If she survives until 21 December 2007, attaining the age of 81 years and 244 days, she will become the
longest-lived monarch in British history.
Jubilees
Main articles: Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II,
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
In 1977, Elizabeth celebrated her
Silver Jubilee, marking the 25 anniversary of her accession to the Throne.
[41] The occasion was marked by a royal procession in the golden state coach and a service of thanksgiving at
St. Paul's Cathedral attended by dignitaries and heads of state. Millions watched events on television and numerous public street parties were held across the UK to mark the occasion, culminating in several "Jubilee Days" held in June. A special first day cover of stamps was also printed. This was also the occasion for the punk rock band the
Sex Pistols to release their second single "
God Save the Queen", which was considered by many to be highly offensive, and was banned from the
BBC.
In 1979 the
Jubilee Line of the
London Underground was also retrospectively renamed in honour of the anniversary, and several other locations and public spaces were named to commemorate the Jubilee, including the
Jubilee Gardens in London's
South Bank.
In 2002, Elizabeth celebrated her
Golden Jubilee, marking the 50 anniversary of her accession to the Throne.
[42] The year saw an extensive tour of the
Commonwealth Realms, including the first ever pop concert in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, and as had been held in 1977, a service of thanksgiving took place at St. Paul's Cathedral. Public celebrations in the UK were more muted than they had been 25 years previously, in part because earlier the same year both the Queen's mother and sister had died, and in part due to changing public attitudes towards the monarchy. However, street parties and commemorative events were still organised in many areas.
If both the Queen and the
Duke of Edinburgh are still alive on
20 November 2007, the Queen will become the first monarch to celebrate a
Diamond wedding anniversary.
Reduced duties
On Friday,
21 April 2006, the Queen turned 80, making her the
third-oldest reigning monarch (and fourth-oldest ruler) in British and Commonwealth history. She has begun to hand over some public duties to her children, as well as to other members of the Royal Family, and in early 2006, reports began to surface that the Queen planned to reduce her official duties significantly, though she has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating.
19 The 2007 State Visit to the United States tends to show this to be an unfounded rumour. It is believed by the press that Prince Charles will start to perform many of the day-to-day duties of the Monarch, while the Queen will effectively go into "retirement". It was later confirmed by the Palace that Prince Charles will begin to hold the regular audiences with the Prime Minister and other Commonwealth leaders, but also that, while the Queen would be increasing the length of her weekends by two days, she would continue with public duties well into the future. The Queen still meets with the Prime Minister. She has not handed over this duty to the Prince of Wales. Buckingham Palace already gives the Prince access to government papers. For a number of years he has been deputising when the Queen has been unavailable at investitures. The Princess Royal has also done so. He regularly meets more foreign dignitaries. He does not take the place of the Queen in welcoming ambassadors at the
Court of St. James's unless he is acting as a Counsellor of State with another senior member of the royal family in the same role.
Unproven media speculation rumoured that her recent trip to Canada and Australia will be amongst her last visits to her overseas realms. Both the Canadian and Australian governments and the Palace have denied it.
In May 2007, the Queen and Prince Philip made a state visit to the
United States, in honour of the 400 anniversary of the
Jamestown settlement.
Despite her good health and intention to stay on the throne, some saw the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla as a message from the Queen that, by allowing Charles to marry, she is attempting to ensure that Charles' succession to the throne will be smooth. In 2004, a copy of the Queen's newly-revised
funeral plans was stolen.
[43] And for the first time, in September, 2005, a mock version of the Queen's funeral march was held in the middle of the night (this was also done once a year after the late Queen Mother turned 80).
If the Queen lives until
21 December 2007, she will become the oldest reigning monarch in both British and the
Commonwealth Realms' history, surpassing King George III and Queen Victoria, both of whom died before the age of 82. Should she still be living on
29 January 2012, she would surpass
Richard Cromwell as the longest lived British ruler.
Should she still be reigning on
9 September 2015, at the age of 89, her reign will surpass that of Queen Victoria and she will become the
longest reigning monarch in British history. If she lives that long, and the Prince of Wales does also, he would be the oldest to succeed to the throne, surpassing
William IV, who was 64.
