British King and Queens "Bullet Book," Elizabeth II, 1952 - Present

BillJones

Some of you may have wondered why it has taken me so long to post this chapter in the "bullet book." The trouble was I've had trouble writing it. Polititics and economics come easily to me; the stuff that appears in the super market tabloids does not. For that reason I found the Elizabeth II chapter challenging. So, for what it's worth, here it is.

1967 Canadian commemorative $20 gold

1986 Gold Sovereign

• The current queen, Elizabeth II, is the longest reigning British monarch. She has lived longer than any other British monarch, and has served longer than any other female head of state.
  • At first it seemed that Elizabeth would have very little chance of becoming queen. Her father, George VI, was second in-line behind his older brother, Edward, VIII. Elizabeth was third in-line, but if Edward VIII had a child, or if George VI had fathered a male child, she would have been pushed further down the line of succession. The abdication of Edward and the fact that George and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, would have only two children, made Elizabeth he heir apparent when she was ten years old.
  • At first Elizabeth was not educationally prepared to be queen, but when Edward VIII abdicated, her training become much more rigorous. Still, she had lost a lot of time, and it took a special effort to bring her education up to par on the workings of government.
  • Since her youth, Elizabeth has had a special fondness for horses and dogs. Her corgis dogs are quite famous.
  • During the Second World War, there were suggestions that Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret should flee to the safety of Canada to avoid the German bombing of the British Isles. The royal family, which George VI called, “us four,” was tightly knit, however, and they all agreed to stay together in England.
  • Elizabeth spent much of her time in the comparative safety of Windsor Castle during the war. She served as a cadet in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service where she learned to drive and repair automobiles.
  • Elizabeth married Phillip Mountbatten in November 1947. Phillip was an exiled prince of Greece, and he had little money to his name. He also had German relatives who had ties to the Nazis. For these reasons there were murmurs of disapproval when the wedding plans were announced. In his favor, however, was his distinguished military service record in both the European and Pacific theaters. Gorge VI approved the marriage.
  • Phillip renounced his continental royal titles, became a British citizen and was made the Duke of Edinburgh.
  • There was stress during early years of their marriage. Phillip had a hard time accepting the fact that he was only the queen’s consort, and that he could not pass his family name on to his children. Ultimately the queen and the duke were able to settle their differences.
  • Elizabeth II became queen in 1952 upon the death of her father. Her coronation in June 1953 was the first such event ever to be televised.

1965 Churchhill Crown

Elizabeth has been noted as a reserved, serious monarch, who has tried to maintain the image of royal decorum. A changing world, the influence of televised royal events and family crises have made that goal difficult. Through it all, her steadiness has perhaps been her strongest asset although it has worked against her. At times she has seemed aloof, old fashioned and overly steeped in royal protocol and decorum.
• In 1956 the Suez Canal Crisis where England and France attempted to take control of the waterway from Egyptian ruler, Gamal Abdel Nasser, resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Anthony Eden. The Conservative Party had no means of replacing him. After consulting with Eden, Winston Churchill and other Tory politicians, Elizabeth selected Harold Macmillan as his replacement. Elizabeth faced heavy criticism for getting involved in politics, but ultimately the blow-back on her harshest critics for that move was more savage than the criticism of the queen.

Royal Scandals and Controversies

• Princess Margaret, Elizabeth’s younger sister, first announced that she wanted to marry Peter Townsend who was an officer in the Royal Air Force. Townsend was 16 years older than Margaret, was divorced with two sons and had an ex-spouse who was still living. The fact that Townsend’s divorced spouse was still living was unacceptable to the officials of the Church of England. Ultimately she did not marry Townsend, but she did later marry and divorce another man. This would be a minor scandal compared to what was in the wings.
• Prince Charles, the heir apparent married Diana Spencer in 1981. Although it appeared to a fairy tale wedding and union, but Diana could not take the pressure of the royal fishbowl. In addition Charles loved another woman, Camilla Parker-Bowles. Their marriage broke down and both of them started cheating on each other, Charles with Parker-Bowles and Diana with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. In a sensational publication, Diana, Her True Story, Diana indicated that she was suicidal in her unhappy marriage and laid bare the facts about her affair with Hewitt. Ultimately Charles and Diana divorced, which did great damage to the image of the monarchy. When Diana died in an automobile accident, public opinion turned against the royals for a time, including the queen.
• Elizabeth’s younger son, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson, a vibrations red head. At first it seemed that “Fergie” would be a breath of fresh air to the stogy royals, but then she began to appear on game shows, and ultimately cheated on Andrew while he was serving in the military. They separated and divorced. The scandal hit its low point when Fergie was photographed topless with an American financer.
• The image of the royals has since been greatly enhanced with the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Their marriage and growth of their wholesome looking family has greatly enhanced the image of the royal family.
• In 2018 the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle once again enhanced interest and support for the royal family.

asheland

This has been an interesting series. I appreciate your effort writing these!

Timbuk3

Interesting historical information, thank you for sharing !!!

SaorAlba

Queen Elizabeth undeniably has and will keep the record for the greatest number of coins from the greatest number of countries bearing her portrait - no other monarch will ever surpass that record. In fact, it is likely that Abraham Lincoln holds the record for a persons portrait on the greatest number of coins.

CaptMorgans

Long Live The Queen!

Namvet69

Nice sovereign, that Dragon is dead meat!