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Elizabeth II is the
Queen of 16 independent sovereign states known as the
Commonwealth Realms.
These are the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Jamaica,
Barbados,
the Bahamas,
Grenada,
Papua New Guinea, the
Solomon Islands,
Tuvalu,
Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Antigua and Barbuda,
Belize, and
Saint Kitts and Nevis. By the Statute of Westminster 1931, she holds these positions equally; no one nation takes precedence over any other, however, her principal residences are located within the United Kingdom. She is the world's only monarch who is simultaneously
Head of State of more than one independent nation, with realms in
Europe,
North and
Central America, the
Caribbean, and
Oceania. In legal theory she is the most powerful head of state in the world, although in practice she exercises very little political executive power .
Elizabeth became Queen of the
United Kingdom,
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
South Africa,
Pakistan and
Ceylon upon the death of her father,
King George VI, on 6 February 1952. As other colonies of the British Commonwealth attained independence from the UK during her reign, she acceded to the newly created thrones as Queen of each respective realm so that throughout her 54 years on the throne she has been Monarch of 32 nations. Elizabeth II has seen a number of her former territories and realms gain independence. Today, about 128 million people live in the 16 countries of which she is head of state.
Elizabeth also holds the positions of Head of the Commonwealth,
Lord High Admiral,
Supreme Governor of the
Church of England and Lord of Mann. Following tradition, she is also styled Duke of Lancaster and Duke of Normandy. She is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces of many of her
Realms.
Elizabeth is currently the second-longest-reigning head of state in the world after King
Bhumibol of
Thailand , and
the fifth-longest serving British or English monarch. Her reign of over half a century has seen ten different
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and numerous Prime Ministers in the other
Commonwealth Realms of which she is Head of State.
Early life
Elizabeth was born at 17 Bruton Street, in Mayfair,
London, on 21 April 1926.
Succession
The health of George VI declined during 1951 and Elizabeth was soon frequently standing in for him at public events. She visited Greece,
Italy and Malta during that year. In October, she toured Canada and visited
President Harry S. Truman in
Washington, D.C. In January 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand. They had reached
Kenya when word arrived of the death of her father, on 6 February 1952, from lung cancer.
Elizabeth was staying in a treetop hotel when told of her own succesion to the throne -- a unique circumstance for any such event. She was the first British monarch since the
Act of Union in 1801 to be outside the country at the moment of succession, and also the first in modern times not to know the exact time of her accession . On the night her father died, Sir Horace Hearne, Chief Justice of Kenya, escorted the Princess Elizabeth, as she then was, to a state dinner at the Treetops Hotel, which is now a very popular tourist retreat in
Kenya. It was there that she "went up a princess and came down a Queen".
After
Prince Philip broke to Elizabeth the news of her father's death, Martin Charteris, then Assistant Private Secretary to the new Queen of England, asked her what she intended to be called. "Elizabeth, of course," she replied. The royal party returned immediately to
England.
The following year, the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, died of lung cancer on 24 March 1953. Reportedly, the Dowager Queen's dying wish was that the coronation not be postponed. Elizabeth's
coronation took place in
Westminster Abbey, on 2 June 1953.
Proclamation of Accession
As approved by the members of the Privy Council, the Lord Mayor of London and representatives of Commonwealth countries who met at
St James's Palace, this Accession proclamation was published in the
Times of London is a national newspaper [i] published daily in the United Kingdom [i] since 1785, and unde ...
on Thursday, Februrary 7, 1952, the day after the King's death. According to the
Times, 'it was expected that the public proclamation would be made in due form by the Heralds; the practise had been to read it first from the Friary Court balcony at St James's Palace. In
London the custom had been to lay it before the Court of Aldermen and to read it, after a ceremony at the Temple Bar, at the corner of
Chancery Lane, in
Fleet Street, and at the Royal Exchange.
The proclamation in the United Kingdom was as follows:
- WHEREAS it has pleased Almighty God to call to his mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George VI, of blessed and glorious memory, by whose Decease the Crown is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary:
- WE, therefore, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of this Realm, being here assisted with these His late Majesty's Privy Council, with representatives of other Members of the Commonwealth, with other Principal Gentlemen of Quality, with the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of London, do now hereby with one Voice and Consent of Tongue and Heart publish and proclaim, That the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is now, by the death of our late Sovereign of happy memory, become Queen Elizabeth II by the Grace of God, Queen of this Realm, and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, to whom Her Lieges do acknowledge all Faith and constant Obedience with hearty and humble Affection, beseeching God by whom Kings and Queens do reign, to bless the Royal Princess, Elizabeth II, with long and happy Years to reign over us. God Save the Queen.
