Queen Elizabeth II's worldwide influence since being queened is undeniable. But how much do
you really know about the long-reigning monarch's life in the 25 years before she
actually became the sovereign? It turns out there's more to her than just the crown.
Though Queen Elizabeth embodies royalty so seamlessly that it feels
as if she must've been prepared for life as the queen since the day she was born,
this actually isn't the case at all. According to BBC's History Extra,
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was not expected to ascend the throne at all.
Britain was in turmoil at the time of her birth
due to several concurrent events like post-war financial problems, plummeting coal prices,
pressure on the mining industry, and outrage over the government's plan to reduce the
wages of miners. Nevertheless, Britain's then-home secretary Sir William Joynson
took time out of his busy schedule to meet the baby princess right away.
Princess Elizabeth, as she was then called, was born to the Duke and Duchess of York, and was the
first grandchild of the then-reigning King George V. The princess was christened at Buckingham
Palace two weeks after birth. Nevertheless, the princess was third in line to the throne
at the time of her birth, so you could liken her former odds of ruling to Prince George's.
King George V, Queen Elizabeth's grandfather and the Duke of York's father, was not known to have
a sunny disposition. On the contrary, 9Honey revealed that he was known to be tyrannical
by those close to the royals. Though he projected a different image to the world,
he was described as harsh and cruel by royal commentators and those who knew him. According
to History Extra, The Duke of York even wrote him a letter upon Princess Elizabeth's birth stating,
"I do hope that you and papa are as delighted as we are to have a granddaughter,
or would you sooner have had another grandson?"
Nevertheless, young Princess Elizabeth had no trouble getting along with her grandpa.
According to History Extra, she was beloved by her grandparents, and apparently
gave her grandfather the nickname "Grandpa England," and he was thought to be extremely
affectionate towards her. She even spent a lot of time at his country home during her early years.
According to History Extra, Princess Elizabeth had a relatively normal upbringing during the
early years of her life — before she became the next in line for the throne. She was left at home
with her nannies when her parents went overseas for a royal tour of the colonies Down Under,
so she was spared the fanfare and chaos. Although she and her family did move to a
giant 25-bedroom home near the beautiful Hyde Park in London,
Princess Elizabeth grew up in a relatively normal home environment compared to other royals.
While other young royals might have only been able to play with young members of nobility as
children, Elizabeth spent her childhood playing with the children of English white-collar workers.
When King George V died in 1936, Elizabeth's uncle, King Edward VIII ascended the throne.
The problem? King Edward VIII was in a relationship with Wallis Simpson, a
divorced American socialite who was, at the time, married to a man in the king's circles. Of course,
the royal family did not approve, especially after Simpson finalized her second divorce.
The issue turned into a media circus and affected the royal family's reputation greatly.
"Wallis is not just some woman I'm carrying on with. We intend to marry."
"Excuse me?"
Ultimately, Edward gave up his title for love.
He stepped down from his position to begin his future with Simpson.
Because of this surprising and unprecedented turn of events, the Duke of York ascended the
throne as King George VI. As for his daughter Princess Elizabeth, she became the next heir to
the throne — and the course of her life changed in a blink of an eye. According to the royal family's
website, Elizabeth's education regime changed when she became the heir presumptive. She began
to study subjects like constitutional history and law in preparation for one day becoming queen.
Can you imagine meeting your life partner at the age of 13? Though it might seem unfathomable,
this was Queen Elizabeth's reality. According to Vanity Fair, the fateful meeting occurred during
a trip to Dartmouth, just before World War II devastated the region. Princess Elizabeth was
visiting the Britannia Royal Naval College with her parents and her sister when the family found
out there had been a contagious outbreak on the premises. The then 18-year-old Philip Mountbatten,
who was a cadet at the Royal Naval College, was asked to keep the sisters occupied.
Royal historian Christopher Warwick shared with Vanity Fair:
"When he got tired of playing train sets with them, it's famously known that he said,
'Let's go and jump the nets on the tennis courts.'
And Princess Elizabeth was just overwhelmed [by Philip], really."
According to Biography, Philip spent time with the royals on the Victoria and Albert yacht the next
day, which further fueled the princess' crush on the teenager five years her senior. Nevertheless,
her feelings were unrequited at the time. Though many children, especially those from noble
families, were sent into hiding during World War II, this was not the case for Princess Elizabeth,
according to Biography. The British government did encourage the king's wife and daughters to
relocate to Canada, but the then-queen put her foot down, famously saying -
"The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave."
Princess Elizabeth and her sister instead moved not far outside of London, to Windsor Castle.
The young princess wanted to do her part for her nation by helping with the war efforts,
but her parents initially prohibited her from enlisting in the military due to tradition.
Elizabeth stood firm, and she was finally given permission in 1945. The 19-year-old princess ended
up joining the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service where she received mechanic training.
The media dubbed her "Princess Auto Mechanic," and her parents grew incredibly proud of her efforts.
