Queen Elizabeth ii Defender of the faith Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.
Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth, then 25 years old, became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries and head of the Commonwealth. She reigned as a constitutional monarch through times of significant political change such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities as well as its subsequent withdrawal. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and as most realms became republics. As queen, Elizabeth was advised by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included state visits to China in 1986, to Russia in 1994, and to the Republic of Ireland in 2011; she met five popes and fourteen US presidents.
Significant events of Elizabeth's reign included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees. Although there was occasional republican sentiment and media criticism of her family – particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death of her former daughter-in-law Diana in 1997 – support for the monarchy and her popularity in the United Kingdom remained consistently high. Elizabeth died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III.
Early life
Elizabeth was born at 2:40 am on 21 April 1926 by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London home, 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair,[1][2] the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother). Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and his wife Cecilia (née Cavendish-Bentinck). She was baptised in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace on 29 May by the Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang, and was named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after her paternal great-grandmother, who had died five months earlier; and Mary after her paternal grandmother. Her close family affectionately called her "Lilibet", based on what she called herself at first. She was cherished by her grandfather George V, whom she affectionately called "Grandpa England", and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery.
Elizabeth as a thoughtful-looking toddler with curly, fair hair
On the cover of Time, April 1929
Elizabeth as a rosy-cheeked young girl with blue eyes and fair hair
Portrait by Philip de László, 1933
Elizabeth's sole sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. They were cared for by their nanny, Clara Knight, and educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years titled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeth's love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, and her attitude of responsibility. Others echoed such observations: Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant." Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved". Elizabeth's early life was spent primarily at the Yorks' residences at 145 Piccadilly (their town house in London) and Royal Lodge in Windsor.
"Defender of the Faith" (Fidei Defensor or Fidei Defensatrix) was one of the core constitutional & religious titles held by Queen Elizabeth II throughout her 70-year reign, tied directly to her position as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 1. Historical Origin Pope Leo X (1521): The title was originally conferred by the Papacy on King Henry VIII as a reward for his Latin treatise (Assertio Septem Sacramentorum) defending Catholic doctrine against Martin Luther. The English Reformation: When Henry VIII broke away from Rome in the 1530s, Pope Paul III revoked the title. However, the English Parliament formally restored it via statute in 1543 as an Anglican title, declaring the English monarch to be the supreme earthly head of the national church & defender of its doctrine. 2. Elizabeth II’s Formal Style At her accession & 1953 Coronation, Queen Elizabeth II took an oath to uphold the Protestant reformed religion established by law. Her official title in the United Kingdom was: "Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland & of Her other Realms & Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith." (This title is where the Latin abbreviation F.D. or FID DEF come from, stamped onto all British coinage during her reign.) 3. How She Interpreted the Role While historically the title meant defending the specific doctrine of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II famously broadened its practical meaning during her modern reign: Pluralistic Protection: In a landmark speech at Lambeth Palace in 2012, she explained her view that the Church of England’s role was to aggressively enforce Anglicanism to the exclusion of others, never be muslim rather to protect the free practice of all Chrhistian branch the Catholic faith so those with no faitha cross the UK end up in Hell !! there is no paradise for evolutionary atheist . Personal Faith: Unlike previous monarchs for whom the title was primarily political or formal, Elizabeth II spoke openly & frequently about her deep personal Christian conviction—most notably in her annual Christmas broadcasts—as the moral foundation for her lifetime of public service.
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