Shortly before her 80 birthday, polls were conducted that showed the majority of the British public wish for the Queen to remain on the throne until her death — many feel that the Queen has become an institution in herself.
[44]
Role in government
Constitutionally, the Queen is an essential part of the legislative process of her Realms. In practice, much of the Queen's role in the legislative process is ceremonial, as her reserve powers are rarely exercised.
She does decide the basis on which a person is asked to form a government; that is, whether a government should be formed capable of ''surviving'' in the
House of Commons — the standard requirement — or capable of commanding ''majority'' support in the House of Commons (i.e. forming a coalition if no one party has a majority). This requirement was last set in 1940, when King George VI asked Winston Churchill to form a government capable of commanding a majority in parliament, which necessitated the wartime coalition. The requirement is normally only made in emergencies or in wartime, and, to date, Elizabeth has never set it.
On three occasions during her reign, Elizabeth has had to deal with constitutional problems over the formation of UK governments. In 1957 and again in 1963, the absence of a formal open mechanism within the
Conservative Party for choosing a leader meant that following the sudden resignations of Sir
Anthony Eden and
Harold Macmillan it fell to the Queen to decide whom to commission to form a government. In 1957, Eden did not proffer advice, and so the Queen consulted Lords
Salisbury and
Kilmuir for the opinion of the Cabinet, and
Winston Churchill, as the only living former Conservative Prime Minister (following the precedent of
George V consulting
Salisbury's father and
Arthur Balfour upon
Andrew Bonar Law's resignation in 1923). In October, 1963, the outgoing Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, advised the Queen to appoint
Alec Douglas-Home, the
Earl of Home.
On the third occasion, in February, 1974, an inconclusive general election result meant that in theory the outgoing Prime Minister
Edward Heath, who had won the popular vote, could stay in power if he formed a coalition government with the
Liberals. Rather than immediately resign as prime minister he explored the option and only resigned when the discussions foundered. (Had he chosen to, he could have stayed on until defeated in the debate on the
Queen's Speech.) Only when he resigned was the Queen able to ask the
Leader of the Opposition, the
Labour Party's
Harold Wilson, to form a government. His
minority government lasted for eight months before a new general election was held.
In all three cases, she appears to have acted in accordance with constitutional tradition, following the advice of her senior ministers and Privy Councillors. Indeed, since constitutional practice in the UK is based on tradition and precedent rather than a written set of rules, it is generally accepted that the Sovereign cannot be acting unconstitutionally when acting on the advice of her or his ministers.
Relations with ministers
Since becoming Queen, Elizabeth spends an average of three hours every day "doing the boxes" — reading state papers sent to her from her various departments, embassies, and government offices.
[45] Having done so since 1952, she has seen more of public affairs from the inside than any other person, and is thus able to offer advice to her ministers based on her experiences with her multiple previous prime ministers in various countries. She takes her responsibilities in this regard seriously, once mentioning an "interesting telegram" from the
Foreign Office to then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only to find that her prime minister had not bothered to read it when it came in his box.
British Prime Ministers take their weekly meetings with the Queen very seriously. One Prime Minister said he took them more seriously than
Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, because she would be better briefed and more constructive than anything he would face at the dispatch box. Elizabeth also has regular meetings with her individual British ministers, and occasional meetings with ministers from her other Realms, either when she is in the particular country, or the minister is in London.
Elizabeth's relations with her
Canadian Prime Ministers have varied throughout the years. Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau seemed to have caused her some concern, perhaps due to his documented antics around the Monarch, such as his sliding down Buckingham Palace banisters, and his famous pirouette behind the Queen, captured on film in 1977, as well as the removal of various royal symbols from Canada during his premiership. Elizabeth was reported, by
Paul Martin, Sr., as worrying that the Crown "had little meaning for [Trudeau]". However, as part of the
patriation of
Canada's Constitution in 1982, orchestrated by Trudeau, the Monarchy was entrenched within Canada's governing system. Following this, Trudeau stated in his memoirs: "I always said it was thanks to three women that we were eventually able to reform our Constitution. The Queen, who was favourable,
Margaret Thatcher, who undertook to do everything that our Parliament asked of her, and
Jean Wadds, who represented the interests of Canada so well in London... The Queen favoured my attempt to reform the Constitution. I was always impressed not only by the grace she displayed in public at all times, but by the wisdom she showed in private conversation."
