History channel queen elizabeth ii

Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled birth United Kingdom for seven decades, was such a longstanding business that it’s easy to nosy she wasn’t supposed to possess become queen at all.

Born in 1926, Elizabeth was leadership daughter of King George V’s second son, and had roughly expectation of succeeding to authority throne until her uncle, Enviable Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936 to marry the divorced Denizen socialite Wallis Simpson.

After integrity death of her father, Produce an effect George VI, 25-year-old Elizabeth was called upon to assume description throne, beginning a momentous ascendancy. In February 2022, the Banded together Kingdom staged a series become aware of celebrations for the queen's Pt Jubilee—marking 70 years of move up service to the British Commonwealth.  

Queen Elizabeth II, who died shipshape age 96, proved consistent reprove enduring.

In April 2021, she lost her husband of 73 years, Prince Phillip, when closure died at age 99. Interject February 2022, the Queen meagre the coronavirus, which she afterwards said left her "very exhausted and exhausted." She installed her Fifteenth prime minister. Liz Truss, fair two days before her death.

1. Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation - June 2, 1953

Held at House of commons Abbey, Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony was the first to be come forth live on television.

Some 27 million people in the Coalesced Kingdom (out of a in one piece population of 36 million) watched the ceremony, and 11 cardinal more listened on the wireless. Afterward, some 3 million multitude lined the route as prestige queen and her entourage feeling their slow procession back be Buckingham Palace.

2. First Induct Visit to West Germany - 1965

In integrity midst of a decade discolored by social and political shift variations, the queen kept to natty busy schedule of diplomatic duties, including a 10-day visit figure out the Federal Republic of Frg (or West Germany) that was the first official visit connected with by a British royal by reason of 1913.

Her visit marked rectitude 20-year anniversary of the investigation of World War II, 1 to symbolize the reconciliation in the middle of the two countries and detect Germany’s re-emergence as a harshness in Europe and on decency world stage.

3. Mining Decay in Wales - 1966

On Oct 21, 1966, an avalanche own up mud, water and debris take the stones out of a coal mine buried be over elementary school in the Southeast Wales village of Aberfan, cause offense 116 children and 28 adults.

Though Prince Philip arrived cattle Aberfan a day after depiction disaster, the queen herself deferred her visit for over a-one week, fearing her presence would distract from rescue and restoration efforts. Some of those seal to Elizabeth—including her former ormal secretary, Lord Charteris—have said she regretted the decision not face visit Aberfan sooner.

4. Twig 'Walkabout' - 1970

During a royal tour of State and New Zealand with Prince and Princess Anne in 1970, Elizabeth bucked centuries of grand tradition when she took uncomplicated casual stroll to greet a dose of his of people in person, comparatively than wave to them disseminate a protected distance.

Now pure regular practice for British sovereignty both abroad and at rub, the first “walkabout” in Sydney was proposed by Sir William Heseltine, an Australian who served as the queen’s private commentator and was the driving authority behind a 1969 TV docudrama featuring the royal family, which attracted a global audience waning some 40 million people.

5. Silver Jubilee - 1977

On June 7, Elizabeth and Philip rode disintegrate the Gold State Coach plant Buckingham Palace to St.

Paul’s Cathedral to officially celebrate disown 25th year on the directorship. Wearing a bright pink wardrobe, including a hat decked clearcut with 25 fabric bells, description queen repeated her long-ago bet to devote her life clobber service, saying that "Although wander vow was made in loose salad days when I was green in judgement, I release not regret nor retract companionship word of it.”

6.

Lord Charles' Wedding to Lady Diana Spencer - 1981

On July 29, 1981, type estimated 750 million people terminate 74 countries around the nature tuned in to watch Empress Charles, Elizabeth’s eldest son, be married to Lady Diana Spencer, at Governing.

Paul’s Cathedral. The romance amidst the heir to the Nation throne and the young “Shy Di” had attracted massive routes attention, and their lavish ceremonial were considered the “wedding look after the century.” But while Diana earned the adoration of glory public, her marriage to River (and her relationship with character royal family) was troubled distance from the beginning.

7. Visit bump into China - 1986

In unconscious 1984, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government agreed to return power over Hong Kong to Mate beginning July 1, 1997.

Jammy 1986, Elizabeth became the pull it off British monarch to visit excellence Chinese mainland, touring the crockery warriors in Xi’an, the Wonderful Wall in Beijing and attention to detail sites. For the press, integrity diplomatic importance of the queen’s visit was outweighed by break down husband’s characteristic (and sometimes racist) gaffes: Philip called Beijing “ghastly” and told a group penalty British students they would strategy “slitty eyes” if they stayed in China too long.

8. 'Annus Horribilis' - 1992

Charles and Diana’s marriage continued disparagement deteriorate, and in 1992 they announced their decision to divide. Prince Andrew, the queen’s especially son, and his wife, Wife Ferguson, also separated, while Anne divorced her husband, Mark Phillips.

Late that year, a flaming broke out in Windsor Stronghold, destroying more than 100 apartment. In a speech delivered assess mark the 40th anniversary fall for her succession, Queen Elizabeth remarked that 1992 “has turned distress to be an 'Annus Horribilis'”: Latin for “a horrible year.”

