On February 6, 1952, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, Duchess of Edinburgh, succeeded as Queen
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island, taking the name Elizabeth II. On the same day in 2017, Her Majesty reached a new milestone in her life when she marked the
65th year of her reign. In September 2016, she surpassed Queen Victoria to
become the longest-reigning British sovereign, but this time, it seemed the
Queen achieved yet another feat that, perhaps, no other future British sovereign
could break.
Let us take a look back in 1952, when
the young Elizabeth took the helm of the British Crown and the Commonwealth.
King George VI Dies
While the princess was enjoying the beauty of the African
wildlife, her father King George VI passed away quietly at Sandringham House in
the early hours of February 6. He was 56. According to the medical bulletin, the king's death was due to coronary thrombosis - a fatal blood clot in the heart -
soon after falling asleep. A swarm of crowd soon flocked outside the gates of
Buckingham Palace while diplomats from around the world arrived in official
cars to extend their condolences in the visitors' book.
Read more about King George VI’s death here.
Elizabeth was
informed of her Accession
Queen Elizabeth II was on a Commonwealth tour in Kenya with
her husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, when news of her father’s death
arrived. The couple had just returned to
Sagana Lodge, their home in Kenya, after spending a night at Treetops Hotel,
when she was informed of the King’s death and that she had just become ascended
to the throne. Major Martin Charteris arrived just in time after the new Queen
was back in the Lodge: “She was sitting erect, fully accepting her destiny.” He
asked her what name she would take. “My own, of course,” she said.
Read more about Queen Elizabeth II’s accession here
Proclamation
Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen at 11 am, Feb. 8, 1952 at the
balcony of St. James' Palace. Around 150 Lords of the Council, who were
representing the Commonwealth and the City of London including the Lord Mayor--
as well as dignitaries from other countries were there to witness the accession of the new
queen.
Read more about Queen
Elizabeth II’s proclamation.
King George VI’s
funeral
For Queen Elizabeth II, her father's death meant facing the
reality that she is now the Queen to millions of people spread all over the
world. On his funeral on February 9, Great Britain's three queens gathered to
bid adieu to the king who mattered most to their lives—the king’s mother, frail
Queen Mary, his wife, Queen Elizabeth, henceforward known as the Queen Mother,
and the new Queen, Elizabeth II. King
George's body was transferred to Westminster Hall for the lying-in-state. More
than 30,000 people flocked to take a last glimpse of their beloved king. Not
even the bitter cold or the cloudy weather stood between the crowd and the
solemnity of the event.
Here’s about King
George VI’s funeral.
Coronation
Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey on a rainy
June 2, 1953. The country was just moving forward from the devastation of World
War II and Her Majesty’s coronation was a sign of that recovery, being able to
demonstrate for the last time her mighty imperial vigor that was steadily on
its decline.
More than 10 thousand servicemen – a quarter of them
“soldiers of the Queen” from the Commonwealth – marched in the coronation
procession. Two thousand bandsmen, which comprised nearly fifty bands, provided
music at the background. Sovereigns and rulers around the world arrived in
London to honor her small figure, who now heads the greatest nations in
history. More than a hundred thousand of her loyal subjects lined the streets
of London, despite the dampened weather.
The length of her coronation was such
that it took almost an hour to pass any one spot.
More than 100,000 seats were built along processional route
aside from the 7,000 seats reserved at Westminster Abbey. Suddenly, London
became a city of tents, all flooding Kensington Palace Gardens. And while the
populace tried their best to sleep, a plain unescorted van travelled through
the night from the Jewel House in the Tower of London to the Abbey, carrying
the priceless regalia for the coronation.
In a broadcast from Buckingham Palace to the Commonwealth,
Queen Elizabeth II summed her feelings and said: “As this day draws to its
close I know that my abiding memory will be not only the solemnity and beauty
of the ceremony but the inspiration of your loyalty and affection.”
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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