Queen Elizabeth II Dies September 8, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. She reigned for 70 years, from 1952 to 2022, longer than any other UK monarch.
She was born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor on April 21, 1926. At the time, she was not immediately in line for the throne. However, her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry a divorced American, Wallis Simpson, and Elizabeth’s father became King George VI.
When she was 18, during World War II, Elizabeth served for five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She later said, “I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity.”
In November 1947, Elizabeth married her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, at Westminster Abbey. He died in 2021, at the age of 99. He was the longest-serving consort in UK history.
In 1952, while then-Princess Elizabeth was touring Kenya, her father died. At that moment she became Queen, and she was formally crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. The new Queen said, “I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.”
During her reign she worked with 15 prime ministers, beginning with Winston Churchill and concluding with Liz Truss, who the Queen appointed only two days before her death.
Health issues had slowed the Queen’s schedule recently, but she said, “My heart has been with you all.”
The Queen died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She is survived by her four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward, along with eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Charles becomes King Charles III at the age of 73, and his wife Camilla is now the Queen Consort.
Learn more about Queen Elizabeth II in her own words.
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SOURCES
BBC. “Queen Elizabeth II has died, Buckingham Palace announces.” BBC, September 8, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61585886.
Holden, Michael and Cheyne, Russell. “Queen Elizabeth dies at 96, ending an era for Britain.” Reuters, September 8, 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-queen-elizabeth-is-dead-buckingham-palace-2022-09-08/.
Kottasova, Ivana, et al. “Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96.” CNN, September 8, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/08/uk/queen-health-supervision-gbr-intl/index.html.
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