Interesting Facts about The Queen

86 year old Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t always a queen, she was born at her grandfathers home in London on the 21st day of April in 1926. She was given her first name Elizabeth in honor of her mother Elizabeth and born into royalty with the full style and title Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York.

At birth her father Albert Fredrick Arthur George was 31 years old and he was King George V second son. In 1920 her father Albert was honored with the noble title Duke of York. Being the 2nd son of King George V he wasn’t expected to ever become king and young Elizabeth wasn’t second in line to the throne at birth but 3rd in line after her uncle and her father so she was certainly never expected to become queen.

Just a few months before Elizabeth’s 11th birthday her grandfather King George Vpassed away and the oldest son Edward which was Elizabeth’s uncle, by right of birth for being the first son of King George the 5th ascended the throne as king Edward VIII. To tell you how even more remarkable it is that she became queen, at her fathers birth he was 4th in line to even have a chance at becoming king but as destiny would have it the cards just seemed to fall into place.

When uncle Edward became king Edward VIII this made young Elizabeth 2nd in line to the throne only after her father. Edward had been having an affair with a prominent married American lady named Wallis Warfield Simpson which his father King George V strongly apposed and knew this wasn’t Edward’s first affair with a married woman.

At the time of the affair Mrs. Simpson was in her 2nd marriage and in the midst of her second divorce. Even knowing it would have been strongly against his deceased fathers wishes and that it would have harsh consequences King Edward VIII fell more in love with Wallis Simpson and just months after becoming king he proposed to her. Not only the people but the church of England and prime ministers were all very resistant to the idea of such a woman being their queen and just as resistant to the idea of their king which was also head of the church being in such a conflict with the church’s beliefs so Simpson was deemed an unsuitable bride.

After days of speculation in the newspaper, on December 10th 1936 on a television appearance King Edward the 8th renounced his accession to the throne (retired as king) so he could marry Simpson and during his abdication speech he was quoted as saying ” I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help of the woman I love ”  He was resigned the following day of December 11th 1936 at which time his brother (Elizabeth’s father) Albert became king George the sixth.

King George VI remained king until his death on February 6th 1952 in which he was said to have died peacefully in his sleep after a long battle with a lung problem. Shock and grief took hold throughout the developed world in respect for the kings death. Not only were all types of sports events, theaters, cinemas, regularly scheduled programs and the house of commons ceased but in the United States, president Harry Truman paid tribute to the king and a vote quickly took effect throughout the U.S government even closing the United States senate and house of representatives.

The death of Elizabeth’s father King George VI immediately made her Queen, she was 25 years old, not in London on the day of his death and a thunderstorm delayed her flight until the next day at which time she took the royal oath and sealed her accession to the throne.