Child of "Old England"
Amateur film footage published in July 2020, in which the future Queen Elizabeth, at a very young age, throwing out her hand in a Nazi salute, caused a lot of negative responses in British society.
However, if this act of Elizabeth can be attributed to childish ignorance, then similar actions of adults caught in the frame are not the most beautiful moment in the history of the English monarchy.
The mother of the current queen, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon , known in English history of the 20th century as the “Queen Mother,” also gave the Nazi salute with a smile on her lips.
She succeeded in something that very few succeed, not only in royal families, but also in ordinary families - the life of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon spanned three whole centuries.
Glamis Castle, where Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
She was born in London on 4 August 1900, the daughter of Scottish nobleman Claude George Bowes-Lyon . Elizabeth was the youngest daughter and the ninth of ten children in the family.
From birth, Elizabeth bore the title "Honourable", and after her father inherited the titles of Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne in 1904, her official title was "Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon".
Children of Peter the Great
This king had a dozen children from two wives (most of them died in infancy). His eldest son Alexei never ascended the Russian throne, since during his father’s lifetime he was accused of high treason and sentenced to death, but did not live to see the sentence executed. But Peter’s youngest and beloved daughter, Elizaveta Petrovna Romanova, who, although she did not immediately inherit the throne of her father, losing it first to her nephew Peter the Second (the son of Tsarevich Alexei), and then to her cousin Anna Ioannovna and her great-nephew Ivan the Sixth (great-grandson John the Fifth), as a result of a palace coup, was finally able to take the throne and proclaimed herself Empress of Russia. According to official sources, she was childless, although many legends have developed among the people about her descendants. Before we tell you who ruled after Elizabeth Petrovna, we will introduce you to the biography of the empress, as well as the era of her reign. We can say that this was a rather curious, but at the same time important period in the history of the Russian state. This indicates that she inherited from her great father some traits of nature, including a love of reform.
Prince Enchanted
The girl’s childhood was spent in the traditions of “old England”. She lived in a castle in Scotland and was under the care of governesses until she was eight years old. The girl loved dogs and ponies.
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. 1909 Photo: www.globallookpress.com
New trends, however, entered the lives of young nobles as well—Elizabeth became interested in sports. She studied well at school, passing all subjects with excellent marks in her final exams.
Elizabeth's idea of life as an eternal holiday was dispelled with the outbreak of the First World War. A hospital was equipped in the family castle, where a teenage girl worked to help the wounded. Four of her brothers went to the front. The eldest, Fergus , died, and Michael spent a year and a half in German captivity.
After the war, life began to return to normal. The beautiful Elizabeth gained admirers, one of whom was a real prince. Albert was the second son of King George V. In 1921, timid and embarrassed, he proposed to the girl, and... was refused.
Marriage of Elizabeth and Prince Albert on April 26, 1923. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Elizabeth did not want to become a member of the royal family - she believed that this would deprive her of the right to think and act as she wanted, driving her into the framework of court ceremonies and etiquette.
Albert lost sleep and appetite and began to lose weight. What was happening alarmed Queen Mary , the prince’s mother, and she went to look at her, because of whose refusal her son was ready to remain a bachelor forever.
The queen liked the girl, but she did not interfere in the affairs of the young people, inviting them to sort out their relationship themselves.
Albert made another offer in February 1922 and was again rejected. But at the beginning of 1923, Elizabeth took pity on the prince and said “yes.” The wedding took place on April 26, 1923.
Family secrets
Albert was not supposed to become king - his brother Edward . In addition, Albert stuttered and was very embarrassed about his disability. It seemed that the royal duties and ceremonies that Elizabeth hated did not threaten their family.
However, they had to participate in official events around the world, in various countries of the British Commonwealth.
In 1926, Elizabeth and Albert had a daughter, who was named, like her mother, Elizabeth , although at home they called her “Lilibet.” In 1930, the couple had a second daughter, named Margaret .
Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Albert persistently received treatment for his stuttering and ultimately overcame the disease.
The footage that has surfaced of Elizabeth raising her hand in a Nazi salute is not at all an accident or a misunderstanding. Until the start of World War II, the English royal family had a fairly calm attitude towards Hitler and the Nazis. Moreover, the heir to the throne, Prince Edward, did not hide his open sympathy for the leader of the National Socialists.
Elizabeth's views at that time were not very different from those of her relative. Some also note her peculiar attitude towards blacks, which had openly racist overtones. However, Britain in the 1930s was very far from modern Britain in terms of tolerance.
The Queen stays with the people
Elizabeth's life changed dramatically in 1936, after the death King George V. Edward, who was supposed to ascend the throne, abdicated it without obtaining the consent of Parliament and the Church of England to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson .
On December 11, 1936, Albert became King George VI of England. Elizabeth, who had feared a similar fate all her life, became the Queen of England.
