Queen Elizabeth II: These moments will never be forgotten

Queen Elizabeth II
These moments will never be forgotten

Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 95th birthday on April 21st. Probably without a private party. It wasn’t until April 17 that millions watched on TV as the monarch said goodbye to her husband Prince Philip (1921-2021), who died at the age of 99. The pictures in which the Queen mourns at the funeral because of the corona restrictions away from her relatives alone in the chapel at Windsor Castle went around the world. Just like so many other recordings of the monarch in the past few decades. In addition to numerous anniversaries that the longest reigning British monarch has already celebrated, these moments, among other things, were remembered.

Coronation: June 2nd, 1953

Elizabeth was born in 1926 as the first-born daughter of the future King George VI. (1895-1952). At her birth, it was still very unlikely that she would later ascend the throne. It was only when her uncle, King Edward VIII (1894-1972) abdicated in 1936 to be able to marry the divorced American Wallis Simpson (1896-1986), that she became Crown Princess. After the death of Elizabeth’s father, the then 25-year-old princess was destined to take over his inheritance in 1952. Elizabeth had been married to Prince Philip since 1947 and was a mother of two at that time, Prince Charles was born in 1948, Princess Anne in 1950. The two younger children followed after the accession to the throne, Prince Andrew was born in 1960, Prince Edward in 1964.

Even if Elizabeth II ascended the throne after the death of her father on February 6, 1952 – her coronation did not take place until June 2, 1953 in Westminster Abbey. It was the first to be televised. Around 27 million people in the UK are said to have watched the ceremony, with an additional 11 million reportedly listening on the radio. Thereafter, around three million people lined the route that the Queen and her entourage took in their procession back to Buckingham Palace.

Visit to Germany: May 18-28, 1965

A ten-day trip by Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Germany in May 1965 turned into a “visit of the century”: It was the first official visit by a British royal since 1913. The occasion was the 20th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The trip became a symbol of reconciliation. Prince Philip is also said to have been decisive for this. On his father’s side, he came from the house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and lived in Germany for some time as a child.

Aberfan disaster: October 21, 1966

The series “The Crown”, which traces the life of Elizabeth II, devoted an entire episode to this disaster: 144 people, including 116 children, were killed in a heap slide in the Aberfan disaster in Wales on October 21, 1966. Prince Philip arrived in Aberfan one day after the disaster, the Queen only about a week later. Allegedly, she is said to have deeply regretted that she did not visit the scene of the accident earlier.

Wedding of Charles and Diana: July 29, 1981

On July 29, 1981, 750 million people in 74 countries are said to have watched as heir to the throne Prince Charles married his fiancée Lady Diana Spencer (1961-1997) in St. Paul’s Cathedral. As is well known, the “wedding of the century” was not followed by a happy ending …

“Annus Horribilis”: 1992

1992 went down in history as the Queen’s “year of horror”. Charles and Diana announced their decision to split up. Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah Ferguson (61) also split, Princess Anne divorced her husband Mark Phillips (72) in 1992. In addition, a fire broke out in November of that year at Windsor Castle, where the Queen lives, which destroyed more than 100 rooms.

Diana’s death: August 31, 1997

The Queen drew public displeasure after Diana, the divorced wife of Prince Charles and mother of Prince William (38) and Prince Harry (36), died in a car accident on August 31, 1997. The Queen initially stayed on her property in Balmoral, Scotland, and refused to have the flag hoisted at half-mast over Buckingham Palace, and there was initially no address to the grieving nation. It wasn’t until several days later that the Queen returned to London and gave a televised address. The film “The Queen” with Helen Mirren in the leading role portrays the circumstances of those days.

Birth of the next generations of heirs to the throne: 1982 and 2013

The Queen has eight grandchildren and already ten great-grandchildren, another great-granddaughter will be added in the summer when Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan (39) become parents for the second time. Outstanding among the crowd are Prince William, who was born on June 21, 1982, and Prince George (7), the firstborn son of William and Duchess Kate (39). After his grandfather Prince Charles and his father William, George is set to take the throne one day. The Queen now has three generations of direct heirs to the British throne.

“Megxit” announcement: January 8, 2020

When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle – a divorced US actress – at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018, it was still celebrated. The relationship between the couple and the royals should deteriorate quickly. On January 8, 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex finally announced that they were stepping down from their roles as senior members of the Royals. In the spring of 2020, they moved to California with their one-year-old son Archie. The low point: In March 2021, an interview was broadcast that Harry and Meghan conducted with talk show legend Oprah Winfrey (67) and in which they accused the royals of racism, among other things.

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