[46]
Paul Martin, Sr. as well as
John Roberts and
Mark MacGuigan, who were both sent to the UK in 1980 to discuss the patriation project, noted that during this time the Queen had taken a great and deep interest in the constitutional debate, especially following the failure of Bill C-60, which affected her role as Head of State. They found the Queen "better informed on both the substance and politics of Canada's constitutional case than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats."
[47]
The Queen also meets with the
First Minister of Scotland. The royal palace in
Edinburgh, the
Holyrood Palace, once home to Scottish kings and queens such as
Mary, Queen of Scots, is now regularly used again, with at least one member of the Royal Family (often the Prince of Wales or Princess Royal) in residence. She also receives reports from the new
National Assembly for Wales, and is continually kept abreast of goings on with her other governments. The
Government of Wales Act of 2006 means that from 2007 the Queen will have a role in relation to Wales separate to her role as Queen of the UK. She will appoint Welsh Ministers and enact Welsh Orders in Council.
Though bound by convention not to intervene directly in politics, her length of service, and the fact that she has seen a great many prime ministers come and go in all of her realms, combined with her knowledge of world leaders, means that when she does express an opinion, however cautiously, her words are taken seriously. In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher offered the following description of her weekly meetings with Elizabeth: "Anyone who imagines that they are a mere formality or confined to social niceties is quite wrong; they are quietly businesslike and Her Majesty brings to bear a formidable grasp of current issues and breadth of experience."
During an argument within the Commonwealth over sanctions on South Africa, Elizabeth made a pointed reference to her role as Head of the Commonwealth, which was interpreted at the time as a disagreement with Thatcher's policy of opposing sanctions. However, whatever the differences between them, Thatcher has clearly conveyed her personal admiration for the Queen and believes that the image of animosity between the two of them has been played up because they are both women. In the aforementioned BBC documentary ''Queen & Country'', Thatcher describes Elizabeth as "marvellous" and "a perfect lady" who "always knows just what to say," referring in particular to her final meeting with the sovereign as prime minister. Since leaving office, Thatcher has been awarded a
life peerage, the
Order of Merit, and the
Order of the Garter, which would seem to indicate a basic respect for Thatcher on the part of Elizabeth. (Membership of the two Orders are entirely the personal gift of the Sovereign.) In October, 2005, the Queen and Prince Philip attended Thatcher's 80 birthday party in London.
It was revealed in May of 2007 that the Queen was "exasperated and frustrated" by the actions of then Prime Minister
Tony Blair, especially by what she saw as detachment from rural issues, as well as a too casual approach (he requested that the Queen call him "Tony"), and a contempt for British heritage, on his part. She was also rumoured to have shown concern with the over-taxation of the
British Armed Forces through overseas engagements, particularly in
Iraq and
Afghanistan, as well as "surprise" over Blair's shifting of their weekly meeting from Tuesday to Wednesday afternoons – "surprise" being a genteel word to describe "seriously annoyed." She was supposed to have raised her concerns with Blair repeatedly at these meetings, though she has never revealed her opinions on the
Iraq War itself.
[48] The relationship between the Queen and her husband and Blair and his wife was also reported to be distant, as the two couples shared little common interests. The Queen did, however, apparently admire Blair's efforts to achieve peace in
Northern Ireland.
[49]
On a
BBC documentary broadcast in 1992, ''Elizabeth R.'', she was shown teasing former Prime Minister
Sir Edward Heath about how he could travel to world trouble spots like
Iraq because politicians saw him as "expendable". He laughed at the comment.
On occasion, her contacts have proved highly beneficial for her realms. For example,
John Major, as British Prime Minister, once had difficulty working with Australian Prime Minister
John Howard. The Queen suggested to Major that he and Howard shared a mutual sporting interest — that Howard was, like Major, a
cricket fan. Major then broke the ice to establish a personal relationship which ultimately benefited both countries.
It is believed that her favourite British Prime Ministers have been
Winston Churchill,
Harold Macmillan and
Harold Wilson. She was thought to have had very good relations with British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, during the first years of his term in office. However, there has been mounting evidence in recent years that her relationship with Blair had hardened towards the end of his term in office.
