He assumed the throne in 1952, which is now inherited by his son Carlos
MADRID, Sep. 8 (.) –
Queen Elizabeth II has died this Thursday at the age of 96, after a historic reign of more than 70 years in which she has seen 15 prime ministers pass and in which she has enjoyed broad support from British citizens, despite the scandals that have periodically rocked the royal family.
Isabel, whose secular name is Isabel Alejandra María, was born on April 21, 1926 in London, the British capital. Daughter of King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she came into the world within the Royal House of the United Kingdom, Windsor, apparently without the possibility of reigning. Her father’s older brother, Edward VII, ascended the throne after the death of Elizabeth’s grandfather, King George V, in 1936.
Less than a year later, however, Edward announced his intentions to marry an American commoner, Wallis Simpson, who had been divorced twice. The British prime minister at the time, Stanley Baldwin, warned the monarch that he could not remain king if he married Simpson, for political and religious reasons. Eduardo put love before the crown and on December 11 of the same year he abdicated, so Jorge assumed the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.
With the death of George VI in 1952, she became the queen of the seven independent countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations, at the age of 25, and the rest is history. With seven decades on the throne behind her, Elizabeth is the longest-ruling queen, longer than any other monarch in British history. She was a global icon and a much loved and respected figure around the world.
Known for her sense of duty and her devotion to a life of public service, she has been an important figure for the UK and the Commonwealth during times of enormous social change. Buckingham Palace highlights on her website that the queen has seen public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her job.
Perhaps for this reason and perhaps because of the commotion caused by the abdication of her uncle, Elizabeth II did not consider leaving the throne, taking into account that her eldest son and heir, Carlos, 73, hoped to inherit the crown at some point. As a young woman, the monarch already said that reigning would be a job “for life” and she has fulfilled it.
Meanwhile, its popularity in the United Kingdom was more than remarkable, with rates around 62 percent as of June 2022, according to data from the YouGov firm. “I think I speak on behalf of my generation when I say that the example and continuity that the queen provides is not only very rare among leaders, but it is a source of pride and tranquility,” her grandson Guillermo once said. of Cambridge.
He has rarely given interviews and little is known of his personal views, which he has never expressed in public. His work as monarch has always focused on representation work, which he has carried out impeccably.
On a political level, he has seen 15 prime ministers pass by and met a wide range of heads of state, traveled abroad on many historic visits, and participated in countless commemorative events. In addition, she maintained links, as a royal patron or president, with more than 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organizations.
During the last years of his life, he has continued to carry out public engagements, although the pace slowed after the year of virtual seclusion he spent during the COVID-19 pandemic, even after getting vaccinated. She contracted the disease in February 2022, when she was already suffering from mobility problems.
Thus, especially from 2022, he began to significantly cut back on his public appearances. He did not attend, for example, the traditional parties in the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Holyroodhouse, at the age of 96, and this week he received the new prime minister, Liz Truss, in Balmoral (Scotland) instead of in London.
2021 was also the year in which Elizabeth II had to face the death of her husband, Philip of Edinburgh, whom she married in 1947 and had four children: Carlos, Ana, Andrés and Eduardo. The duke passed away on April 9, a few months shy of his 100th birthday and with seven decades in the shadow of his wife, who was forced to fire him alone due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The duke was, in his own words, his “strength” during his reign.
FULL PERSONAL LIFE, ALTHOUGH WITH VARIOUS CONTROVERSIES
Isabel II, whose main hobbies are horse riding and dogs, especially her corgis, has carried out her work with a remarkable balance between her work and personal life, which has been full, raising four children and enjoying grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Precisely, some of the greatest challenges he has faced have come from within the palace, from his own family. She herself called the year 1992 hers ‘annus horribilis’ (horrible year) in the course of a banquet given in her honor in London. “1992 will no longer be a year that I will look back on with unblemished joy,” she lamented.
Princess Anne and Prince Andrew divorced that year, while the marital problems between Lady Diana and Prince Charles were on everyone’s lips. Polls also showed a sharp drop in the popularity of the British monarchy. The death of her former daughter-in-law, in 1996, also put her image on the ropes.
However, in 2021, Isabel also had to face several family controversies, especially due to the situation of Prince Andrew, accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, a case that was part of the open investigation against tycoon Jeffrey Epstein for lead a network of child trafficking in the world of the global elite.
Andrés, who always defended his innocence and tried in vain to knock down the complaint filed by Giuffre, signed an out-of-court settlement with the woman, but his role in the British royal family was never restored. The prince resigned in November 2019 from his public functions and shortly after the queen stripped him of all his military titles.
In addition, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, resigned from being part of the British royal house and moved to the United States. They themselves explained in an interview that situations of discrimination and racism inside Buckingham Palace had a millionaire audience.
However, these convulsive experiences have not managed to completely tarnish the work of Queen Elizabeth, who in 2022 celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, that is, 70 years on the British throne since she succeeded her father George VI.
Precisely Enrique and Andrés were excluded from the greeting from the emblematic balcony of Buckingham Palace to inaugurate the celebrations framed in the jubilee. Isabel II left accompanied by members of the active family.
The queen attended various events to celebrate the jubilee, such as the lighting ceremony. The UK celebrated the jubilee in style, with a program of events that included street parties, a concert with some of the world’s most famous entertainers and a chance to see some of the Queen’s homes up close.