In Canada, the proclamation of the Queen's accession, issued by the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada, was as follows:
- Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to call to His Mercy Our Late Sovereign Lord King George the Sixth of blessed and glorious memory by whose decease the Crown of Great Britain, Ireland and all other His late Majesty's dominions is solely and rightfully come to the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, Now Know Ye that I, the said Right Honourable Thibaudeau Rinfret, Administrator of Canada as aforesaid, assisted by Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada do now hereby with one voice and consent of tongue and heart, publish and proclaim that the High and Mighty Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is now by the death of Our late Sovereign of happy and glorious memory become our only lawful and rightful Liege Lady Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith, Supreme Liege Lady in and over Canada, to whom we acknowledge all faith and constant obedience with all hearty and humble affection, beseeching God by whom all Kings and Queens do reign to bless the Royal Princess Elizabeth the Second with long and happy years to reign over us.
- Given under my Hand and Seal at Arms at Ottawa, this Sixth day of February, in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two, and in the first year of Her Majesty's reign.
The proclamation in the UK marked the first inclusion of the title Head of the Commonwealth, and the first reference to "representatives of other Members of the Commonwealth" as amongst those proclaiming. Also, the Crown, which previously was referred to as the "Imperial Crown of
Great Britain and
Ireland", was also now non-specific, and Elizabeth's title was not her official one. These last two points reflected the existence of the
Republic of Ireland , as well as the sovereignty of countries over which Elizabeth was now separately Queen, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand.
However, the Canadian proclamation, necessarily separate due to the country's legal independence from the UK, continued to refer to the new Sovereign as Queen of Ireland, and the Crown she inherited as being of "Great Britain, Ireland and all other His late Majesty's dominions." Elizabeth was also proclaimed Queen of Ireland in South Africa.
Life as Queen
Residence
After the Coronation, Elizabeth and Philip moved to
Buckingham Palace, in central London. It is reported, however, that, as with many of her predecessors, she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers
Windsor Castle, west of London, to be her home. She also spends time at
Balmoral Castle, in
Scotland, and at
Sandringham House, in
Norfolk.
Travels
Queen Elizabeth is the most widely-travelled head of state in history. In 1953–1954 she and Philip made a six-month around-the-world tour, becoming the first British monarch to circumnavigate the globe. She also became the first reigning monarch of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji to visit those nations . In October 1957, she made a state visit to the
United States and toured Canada, opening the first session of that nation's 23rd parliament. In 1959, she made another tour of
Canada, as well as undertaking a
state visit to the United States as
Queen of Canada, hosting the return dinner for President
Dwight D. Eisenhower at the Canadian embassy in Washington. In February 1961, she visited
Ankara, as the guest of
Turkish President Cemal Gürsel, and later toured
India and Pakistan for the first time. She has made state visits to most
European countries and to many outside Europe. She regularly attends Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings.
Empire to Commonwealth
At the time of Elizabeth's accession, there was much talk of a "new Elizabethan age". Elizabeth's role has been to preside over the United Kingdom as it has shared world economic and military power with a growing host of independent nations and principalities. As nations have developed economically and culturally, Queen Elizabeth has witnessed, over the past 50 years, a gradual transformation of the British Empire into its modern successor, the Commonwealth. She has worked hard to maintain links with former British possessions, and in some cases, such as South Africa, she has played an important role in retaining or restoring good relations.
Popularity
Elizabeth remains a remarkably popular and respected figure , despite the marital difficulties of her children throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Golden Jubilee
In 2002, she celebrated her
Golden Jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of her accession to the Throne. The year saw an extensive tour of the
Commonwealth Realms, including numerous parades and official concerts.
Family relations
The Jubilee year coincided with the deaths, within a few months, of Elizabeth's mother and sister. Elizabeth's relations with her children have become much warmer since these deaths. She is particularly close to her daughter-in-law,
Sophie, The Countess of Wessex. She is known to have disapproved of Prince Charles's long-standing relationship with
Camilla Parker-Bowles, but with their recent marriage, has come to accept it. On the other hand, she is very close to her grandchildren, noticeably
Prince William,
Princess Beatrice and
Zara Phillips.