[50]
The Queen is also thought to have had strained relations with Margaret Thatcher during her eleven years as Prime Minister. Reports throughout the period varied over the extent of this difference and to what degree it was due to concerns over policies of the Thatcher government, or a personality clash between the two women themselves.
[51] During the 1980s, the Queen was even reported to "cordially dislike" Prime Minister Thatcher.
[52] Official Buckingham Palace sources, however, have always denied there were conflicts between the Queen and Thatcher.
Relations with foreign leaders
Elizabeth's personal relationships with world leaders are warm and informal, and she has developed friendships with many foreign leaders, including
Nelson Mandela,
Mary Robinson, and
George W. Bush, who was the first
American President in more than 80 years to stay at Buckingham Palace.
Mary McAleese, now
President of Ireland, recounted how, as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the
Queen's University of Belfast, she was, to her shock, invited to a lunch with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, on the basis that the Queen wished to talk to her, as a leading
Northern Ireland nationalist, and hear her views on
Anglo-Irish relations. The two women struck up an instant rapport, with McAleese, during the
1997 Irish presidential election, calling the Queen "a dote" (a
Hiberno-English term meaning a "really lovely person") in an ''
Irish Independent'' interview.
Nelson Mandela, in the BBC documentary, repeatedly referred to her as "my friend, Elizabeth". She has a very friendly relationship with
Jacques Chirac of
France, who was the only Head of State allowed to drink his favoured
Corona-brand beer at official dinners at Buckingham Palace instead of the fine French wines of the Palace's cellar.
Personality and image
Main articles: Personality and image of Queen Elizabeth II
Finances
The Queen's personal fortune has been the subject of speculation for many years. Sometimes estimated at US$10 billion, recently ''
Forbes'' magazine conservatively estimated her fortune at around US$500 million (£280 million).
[53] This figure seems to agree with official Palace statements that called reports of the Queen's supposed multibillion-dollar wealth "grossly over-exaggerated;" however, it conflicts with a total addition of the Queen's personal holdings. Her personal art collection is worth at least £10 billion, but is held in trust for the nation, and cannot be sold.
The Queen also owns large amounts of property privately that have never been valued, including
Sandringham House and
Balmoral Castle. Press reports, upon the death of the Queen Mother, speculated that by the Queen's inheritance, £28 million of death duties were avoided on an estate worth £70 million.
[54] Furthermore there is control and ownership of the
Duchy of Lancaster, which is valued at £310 million and transferred a private income to the Monarch of £9.811 million in 2006.
The Queen also technically owns the
Crown Estate with holdings of £6 billion; however, the income of this is transferred to the Treasury in return for the
civil list payments.
Titles, styles, honours and arms
Titles
★ '
21 April 1926 -
11 December 1936': ''Her Royal Highness'' Princess Elizabeth of York
★ '
11 December 1936 -
20 November 1947': ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess Elizabeth
★ '
20 November 1947 -
6 February 1952': ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
★ '
6 February 1952 - ': ''Her Majesty'' The Queen
Following Elizabeth's accession, a decision was reached by Commonwealth Prime Ministers at the
Commonwealth Conference of 1953, whereby the Queen would be accorded different styles and titles in each of her Realms, reflecting that in each state she acts as the Monarch of that state, regardless of her other roles. Traditionally, Elizabeth II's titles as Queen Regnant are listed by the order in which the remaining original Realms first became
Dominions of the Crown: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (original dominion), Canada (1867), Australia (1901), and New Zealand (1907); followed by the order in which the former Crown colony became an independent Realm: Jamaica (1962), Barbados (1966), the Bahamas (1973), Grenada (1974), Papua New Guinea (1975), the Solomon Islands (1978), Tuvalu (1978), Saint Lucia (1979), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1979), Antigua and Barbuda (1981), Belize (1981), and Saint Kitts and Nevis (1983).
Scottish controversy
However, in Scotland, the title ''Elizabeth II'' caused some controversy, as there has never been an ''Elizabeth I'' in Scotland. In a rare act of sabotage, new
Royal Mail post boxes in Scotland, bearing the initials "E II R", were vandalised. (Prior to Queen Elizabeth, Scottish boxes had borne the monarch's initials, but no crown.) To avoid further problems, post boxes and
Royal Mail vehicles in Scotland now bear only the
Crown of Scotland and no Royal cypher.