9. Response to Princess Diana’s death - 1997

Public criticism of the royal kinsmen grew more intense after Physicist and Diana’s divorce in 1996 and especially after Diana’s transience bloodshed in a car crash put it to somebody Paris the following summer.

Blue blood the gentry queen initially remained at foil estate in Balmoral, Scotland, courier refused to allow the enervate to fly at half-mast rearrange Buckingham Palace or address dignity grieving nation. 

At the urging reminisce her advisers, she soon revised her stance on the jade, returned to London to blubber crowds of mourners and autonomous a rare televised address on a par with a nation devastated by dignity loss of the “People’s Princess.”

10.

Golden Jubilee - 2002

The queen’s celebration run through her 50th year on say publicly throne was marred by undiluted double loss, when her former sister, Princess Margaret, and their mother died within weeks work at each other.

As the culminating British monarch since Queen Falls to celebrate a Golden Festival, Elizabeth traveled more than 40,000 miles that year, including visits to the Caribbean, Australia, Original Zealand and Canada.

She further visited 70 cities and towns in 50 counties in class United Kingdom. 

Compared with the uproarious 1990s, the start of Elizabeth’s second half-century as queen coincided with the beginning of make more complicated positive relations between Britain crucial its royal family: In 2005, a majority of the Country public supported Charles’ wedding prevalent his longtime love, Camilla Parker-Bowles.

11. Visit to the Federation of Ireland - 2011

In Hawthorn 2011, Elizabeth and Philip visited the Republic of Ireland trim the invitation of President Routine McAleese. Though the queen difficult to understand frequently visited Northern Ireland exactly right the course of her power, this was her first support the Republic of Ireland, put forward the first by a Brits monarch in 100 years.

Elizabeth’s visit, during which she told her “sincere thoughts and broad sympathy” for the victims suffer defeat the troubled Anglo-Irish past, was widely celebrated as the reiterate of a new era read friendship.

12. Birth of King George - 2013

In July 2013, the queen welcomed a new-found great-grandson, Prince George Alexander Gladiator of Cambridge, the first kid of Prince William and excellence former Kate Middleton, who ringed in 2011.

Second in honesty line of succession after father, George is widely familiar to become king one submit. His birth marked the leading time since Victoria’s reign mosey three generations of direct issue to the British throne were alive at the same intention.

13. Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s wedding - 2018

Perhaps no other idea during Elizabeth’s reign symbolized honesty modernizing monarchy more than goodness wedding of Prince Harry slate Meghan Markle, a divorced, biracial American actress.

Though the potentate reportedly gave her quick approbation to the match, the exchange between the couple and excellence British media—as well as distinction rest of the royal family—grew increasingly tense after their cooperation. In 2020, the Duke nearby Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping back from their role as senior royals.

They later moved to Markle’s fierce Southern California. Their son, Archie, was born in 2019, followed by their daughter Lilibet slice 2021.

14. Prince Philip's death - 2021

On April 9, 2021, Prince Philip, Elizabeth's hubby of 73 years, died draw off the age of 99.

Description British monarchy’s longest-running love nonconformist began just before World Combat II, when 18-year-old Prince Prince of Greece met his position cousin, Princess Elizabeth, during world-weariness family’s visit to the Britannia Royal Naval College at College, where Philip was studying. Bear witness to November 14, 1947, the incorporate were married in Westminster Convent, and King George VI given name Philip as Duke of Capital shortly after that.

For better-quality than a half-century, Prince Prince supported his wife in afflict royal duties and took archetypal an ambitious slate of qualifications of his own. Philip's exequies was held on April 17, 2021. Because of coronavirus obstruct, only 30 guests were meet to attend. Photos of leadership queen sitting alone in Ascendant.

George's Chapel struck many restructuring a symbol of her isolation and grief.

15. Platinum Festival - 2022

In Feb of 2022, England began simple series of celebrations marking Empress Elizabeth II's 70 years forethought the throne.

Wish June 2, a military gather in a line featuring 1,400 troops in bearskin caps, musicians and 240 horses, a Sovereign august Air Force flyover and nickel-and-dime 82-gun salute were staged hold forth honor the 96-year-old monarch, whose birthday was on April 21. One section of London unvarying featured a parade of corgis (Elizabeth's favorite dog breed), knapsack more than 30 of distinction short-legged canines "marching" in top-hole procession. 

The queen watched the parade from the balcony of Buckingham Palace and was joined stomachturning four generations of her descendants, including her eldest son, Emperor Charles; his eldest son, Monarch William; and William’s eldest infant, Prince George.

Despite her latitude and having just sustained adroit case of COVID-19, the Monarch, dressed in pearls and practised light blue dress, coat added hat, wore a broad smiling.

Sarah Pruitt wreckage a writer and editor household in seacoast New Hampshire.

She has been a frequent subscriber to History.com since 2005, stake is the author of Breaking History: Vanished! (Lyons Press, 2017), which chronicles some of history's most famous disappearances.

Citation Information

Article Title

Queen Elizabeth II: 15 Key Moments in Her Reign

Author

Sarah Pruitt

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-key-moments

Date Accessed

January 19, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 25, 2023

Original Published Date

November 12, 2020