Health and longevity
In late February 2003, Queen Elizabeth II's reign, then just over 51 years, surpassed the reigns of all four of her immediate predecessors combined — .
She is currently the second-longest-serving
head of state in the world, after King
Bhumibol of
Thailand , and
the fifth-longest serving British or English monarch. Her reign of over half a century has seen ten different
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and numerous Prime Ministers in the other
Commonwealth Realms of which she is, or was, Head of State.
In June 2005, she was forced to cancel several engagements after contracting what the Palace described as a bad cold. Nonetheless, the Queen has been described as being in excellent health, and is rarely ill.
Reducing of duties
On Friday, 21 April 2006, the Queen turned 80, making her the third oldest reigning monarch in British and Commonwealth history. She has begun to hand over some public duties to her children, as well as to other members of the royal family, and in early 2006, reports began to surface that the Queen planned to significantly reduce her official duties, though she has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating. It is believed by both the press and palace insiders that Prince Charles will start to perform many of the day-to-day duties of the Monarch, while the Queen will effectively go into "retirement". It was later confirmed by the Palace that Prince Charles will begin to hold the regular audiences with the Prime Minister and other Commonwealth leaders, but also that, while the Queen would be increasing the length of her weekends by two days, she would continue with public duties well into the future. Buckingham Palace is also reported to be considering giving the Prince more access to government papers, and is to allow him to preside over more investitures, meet more foreign dignitaries and take the place of the Queen in welcoming ambassadors at the Court of St. James's.
It has been rumoured that her recent trip to Canada and Australia will be amongst her last visits to her Commonwealth Realms, though both the Canadian and Australian governments and the Palace have denied it.
Despite her good health and intention to stay on the throne, some saw the wedding of the Prince of Wales to Camilla as a message from the Queen that by allowing Charles to marry, she is attempting to ensure that Charles' succession to the throne will go as smoothly as possible. In 2004, a copy of the Queen's newly-revised funeral plans was stolen, much to the Queen's anger. And for the first time, in September 2005, a mock version of the Queen's funeral march was held in the middle of the night .
If the Queen lives until 21 December 2007, she will become the oldest reigning monarch in both British and the
Commonwealth Realms' history, surpassing King George III and Queen Victoria, both of whom died before the age of 82.
Should she still be reigning on 9 September 2015, at the age of 89, her reign will surpass that of Queen Victoria and she will become the
longest reigning monarch in British history. If she lives that long, and the Prince of Wales does also, he would be the oldest to succeed to the throne, surpassing
William IV, who was 64.
Shortly before her 80th birthday, polls were conducted that showed the majority of the British public wish for the Queen to remain on the throne until her death — many feel that the Queen has become an institution in herself.
Views and perceptions
Elizabeth is a conservative in matters of religion, moral standards and family matters. She has a strong sense of religious duty and takes her Coronation Oath seriously. This is one reason why it is considered highly unlikely that she will ever abdicate. For years, she refused to acknowledge Prince Charles's relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, but since their marriage, an appearance of acceptance has been established.
Elizabeth's political views are supposed to be less clear-cut, as she has done little in public to reveal what they might be. However, there is some evidence to suggest that, in economic terms, she leans towards a One Nation point of view. During
Margaret Thatcher's years as
Prime Minister, it was rumoured that the Queen worried that Mrs. Thatcher's economic policies were fostering social divisions, and she was reportedly alarmed by high unemployment, a series of riots in 1981, and the violence of the miners' strike. Mrs. Thatcher once said to Brian Walden, referring to the Social Democratic Party: "The problem is, the Queen is the kind of woman who could vote SDP." It is believed that her favourite Prime Ministers have been
Winston Churchill,
Harold Macmillan and
James Callaghan. She was thought to have very good relations with her current Prime Minister,
Tony Blair, during the first years of his term in office; however, there has been mounting evidence in recent years that her relationship with Blair has hardened.
The only public issues on which Elizabeth makes her views known are those affecting the unity of each of her Realms. During an event in
Westminster Hall marking her Silver Jubilee, in 1977, her speech was considered by some to be critical of the then Government's devolution proposals. She has spoken in favour of the continued union of
England and
Scotland, angering some
Scottish nationalists. Her statement of praise for the
Northern Ireland Belfast Agreement raised some complaints among some Unionists .