Queen Elizabeth and King George VI immediately after the Queen's coronation. 1937 Photo: www.globallookpress.com
She carried this weight that fell on her shoulders with dignity. Almost from her first trips abroad in her new capacity, Elizabeth demonstrated her ability to win people over and establish contacts.
The fire of World War II, which began in 1939, reached England. German bombs fell on the houses of ordinary citizens and on Buckingham Palace.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on Coronation Day with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. 1937. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Elizabeth was advised to go overseas or at least take her daughters out. The Queen said: “The children will not go without me. I will not leave the king. And the king will never leave the country.”
Her visits to areas affected by bombing were initially met with hostility - her luxurious outfits looked too unnatural in the midst of destruction and human grief. Someone more daring asked Elizabeth a question about this, and the queen objected: “But if you come to a reception in the royal palace, you wear your best, so how can I come to visit you in something unworthy?”
Hospitals, factories, schools, factories - Elizabeth traveled around the country, giving people hope and confidence.
The royal family lived in a half-empty palace, where the glass in half the rooms was broken. Elizabeth, together with her loved ones, shared the hardships and deprivations of wartime with the people, and this raised her personal authority and the authority of the British monarchy to unprecedented heights.
In 1942, Elizabeth organized a fundraiser to help Stalingrad. More than half a century later, in 2000, she was awarded the title “Honorary Citizen of Volgograd” “for special services in organizing assistance to Stalingrad during the Second World War and the development of friendly ties with Russia.”
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Toronto. 1939 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Children of Elizabeth Petrovna at the center of palace rumors
Probably, those who are not familiar with the atmosphere prevailing at the Russian court in the mid-18th century will be surprised: what kind of offspring are we talking about when the empress was childless and unmarried. However, everything is not so simple. Most of the courtiers believed that the empress, long before she ascended the throne, was in a church marriage with the Ukrainian shepherd Alexei Rozum, to whom she later presented the title of Prince Razumovsky. And the continuation of this story was the children of Elizaveta Petrovna. Although these were just guesses and no evidence existed. But after her death, impostors appeared in society every now and then, declaring themselves her heirs.
Her Majesty the Queen Mother
When the war ended, it seemed that the worst was over. But George VI began to get sick more and more often, and his duties had to be performed by his wife and daughters. In September 1951, the king was given a terrible diagnosis - lung cancer. On February 6, 1952, Elizabeth's husband died in his sleep.
She couldn't give in to grief. The eldest daughter, who ascended the throne, needed help and support. Elizabeth's full title was now "Her Majesty the Queen Mother Elizabeth", but people simply called her "The Queen Mother".
Elizabeth's sacred duty. The life of the British Queen in photographs
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was born on April 21, 1926 in London to the Duke and Duchess of York. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth. 1926
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, as the future queen was named at birth, is from the Windsor dynasty. She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, George VI (1895-1952), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002). www.globallookpress.com / Elizabeth in 1929.
Elizabeth received a good education at home; in addition to regular school subjects, she was taught the basics of economics, jurisprudence and constitutional law. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. 1933
The training program also included lessons in horse riding, dancing and music. Her mother introduced her to palace etiquette. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth. 1937
After the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, and her father's accession to the throne in December 1936, 10-year-old Elizabeth became heir to the British throne and moved with her parents from Kensington to Buckingham Palace. www.globallookpress.com / Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. 1927
In preparation for political life, the future queen began taking classes in constitutional history at Eton College. www.globallookpress.com / Elizabeth in 1955.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, they were evacuated to Windsor Palace. During World War II, Elizabeth insisted that her parents allow her to enlist in the military. She mastered the profession of a driver at a military transport training center, receiving the qualification of a truck driver, learned how to change tires on a truck, disassemble and reassemble the engine. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with her family. 1951
Elizabeth's close acquaintance with royal duties began in 1944, when she became a member of the Council of State and began to become involved in affairs, replacing George VI when he went on a tour of the fronts. www.globallookpress.com / The Queen in 1954.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died of lung disease; Elizabeth, who was on vacation in Kenya at the time with her husband, was declared Queen of Great Britain on the same day. However, the official coronation ceremony of Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London took place only a year later, on June 2, 1953. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Since that time, she has been Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is also the queen of 15 Commonwealth states (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. -Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica), Head of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Lord of the Isle of Man. www.globallookpress.com
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her distant relative, who, like her, is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria - Prince Philip Mountbatten, the son of the Greek Prince Andrew, who was then an officer in the British Navy. She met him at the age of 13, when Philip was still a cadet at the Dortmouth Naval Academy. Having become her husband, Philip received the title Duke of Edinburgh. www.globallookpress.com
Four children were born into their family: the heir to the throne is the eldest son, Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales (born 1948); Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 1950); Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York (born 1960), Edward Anthony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex (born 1964). flickr.com/Lee Haywood
During the reign of Elizabeth, a very large and significant period of British history occurred - the country lost all its colonies, got bogged down in the conflict in Northern Ireland, won the Falklands War, and also took part in two military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
The Queen's special passion is horses and racing. She herself is a good rider and watches the main competitions with interest every year, and also breeds horses in her stables. flickr.com / June 13, 1970.
