Elizabeth II, a life in images: great historical moments that marked her 70-year reign

Isabel II He passed away this Thursday, September 8 at the age of 96. The United Kingdom and the world mourn the loss of the longest-serving sovereign with seven decades of reign, completed on February 6. Next, a review of the life of the monarch with some of the most outstanding moments of her family life.

The wedding of Elizabeth II and Philip of Edinburgh in 1947

Elizabeth and Philip of Edinburgh were very much in love when they married. It was on November 20, 1947, in Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony broadcast on television for the first time in history. The bride smiles happily and radiantly in a Norman Hartnell silk bridal gown, encrusted with crystals and adorned with ten thousand pearls.

The coronation of the young Elizabeth, aged 25

His reign is the longest in the history of the United Kingdom and the second in the world, behind the French Louis XIV. February 6, 2022 marked the 70th anniversary of his accession to the throne. At just 25 years old, the queen inherited the crown. She did so after the short reign of her father, King George VI, who died at the age of 56. It must be remembered that the monarch was not born to reign and as a child she was not prepared for it, since her direct path to her throne was opened when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in hers her brother, Elizabeth’s father.

the birth of their children

The couple had four children: Ana, Carlos, Andrés and Eduardo. During the children’s childhood, Felipe poured himself into them, in their games and in their tasks. According to the media, Ana was very close to her father. The Duke had a difficult father-son relationship with Carlos: Felipe’s pragmatic and stoic character collided with the sensitivity of the young heir. By decree, the Queen established that her children adopt her mother’s surname, Windsor, instead of Mountbatten. A decision that plunged Felipe into deep frustration.

The weddings of Carlos, Ana, Eduardo and Andrés

The Prince of Wales married Diana Spencer on July 21, 1989. The birth of William, Harry and everything that came after we already know. In 2005, Carlos married his eternal love, Camila Parker-Bowles. Princess Anne married on November 14, 1973, her first husband Mark Phillips, the father of her children Zara and Tindell. Since 1992 she has been married to Timothy Laurence. Edward of Wessex, for his part, has been happily married to Sofia of Wessex since June 1999. Prince Andrew, marred by scandals in recent years, divorced Sarah Ferguson in 1996 after ten years of marriage.

His 40th anniversary on the throne, a a terrible year

In his career on the Throne there is a year that made the front pages of the world’s newspapers and that, to make matters worse, coincided with his 40th anniversary in Buckingham: 1992, “the annus horribilis” of the British monarchy. They were the words that Elizabeth II used in her speech to summarize those months.

“1992 is not a year that I will look back on fondly. It has turned out to be an ‘Annus Horribilis’. I think I’m not the only one who thinks so.” The Monarch pronounced this historical phrase in allusion to a few months of family crisis, with the divorces of her children, Ana, from Captain Mark Phillips; and Andrew, by Sarah Ferguson. In addition, the marriage of Carlos and Diana of Wales was on the limit. And to top it off, a fire breaks out in Windsor.

The death of Diana of Wales, the greatest scourge of the British crown

This year marks the 25th anniversary of his death. Diana of Wales died on August 31, 1997 on the Alma Bridge in Paris, due to a tragic traffic accident. With her, her then boyfriend Dodi Fayed and the driver of the vehicle, Henri Paul. The mother of Princes William and Harry and her fiancé had planned to announce her wedding just two days after her unexpected death.

The queen, after his death, gave a historic speech, describing William and Harry’s grandmother as “an exceptional being”. She did so after several days of silence at Balmoral Castle, where she died this Thursday, and after pressure from Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair, who convinced her to make a public gesture due to the shock of the British people and the theories that were fired after Diane’s death. It was the first historical speech in her history.

The birth of his great-grandchildren

All of Elizabeth II’s grandchildren have held a special place in her heart, as have her great-grandchildren. The most mediatic, the children of William and Kate (George, Louis and Charlotte) and those of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. She met Archie on May 8, 2019, days after his birth. Lilibet Diana was held in her arms a year after her birth, in June of this year, since the creature was born in the United States, where her parents live after the controversial Megxit. There is no photo of the meeting due to the new role of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their children.

The death of Philip of Edinburgh

The prince consort passed away in April last year at the age of 99 due to his advanced age. The queen was completely devastated. The last months of her life were spent together at Windsor Castle, but they were marked by confinement by Covid-19 and the meticulous measures established in the castle to protect the health of both, then people at risk from the disease. The queen, a year later, attended her funeral and there she starred in a historic moment with her young son, Prince Andrew, leaving Westminster Abbey holding her arm. It was a way of showing public support for her after her scandalous link to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

His last historical image

The last public appearance of the queen took place this Tuesday, September 6, at Balmoral. She there she received the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Conservative Liz Truss. That image of the sovereign, stoic with her cane, is already part of the history of the United Kingdom and the world. Two days later, Prince Charles has announced his death at the age of 96 and a new era begins. Not just for the UK, but for the world. D.E.P.