Ian Paisley, leader of the far-right
Democratic Unionist Party and founder of the evangelical Free Presbyterian church, famously broke with Unionism's traditional deference for the British Crown by calling the Queen "a parrot" of Tony Blair and suggested that her support for the Belfast Agreement would weaken the monarchy's standing amongst Northern Irish Protestants, a substantial number of whom remained opposed to certain parts of the Agreement. However, Paisley's criticism of the Queen on this matter was rejected by more traditional and moderate unionists.
Also, while not speaking directly against
Quebec sovereignty in
Canada, she has publicly praised Canada's unity and expressed her wish to see the continuation of a unified Canada, sometimes courting controversy over the matter. .
The Queen's personal fortune has been the subject of speculation for many years. Sometimes estimated at US$10 short billion, recently
Forbes magazine conservatively estimated her fortune at around US$500 million . This figure seems to agree with official Palace statements that called reports of the Queen's supposed multibillion-dollar wealth "grossly overexaggerated".
Her personal relationships with world leaders are warm and informal. On a BBC documentary broadcast in 2002,
Queen & Country, she was shown teasing former Prime Minister
Sir Edward Heath about how he could travel to world trouble spots like
Iraq because politicians saw him as "expendable" -- he laughed at the comment.
Mary McAleese, now
President of Ireland, recounted how, as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the
Queen's University of Belfast, she was, to her shock, invited to a lunch with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, on the basis that the Queen wished to talk to her, as a leading
Northern Ireland nationalist, and hear her views on Anglo–Irish relations. The two women struck up an instant rapport, with McAleese, during the 1997 Irish presidential election, calling the Queen "a dote" in an
Irish Independent is Ireland's best-selling daily newspaper....
interview.
Nelson Mandela, in the BBC documentary, repeatedly referred to her as "my friend, Elizabeth". She has a very friendly relationship with
Jacques Chirac of
France, who is the only Head of State allowed to drink his favoured
Corona-brand beer at official dinners at
Buckingham Palace instead of the fine French wines of the Palace's cellar.
Recent public image
Elizabeth's public image has noticeably softened in recent years, particularly since the death of the Queen Mother. Although she remains reserved in public, she has been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past, and, to the shock of many, she shed tears during emotional occasions such as at
Remembrance Day services, the memorial service at
St Paul's Cathedral for those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and in
Normandy, for the 60th anniversary of
D-Day, where she addressed the Canadian troops.
Queen Elizabeth has never suffered from severe public disapproval. However, in 1997, she and other members of the
Royal Family were perceived in the British tabloid press as cold and unfeeling when they did not participate in the public outpouring of grief at the death of
Diana, Princess of Wales. It is widely believed that Elizabeth held negative feelings towards Diana and thought that she had damaged the institution of the monarchy. However the Queen did bow to Diana's coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace, something unprecedented and unexpected, and gave a live television broadcast as well. These actions redressed tabloid opinion. Elizabeth's behavior during the funeral is believed to have resulted from strong advice from the Queen Mother and Tony Blair. Many biographers of both the Queen and Diana agree that there indeed was a fondness between the two women.
Constitutional role
Role in government
Constitutionally, the Queen is an essential part of the legislative process of her Realms. The Queen-in-Parliament , in each country, is an integral part of Parliament, along with the upper and lower houses. In all of her realms outside of the United Kingdom, she retains her constitutional powers, but her direct participation usually consists only of the appointment of representatives within the Realm in question, usually a
Governor-General, who exercises her executive power in a fashion closely resembling her own exercise of power within the United Kingdom - in
Canada, this participation stretches to include the appointment of additional Senators to break deadlocks in the
Canadian Senate.
In practice, much of the Queen's role in the legislative process is ceremonial, as her reserve powers are rarely exercised. For example, the Queen may legally withhold
Royal Assent from Bills, but no monarch has refused his or her assent to a Bill since
Queen Anne, in 1708. In Realms outside of the United Kingdom, the power to give Royal Assent is also practised by her designated representative in the Realm. The Queen, or her Governors-General, in the Realms outside the United Kingdom, also gives a speech at the annual
State Opening of Parliament, outlining the government's legislative agenda for the year, but the speech is written by government ministers and reflects the view of the elected government.
The Queen also has a functional role in executive government. In the United Kingdom, she chooses her prime minister in accordance with constitutional requirements. In her realms outside the United Kingdom, this power is exercised by her representatives. In reality no
actual choice is required, as the issue of whom to ask to form a government is clear from who controls the
House of Commons, except in exceptional circumstances.