Despite the fact that during her long reign the queen was repeatedly criticized not only by ordinary Britons, but also by her closest associates, Elizabeth II remains one of the most popular monarchs in the world. Indeed, thanks to her personal qualities, in particular, her persistent and courageous character, the queen was able to maintain the prestige of the British monarchy at its height. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Elizabeth is the oldest monarch in British history by age, but she has yet to break the record for the longest reign set by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months. To do this, she needs to remain on the throne at least until September 9, 2020. www.globallookpress.com
In 2012, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the famous Big Ben clock tower at the British Parliament in London was officially renamed “Elizabeth Tower”. www.globallookpress.com
The Queen speaks French fluently and during visits and audiences with representatives of Francophone countries she does not need an interpreter. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Since her youth, Elizabeth II has been a fan of the noble hunting breed of corgi, several of which constantly accompany her on vacation. The Queen also developed a new breed of dog, the Dorgi. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
In 2006, Buckingham Palace published 80 interesting facts from the life of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, thanks to which it became known that the Queen is interested in photography and loves taking pictures of her family members. In 1997, the Queen launched the first ever website for the British monarchy. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
On December 29, 2010, Elizabeth II became a great-grandmother for the first time. On this day, her eldest grandson - Princess Anne's eldest son Peter Phillips - and his Canadian wife Autumn Kelly had a daughter. The girl became 12th in the British line of succession to the throne. www.globallookpress.com / Queen in 2002.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding - sixty years of marriage. For the sake of this occasion, the queen allowed herself a little liberty - for one day she and her husband retired for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young Princess Elizabeth visited him. flickr.com/Michael Garnett
Elizabeth's son
By the way, rumors also revolved around the name of Tsarevich Paul the First. There was gossip spread in the courtyard that he was the son of Elizaveta Petrovna. This rumor was facilitated by conversations that there had never been a marital relationship between Peter the Third and his wife Catherine. Of course, the child could have been conceived by one of the lovers of the future empress, but the special attitude of the reigning empress towards her “great-nephew” fueled such speculation. Unfortunately, in the time of Elizabeth Petrovna it was not possible to conduct a genetic test, so this remained a mystery to everyone.
Elizabeth's sacred duty. The life of the British Queen in photographs
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was born on April 21, 1926 in London to the Duke and Duchess of York. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth. 1926
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, as the future queen was named at birth, is from the Windsor dynasty. She is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, George VI (1895-1952), and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002). www.globallookpress.com / Elizabeth in 1929.
Elizabeth received a good education at home; in addition to regular school subjects, she was taught the basics of economics, jurisprudence and constitutional law. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. 1933
The training program also included lessons in horse riding, dancing and music. Her mother introduced her to palace etiquette. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth. 1937
After the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII, and her father's accession to the throne in December 1936, 10-year-old Elizabeth became heir to the British throne and moved with her parents from Kensington to Buckingham Palace. www.globallookpress.com / Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. 1927
In preparation for political life, the future queen began taking classes in constitutional history at Eton College. www.globallookpress.com / Elizabeth in 1955.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, they were evacuated to Windsor Palace. During World War II, Elizabeth insisted that her parents allow her to enlist in the military. She mastered the profession of a driver at a military transport training center, receiving the qualification of a truck driver, learned how to change tires on a truck, disassemble and reassemble the engine. www.globallookpress.com / Queen Elizabeth with her family. 1951
Elizabeth's close acquaintance with royal duties began in 1944, when she became a member of the Council of State and began to become involved in affairs, replacing George VI when he went on a tour of the fronts. www.globallookpress.com / The Queen in 1954.
On February 6, 1952, King George VI died of lung disease; Elizabeth, who was on vacation in Kenya at the time with her husband, was declared Queen of Great Britain on the same day. However, the official coronation ceremony of Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London took place only a year later, on June 2, 1953. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Since that time, she has been Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and is also the queen of 15 Commonwealth states (Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Canada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. -Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Jamaica), Head of the Church of England, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Lord of the Isle of Man. www.globallookpress.com
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married her distant relative, who, like her, is the great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria - Prince Philip Mountbatten, the son of the Greek Prince Andrew, who was then an officer in the British Navy. She met him at the age of 13, when Philip was still a cadet at the Dortmouth Naval Academy. Having become her husband, Philip received the title Duke of Edinburgh. www.globallookpress.com
Four children were born into their family: the heir to the throne is the eldest son, Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales (born 1948); Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise (born 1950); Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward, Duke of York (born 1960), Edward Anthony Richard Louis, Earl of Wessex (born 1964). flickr.com/Lee Haywood
During the reign of Elizabeth, a very large and significant period of British history occurred - the country lost all its colonies, got bogged down in the conflict in Northern Ireland, won the Falklands War, and also took part in two military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
The Queen's special passion is horses and racing. She herself is a good rider and watches the main competitions with interest every year, and also breeds horses in her stables. flickr.com / June 13, 1970.
