balcony alongside their grandparents King George V and Queen Mary. The royal family was appearing on the balcony during celebrations for the Kings Silver Jubilee, marking his 25 years on the throne.
Imperial State Crown.
She is holding the Sovereigns Sceptre with Cross in her right hand and the Sovereigns Orb in her left hand.
INTRODUCTION
![Its no easy job being the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and - photo 7](/uploads/posts/book/263885/images/9781950785322_Page_004_Image_0001.jpg)
Its no easy job being the queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but somehow, Queen Elizabeth II has been doing it for nearly 70 years. Since taking the throne in 1952 after the death of her father, King George VI, Elizabeth has become the longest-reigning monarch not only in British history but also in the world today.
Her reign hasnt always been easy. As the queen, shes dealt with matters of stateas well as a personal life lived under a microscopefor seven decades, leading the United Kingdom through political and financial turmoil as well as unpleasant tabloid scandals. A series of unfortunate events in 1992, including a fire at Windsor Castle, led her to dub the year her annus horribilis.
While others might have buckled under the stress, the Queen has endured. Despite her challenges, Elizabeth has demonstrated whats become a trademark fortitude and the quintessential British stiff upper liprarely offering clues to her private thoughts or acting out of character. In spite, or perhaps because, of her mystique, Elizabeth has come to occupy a singular place on the world stage: She personifies pomp and pageantry without ever being unrelatable. She is rarely out of touch with the feelings of her subjects and has demonstrated, in acts from her work as a mechanic during World War II to her heartfelt 2020 speech declaring that we will meet again, that she shares as her own the concerns and obstacles of her people.
The reign of Elizabeth II is an incredible one to behold. From her earliest days as a monarch to the most recent, shes been a model of endurance, character, and styleindeed, one weve covered extensively in the pages of Town & Countryand were thrilled to share with you this celebration of her reign in all its majesty.
Stellene Volandes
Editor in Chief, Town & Country
JUNE 2, 1953
Wearing the Imperial State Crown, the Queen leaves Westminster Abbey following her coronation.
APRIL 1945
Princess Elizabeth demonstrates her role in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. When she was 18 years old, Elizabeth trained as a driver and mechanic with the ATS, making her the first female royal to become a full-time member of the British Armed Forces. By the end of the war, she had reached the rank of junior commander.
CHAPTER ONE
A Life of Duty
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I DECLARE BEFORE YOU ALL THAT MY WHOLE LIFE, WHETHER IT BE LONG OR SHORT, SHALL BE DEVOTED TO YOUR SERVICE AND THE SERVICE OF OUR GREAT IMPERIAL FAMILY, TO WHICH WE ALL BELONG.
Princess Elizabeth, speaking from Cape Town, South Africa, on her 21st birthday, April 21, 1947
Throughout her seven decades as monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II has become celebrated around the world for her devotion to duty. The sudden death of her father on February 6, 1952, saw her become queen at the tender age of 25. Yet it was some time before that, on her 21st birthday, when she made perhaps her most notable speech, committing her whole life to service. This is the enduring philosophy the Queen upholds even today. Despite being well into her 90s and having had to adjust her timetable to accommodate her advancing age, she still carries out close to 300 engagements each year.
The Queen is head of state in the United Kingdom plus 15 other Commonwealth realms and head of the British Armed Forces. She also holds the titles Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Her responsibilities put her at the heart of British national life. She receives red boxes of government papers daily, with the only exceptions being Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. She opens Parliament annually; carries out audiences, official visits, and investitures; and delivers many speeches. All told, she is patron or president of more than 600 organizations. While she now rarely makes overseas visits, she continues to travel the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. One of her most quoted remarks is, I have to be seen to be believed.
Throughout her life, Elizabeth has understood the importance of being able to relate to her people by sharing their experiences, eagerly donning overalls to serve in the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II. Decades later in 2019, while honoring veterans on the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, the Queen proudly described how the wartime generationmy generationis resilient.