Princess Elizabeth and her crush Philip Mountbatten stayed in touch via snail mail after
the war broke out and, in 1943, Philip attended a Christmas celebration at Windsor Castle.
According to Biography, the princess took part in a performance of Aladdin during the holiday.
The pair reportedly exchanged photos to keep during wartime,
and reunited to continue their romance once the war was over.
Sadly, King George VI was not impressed with his daughter's budding romance.
According to History Extra, when George of Greece, who happened to be Philip's cousin,
insinuated to George VI that the couple should marry, he was shaken. The king
considered Elizabeth to be nowhere near old enough to consider marriage and said her young suitor -
"had better not think any more about it at present."
Those around the royal family agreed, as they didn't approve of Philip. However, nothing
could stop the pair from being together. Philip proposed in 1946, Elizabeth accepted without
consulting her parents, and the rest is history. All members of the royal family are expected to
perform royal duties, and the rules were no different for Queen Elizabeth, then princess.
History Extra reports that upon turning 18, she became a "counsellor of state,"
represented her father when he was away, and even signed a reprieve on a murder case.
Her father clearly knew she was mature beyond her years when he offered her the position,
as royal family members were usually only able to enter that role after turning 21 years of age.
"I declare before you all that my whole life
whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service."
The princess also performed other duties such as making public speeches and launching battleships.
She was well into her military service by the time the war ended, so Princess Elizabeth
donned her military uniform when she joined her parents, sister, and then-Prime Minister Winston
Churchill in waving at jubilant crowds from the balcony of the palace when the war finally ended.
Queen Elizabeth had traveled around Britain to perform various royal duties, but she didn't
actually set foot overseas until she hit her 20s. According to Express, the then-princess'
first official overseas trip was to South Africa in 1947 as part of a royal tour with
her parents and sister. It is thought that the trip was arranged to strengthen the bond between
the colony and the royals. The family boarded battleship HMS Vanguard to reach Cape Town and
took trains to visit other South African cities as well as places like Swaziland and Botswana.
The trip was extra special for the princess, as it coincided with her 21st birthday. The occasion
was celebrated with much fanfare and the South African government even gifted the princess a
beautiful necklace with 21 diamonds to mark the occasion. Little did she know that within five
years of that trip she would ascend the throne as Queen of Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
Though Philip Mountbatten originally proposed to Princess Elizabeth in 1946,
King George VI felt his daughter was too young and
asked the pair to delay their official engagement announcement by one year.
The couple married on November 20, 1947, and Princess Elizabeth wore a stunning wedding
dress made of ivory-colored silk. It featured thousands of sewn-in pearls, and a 13-foot train.
However, things got a little stressful when the princess' diamond tiara broke
as she was traveling to Westminster Abbey. The family's jeweler swooped to the rescue
and mended the tiara just in time for her to walk down the aisle. The event was broadcast
on the radio and was attended by 2,500 people. Soon after then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince
Philip married, Philip was sent to Malta to serve in the Mediterranean Fleet. His new wife gladly
visited whenever she could. According to Times of Malta, one visit occurred around the time of
the couple's second wedding anniversary. She also spent the holiday period at Villa Guardamangia,
along with none other than her new aunt and uncle, the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma.
When she visited Malta again, she took part in the annual parade on behalf
of her father. The princess continued her stay until the week after her 24th birthday
and returned once again for the Christmas holiday period and stayed for about three
months — her longest stay. She visited one final time in 1951 before becoming queen.
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip did not waste any time after getting married, managing
to produce an heir and a spare within three years of marriage. According to Town & Country magazine,
Prince Charles, who is next in line for the throne, as of this video, was born
just about a year after the pair wed. Princess Anne was born a couple years later, in 1950.
Despite claims that Princess Elizabeth didn't spend as much time as she should
have with her youngest children, those who knew the family seemed to think
she was a great mother. Historian Robert Lacy told Town & Country that the then-princess
thrived on her children's nanny's day off, saying -
"When nanny Mabel was off duty, Elizabeth could kneel beside the bath,
bathe her babies, read to them and put them to bed herself."
Due to her father's progressively worsening health, Princess Elizabeth had taken over many
of the king's duties by the '50s, according to the Hartford Courant.
King George VI sadly passed away at just 56 years old when his daughter was away on a royal visit.
Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip were in Kenya at the time of the king's death,
Good Housekeeping explained. Elizabeth and Philip were having an incredible time at
Aberdare National Park, so much so that she had trouble sleeping. The next afternoon,
Philip was informed of his father-in-law's passing by a local reporter. He told his
wife and then the couple cut their trip short to make the long journey back home.
"Then, Long live Queen Elizabeth."
The royal family's website stated that Queen Elizabeth's coronation occurred on June 2,
1953. The queen wore an elaborate Norman Hartnell design featuring United Kingdom
and Commonwealth emblems while Prince Philip wore his navy uniform with his
duke's robe placed over it. Over 8,000 guests from almost 129 nations attended
the coronation in person, and it was the first coronation to air on television.
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