Despite the fact that during her long reign the queen was repeatedly criticized not only by ordinary Britons, but also by her closest associates, Elizabeth II remains one of the most popular monarchs in the world. Indeed, thanks to her personal qualities, in particular, her persistent and courageous character, the queen was able to maintain the prestige of the British monarchy at its height. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Elizabeth is the oldest monarch in British history by age, but she has yet to break the record for the longest reign set by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months. To do this, she needs to remain on the throne at least until September 9, 2020. www.globallookpress.com
In 2012, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the famous Big Ben clock tower at the British Parliament in London was officially renamed “Elizabeth Tower”. www.globallookpress.com
The Queen speaks French fluently and during visits and audiences with representatives of Francophone countries she does not need an interpreter. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
Since her youth, Elizabeth II has been a fan of the noble hunting breed of corgi, several of which constantly accompany her on vacation. The Queen also developed a new breed of dog, the Dorgi. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
In 2006, Buckingham Palace published 80 interesting facts from the life of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, thanks to which it became known that the Queen is interested in photography and loves taking pictures of her family members. In 1997, the Queen launched the first ever website for the British monarchy. flickr.com/BiblioArchives/LibraryArchives
On December 29, 2010, Elizabeth II became a great-grandmother for the first time. On this day, her eldest grandson - Princess Anne's eldest son Peter Phillips - and his Canadian wife Autumn Kelly had a daughter. The girl became 12th in the British line of succession to the throne. www.globallookpress.com / Queen in 2002.
In November 2007, the Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their Diamond Wedding - sixty years of marriage. For the sake of this occasion, the queen allowed herself a little liberty - for one day she and her husband retired for romantic memories in Malta, where Prince Philip once served, and the young Princess Elizabeth visited him. flickr.com/Michael Garnett
This title was not a convention. Elizabeth truly was the true “mother of the nation.” Before Princess Diana, there was no more popular member of the royal family in England than Elizabeth.
She was also the main authority in the family, where for years she was forced to deal with the various antics of unlucky relatives. The fact that all sorts of divorces, scandals and other problems have not brought the rating of the British monarchy to zero is a huge merit of the Queen Mother.
Elizabeth was Chairman, President, Honorary Patron of 350 charities and committees, Commander-in-Chief of the Women's Services of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Honorary Colonel of many divisions, Commander-in-Chief of the Central Flying School of the Air Force and Chancellor of the University of London, made dozens of trips around the world, able to win over even the most hostile politicians towards Great Britain.
Elizabeth's childhood
The future empress was born in 1907 in Kolomenskoye. Her parents were not legally married, so Elizabeth is sometimes called Peter's illegitimate daughter. Nevertheless, a year after her birth, the Tsar married her mother and crowned her Catherine the First, and his two daughters were given the title of princesses. Elizabeth and her sister Anna spent their childhood in the Winter Palace. They grew up in luxury, surrounded by a whole staff of servants. The girls received excellent upbringing and education. They studied languages: French, German, Italian. They were taught etiquette - the ability to behave correctly in high society. This subject included dance and music lessons. The young princesses were very well-read, fortunately they had an extensive library at hand. All this knowledge was used during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. This period was distinguished by numerous grand celebrations and masquerade balls. In them, the young empress shone with her skills and seduced her fans.
All for the sake of racing
She had long since passed 80 years of age, and her collection of dresses, suits and hats continued to grow, punching a hole in the royal family’s budget. Elizabeth's weakness was horse racing, and she could spend huge sums of money on horses. At the same time, the Queen Mother remained the only member of the royal family who was never reproached for overspending.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the 1939 Peace Fair in New York. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
The Queen Mother's 90th birthday was celebrated with a large parade in London, which was attended by the hero of the occasion, infecting those around her with her optimism and love of life.
Approaching the milestone of 100 years, Elizabeth boldly made plans. Having taken part in developing the script for her own funeral (she treated this issue completely calmly), the Queen Mother outlined the schedule for racing and even the planned pregnancy of mares from her stable for many years to come.
At the age of 98, she had to undergo major surgery on her hip after she fell during a visit to the stables. Having celebrated her 100th birthday magnificently, in November 2000, Elizabeth broke her collarbone, and a year later, her pelvis. Despite all this, she continued to participate in various official events.
The Queen Mother at Dover Castle. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
