Now 85 years of age, and in her 59th year on the British throne,
Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II remains one of the world's
longest-serving heads of state.
Among her other official duties, Elizabeth also currently
serves as Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the
Church of England.
This
was followed shortly thereafter by another royal milestone
when Buckingham Palace announced the launch of The
Royal Channel the first YouTube channel devoted solely to
the British monarchy.
Happy Anniversary, Your Majesty
Coming up in 2012, watch for the entire Commonwealth to explode in celebrations marking the Queen's Diamond Jubilee - the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - where the occasion will be marked by street parties, fireworks and other special public events.
This summer, also watch for a maritime parade taking place along the River Thames in London on June 3, 2012, with 1,000 boats taking part in the largest flotilla parade on the Thames in over 350 years. The historic extravaganza takes place just weeks before the London Summer Olympics in which the Queen is expected to attend the glittering opening ceremonies.
The
oldest daughter of King
George VI (then Duke of York) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later
the beloved Queen
Mother) she was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on April
21, 1926. Already on the cover of Time magazine by age three,
Elizabeth was the subject of gentle press attention that lasted
well into her teens.
News
coverage soon turned to tabloid frenzy, however, when Elizabeth
ascended to the throne following the death of her father on February
6, 1952. Months later, she was offically crowned queen in a much-watched
coronation
at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
She married
Prince
Philip of Greece and Denmark in November 1947. Son and royal
heir apparent Prince
Charles was the first child born to the young royal couple
on November 14, 1948 with three more children following: Princess
Anne, Prince
Andrew, and Prince
Edward.
A
Traditional Queen in the Modern World
The
lighter side of .... Queen Elizabeth II
Although controversies
continue to surround the rest of the royal family, (including
the personal difficulties of her children, and scandals involving
her grandchildren - see Prince
Harry) the Queen herself remains widely respected.
She has rarely
made her political views public, and is believed to be moderately
liberal in her outlook.
She is known
to have had little affection for the arch conservative Margaret
Thatcher, for example, regarding that prime minister's treatment
of the poor during the 1980's.
While various
royal
family squabbles made headlines around the world, the next
decade also witnessed Elizabeth's "Annus
Horribilis" a horrible year in 1992 when a
raging fire destroyed a large swath of Windsor Castle. Still
in the tradition of maintaining the British stiff upper lip, Elizabeth
lived to see a code of loyalty and royal duty fast slipping away
in the modern world.
This was never
more evident than upon the death of Princess Diana in 1997, when
Elizabeth was said to have become completely baffled by Diana's
status as a media star, along with the tremendous outpouring
of emotion at Diana's state funeral.
Portrait
by photographer
Annie Leibovitz, 2007.
In 2006, actress
Helen
Mirren played the monarch during the period following Diana's
death in the film The
Queen, suggesting that Elizabeth seriously considered
abdicating as she struggled to cope with the public's grief over
Diana.
However, in
more recent years, the queen has steadily grown more mellow, and
even in public may be seen laughing heartily at a funny story,
or moved to tears at emotional civic ceremonies.
Today, she
is one of the world's most photographed women in the world often
seen at home with her prized pet
Corgis. However, to date she has never granted any reporter,
in any capacity, a personal interview and remains one of the planet's
most wanted "celebrity scoops."
Elizabeth
still travels extensively on official state visits, but in the
recent past has increasingly given over responsiblities for official
ceremonies to Prince
Charles who will one day ascend to the throne.
Queen Elizabeth
II, at age 85, has no intention of abdicating. However she was
reportedly aware of a mock state funeral ceremony recently perfomed
by the palace in preparation for her death. By 2008, she became the oldest reigning monarch in British history, surpassing
King George III and Queen Victoria, both of whom died before reaching
the age of 82.
In 2011, plans were already underway to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, celebrating Elizabeth's 60th year on the British throne, with the largest flotilla of boats ever to parade on London's Thames River in celebration.
I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long
or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service
of our great Imperial Family to which we all belong."
~ As Princess Elizabeth, in her 21st birthday speech.
Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities,
of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.
1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.
In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it
has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'."
We have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms
with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.
~
On the death of Princess Diana.
They have overcome Beecher's Brook and The Chair and all kinds
of other obstacles. They have come through and I'm very proud
and wish them well. ~ On the engagement of Prince Charles
and Camilla Parker Bowles.