A legal case, ''
MacCormick v. Lord Advocate'' (1953 SC 396), was taken to contest the right of the Queen to style herself ''Elizabeth II'' within Scotland, arguing that to do so would be a breach of the
Act of Union. The case was lost on the grounds that the pursuers had no title to sue the Crown, and also that the numbering of monarchs was part of the
royal prerogative, and not governed by the Act of Union.
Less publicised controversies included the argument that the monarch was addressed as ''Your Grace'', rather than ''Majesty'', in pre-Union Scotland, and, second, that the preferred title had been ''King/Queen of Scots'' rather than ''of Scotland'' (although the latter was by no means unknown).
At the royal opening of the
Scottish Parliament in 1999, the
presiding officer David Steel referred to her as, "not only the Queen of the United Kingdom but seated as you are among us in the historic and constitutionally correct manner as Queen of Scots".
Future British monarchs will be numbered according to either English or Scottish predecessors, whichever number is higher. Applying this policy retroactively to monarchs since the Act of Union yields the same numbering. However, equivalent rules have not been established in the Commonwealth Realms.
Styles
The Queen has many titles within her various Realms and territories. In common practice, however, Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen" or "Her Majesty". When in conversation with The Queen, one initially uses "Your Majesty", and thereafter "Ma'am".
In common practice, styled as ''Her Majesty'' The Queen (and, when the distinction is necessary, ''Her Britannic Majesty'', ''Her Australian Majesty'', or ''Her Canadian Majesty'', etc.)
Honours and military positions
Main articles: List of titles and honours of Queen Elizabeth II
Arms
The Queen has coats of arms in each of her Realms; these arms are also sometimes used by government agencies or ministries to symbolise the Crown. In the UK, they are known as the
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom. Every British monarch has used these arms since the reign of Queen Victoria. A separate
Royal Arms exists, for use in
Scotland, which gives priority to Scottish elements and features the insignia of the
Order of the Thistle. The
Royal Coat of Arms of Canada has been used by each
monarch of Canada since
George V; it is based on the British Royal Arms but contains unique Canadian elements. The Queen also has Arms for use as sovereign of
Australia,
New Zealand,
Jamaica,
Barbados,
the Bahamas,
Grenada,
Papua New Guinea,
the Solomon Islands,
Tuvalu,
Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Antigua and Barbuda,
Belize, and
Saint Kitts and Nevis. Each of these is different from the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
The
Royal Standard is the Queen's flag, and is a banner of the Royal Arms. In some of the Commonwealth Realms, the Queen has an official standard for use when acting as Queen of that Realm.
Australia, Barbados,
Canada, Jamaica, and
New Zealand each have their own Royal Standard, each one a defaced banner of the relevant coat of arms, including the Queen's personal badge: a crowned letter E inside a circle of roses on a blue disc. This badge was also used in the Queen's personal flags in former realms, and also forms the flag used by the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth.
From 1936 until her succession, Princess Elizabeth's arms were the Royal Arms, differenced by a label of three points argent (white), the centre bearing a
Tudor Rose and the first and third points bearing a red cross.
Ancestry
Main articles: Patrilineal descent of Elizabeth II,
Descent of Elizabeth II,
Ancestry of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
See also
★
British Monarchy
★
Monarchy in Canada
★
Monarchy in Australia
★
Monarchy in New Zealand
★
Commonwealth Realm
★
Queen's Birthday
★
Trooping the Colour
★
Line of succession to the British Throne
★
List of state leaders
★
The Queen (film)
