21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022

Who Was Queen Elizabeth II?

Princess Elizabeth, later to become Queen
Elizabeth II, was born on 21st April 1926 in
Mayfair, London.

She was the first child of The Duke and

Duchess of York, who later became King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

Queen II’s birthday was officially celebrated in

Britain on the second Saturday of June each
year. This special day was referred to as ‘The
Trooping of the Colour’.

Queen Elizabeth II was known as the British

Sovereign.
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Trooping of the Colour

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Queen Elizabeth II’s Family
In 1936, King Edward VIII stepped down
from the throne.

Princess Elizabeth, along with her sister

Margaret, became princesses when King
George VI, their father, was crowned. Their
mother became Queen Elizabeth.

Discuss It
Do you know the name of the other man
in this photograph?

Answer
Sir Winston Churchill. He was the British prime minister from 1940-1945 and
1951-1955.
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Princess Elizabeth’s Youth
Princess Elizabeth was taught at home,
not at school. She studied art and
music and enjoyed drama and
swimming.

When she was 11, she joined the

Girl Guides.

She undertook her first public

engagement on her 16th birthday, when
she inspected the soldiers of the
Grenadier Guards. They guard the royal
residences.

During the Second World War, she

served in the army as a mechanic.

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The Royal Family
Princes Elizabeth got married in
Westminster Abbey on 20th November
1947, when she was 21 years old.

She married Prince Philip, also known as

the Duke of Edinburgh, who was the son
of Prince Andrew of Greece.

In 1948, their first child, The Prince of

Wales (King Charles III), was born.

Two years later, The Princess Royal

(Princess Anne), was born. Queen
Elizabeth II went on to have two more
children: The Duke of York (Prince
Andrew) in 1960 and The Earl of Wessex
(Prince Edward) in 1964.
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A New Queen
In 1952, when she was just 25, Princess Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, died.
Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya when she heard the sad news. She immediately
returned home and was proclaimed Queen Elizabeth II two days later.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in

1953 at Westminster Abbey in London.
In 2012, she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee which marked
60 years since her accession to the throne. In 2022, she
celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as
monarch.

Discuss It
How do you think Princess Elizabeth felt when she became Queen?

proclaim – Make something official.

coronation – Ceremony of crowning a king or queen.
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The Role of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II carried out many important tasks on behalf of the nation.

• Queen Elizabeth II was Head of the Church of England. She appointed bishops and
archbishops on the advice of the prime minister.

• Queen Elizabeth II was Head of the Armed Forces.

She was the only person who could declare and end war
with other countries.

• Queen Elizabeth II had to be impartial in matters of

government and was never allowed to vote. However,
she met weekly with the prime minister and opened
parliament, amongst other duties.

appoint - To arrange who will take the position.

impartial - Not supporting any particular side.
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Representing the Country
As Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II travelled abroad
on official state visits. She also invited other Heads of
State from around the world to visit the UK.

Queen Elizabeth II represented the country at

times of celebration or sorrow. One of her most
important duties was on Remembrance Sunday,
when she laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in
London to remember members of the armed
forces who had died fighting for their country.

Discuss It
Has anyone in your family fought for their country?

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Queen Elizabeth II and the Commonwealth

The Commonwealth is a group of 56

countries, almost all of which were
formerly under British rule as part of the
British Empire.

After becoming independent, many

countries decided that they still wanted
to remain within the Commonwealth.
Queen Elizabeth II was Head of the
Commonwealth and made visits to
Commonwealth countries during her
reign.

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Commonwealth Games

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The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event which involves

athletes from Commonwealth countries. Queen Elizabeth II often attended the
games to open or close them.

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Queen Elizabeth II’s Homes
Her Majesty's official London residence was Buckingham Palace but she also
spent lots of time at Windsor Castle.

The Royal Family chose to use the name ‘Windsor’ as their surname after Windsor
Castle.
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Favourite Places
Queen Elizabeth II loved Scotland. She spent her summers at Balmoral Castle.
Her official residence in Scotland was The Palace of Holyrood House in
Edinburgh.

Balmoral Sandringham

Queen Elizabeth II also enjoyed spending time at Sandringham House in Norfolk,

which she inherited from her father.
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The Platinum Jubilee
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Platinum Jubilee. The occasion marked
70 years since she became Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth
of Nations. She was the first British monarch to reach this milestone.

Celebrations included:
• Trooping the Colour
• the Platinum Party at the Palace
• the Platinum Pudding Competition

The majority of events took place

during a special bank holiday weekend
to allow people across the country to
join the celebrations.

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Long-Reigning Monarch
Queen Elizabeth II was the UK's longest-reigning monarch. She surpassed her
great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven
months.

During her lifetime, she had 8 grandchildren

and 12 great-grandchildren.

At the time of her death, she had reigned for 70

years.

Discuss It
Did you ever see, or meet, Queen Elizabeth II?
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Events in the Life of Queen Elizabeth II
1964 1992
1936 Queen A fire 2015
Her father Elizabeth destroys Queen Elizabeth 2021
becomes II’s part of II becomes the Prince
King. youngest Windsor UK’s longest- Philip
child is Castle. reigning dies.
born. monarch.
1920
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030

1926 1952 1977 2002 2016 2022

Princess King George Queen Princess Queen Queen
Elizabeth VI dies and she Elizabeth Margaret and The Elizabeth Elizabeth
Alexandra becomes II’s Silver Queen Mother II turns II dies.
Mary is born. Queen. Jubilee. die. 90.

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Where on this timeline would you put the following events?

1997 – Princess Diana is killed in a road accident.

1990 –The Princess Royal is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
1973 – Queen Elizabeth II opens the Sydney Opera House.
1953 – Princess Elizabeth is crowned Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
2012 – Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.

2015
Queen Elizabeth II
1936 1964 1992 becomes the UK's
King George VI is Queen Elizabeth A fire destroys part of longest-reigning
crowned. II’s youngest Windsor Castle. monarch.
child is born.

1926 1952 1977 2002

Princess Elizabeth King George VI dies and Queen Elizabeth Princess Margaret and The
Alexandra Mary is Princess Elizabeth II’s Silver Queen Mother die.
born. becomes Queen. Jubilee.
Fun Facts About Queen Elizabeth II
She had nine thrones; six at She was the first, and so far the only,
Buckingham Palace! female member of the Royal Family
to serve in the armed forces.
In 1954, she became the first
serving monarch to circumnavigate
the globe on a six month round-the- Corgis were her favourite dogs. She
world tour with her husband. owned more than 30 of them during
her reign. She also liked Dorgis – a
cross between a Corgi and a
Dachshund.
For her 6th birthday, she was given a
miniature Welsh cottage. She was 5'4" (160cm) tall.

She sent cards to congratulate people

She ‘sat’ for her portrait to be when they reached the age of 100.
painted over 130 times!
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Reflection

For most British people, Queen

Elizabeth II has been the only
monarch of their lifetime.

You may be feeling shocked and

saddened by her death. You might
like to speak with an adult after
the lesson.

You may want to pay your respect

by taking a moment of silence to
remember Queen Elizabeth II.

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