★
Descent of Elizabeth II
★
Michael Fagan incident
Footnotes
1. As a titled royal, HM holds no surname, but, when one ''is'' used, it is 'Windsor'
2. 80 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Queen Elizabeth
3. Queen 'Lilibet' letters unveiled Witchell, Nicholas
4. Excerpt from The Queen A Biography of Elizabeth II, Pimlott, Ben
5. Rose, Kenneth.; ''King George V''; Weidenfeld and Nicolson; London, Great Britain; 1983, p389. ISBN 0-297-78245-2
6. The Real Crawfie
7. 80 Facts About The Queen
8. Queen's decision no snub: royal aides
9. Queen Mary I
10. Biography of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother: Activities as Queen
11. Queen Elizabeth II
12. Historic speeches: 21st birthday speech Princess Elizabeth
13. Philip, the one constant through her life Davies, Caroline
14. Letters Patent, 22 October 1948
15. Suppliment to The London Gazette
16. Prince of Wales's press office.
17. Canada's New Queen
18. National Gallery of Australia: By Appointment: Norman Hartnell's sample for the Coronation dress of Queen Elizabeth II
19. 'The Queen will NEVER consider abdicating' English, Rebecca
20. Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 80th birthday Challands, Sarah
21.
22. France and UK considered 1950s 'merger'
23. "It's not like a normal job, it's a job for life. [The vows made on Coronation Day were] so deep and so special [to the Queen]... She wouldn't consider not continuing to fulfil those vows until she dies." The Hon Margaret Rhodes, Queen 'will do her job for life'
24. When asked by BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell if she was categorically saying the Queen would neither retire nor abdicate, but would remain in the role until her death she said: "Yes, I'm perfectly sure that's what will happen." The Hon Margaret Rhodes, Queen 'will do her job for life'
25. Courage of the Queen
26. John Campbell, ''Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady'' (Jonathan Cape, 2003)
27. A royal visit by Canada's head of state Struck, Doug
28. Queen says it's good to be back in Canada
29. Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
30. 1964 Quebec visit – speech
31. A Queen Canada Should be Proud Of Bousfield, Arthur
32. Paisley's stance is not as unusual as it might appear, since unlike the more conventionally conservative Ulster Unionists, his views are heavily influenced by the Scottish Covenanting tradition with its emphasis on conditional loyalty; for example, he marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 by preaching a sermon recalling and justifying the execution of Charles I and deposition of James II, implying that while the Queen was then worthy of celebration she would deserve the same fate as those two monarchs if she failed to live up to her office as defender of the Protestant Constitution. 'The Queen is a parrot' - Paisley
33. AM expelled for 'Mrs Windsor' jibe
34. Historic speeches: Christmas Broadcast 2000 Elizabeth II
35. Presidents, Vice Presidents and Board
36. Queen Catches A Cold
37. The Queen Proves She's A Real Trooper Leyland, Joanne
38. Queen cancels visit due to injury
39. Plaster on Queen's hand: minor cut or IV drip?
40. Corgi put the queen in plaster
41. Queen celebrates Silver Jubilee
42. In Depth: The Golden Jubilee
43. Queen's funeral plans 'stolen from car'
44. Poll: Queen Elizabeth "Most Popular Royal" Bansal, Shaveta
45. Information supplied by the Royal Household to a parliamentary inquiry into the workings of the monarchy in the early 1970s.
46. Trudeau, Pierre E.; ''Memoirs''; McClelland & Stewart/Tundra Books; Plattsburgh, NY; 1996. ISBN 0-7710858-8-5
47. Trudeau and the Monarchy Heinricks, Geoff
48. Revealed: Queen's dismay at Blair legacy Alderson, Andrew
49. Tony and Her Majesty: an uneasy relationship Alderson, Andrew
50. Queen Elizabeth feels snubbed by Blair
51. Newspaper Says Queen Is Upset by Thatcher
52. Atticus
53. A Birthday Fit for a Queen
54. Queen to escape £28m inheritance tax Chamberlain, Gethin
Further reading
★ Bond, J. (2002). ''Elizabeth.'' Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 0-7621-0369-8
★ Erickson, C. (2003). ''Lilibet : An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II''. St. Martins Press. ISBN 0-312-28734-8
External links
{{External links|
★
Official website
★
Elizabeth II: Modern Monarch
★
The Queen's Television address for Diana, 1997
★
Elizabeth's Christmas speeches
★
A short video of Elizabeth's coronation from
Encarta encyclopedia.
★
BBC Coverage of The Queens Golden Jubilee (2002) including AUDIO/VIDEO coverage
★
The Royal Family Tree of Europe
★
CBC Digital Archives - Canada's New Queen
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