Innholdsfortegnelse for HELLO! A Tribute To HM Queen Elizabeth II i HELLO! A Tribute To HM Queen Elizabeth II

‘She’s my mother and the Queen’Princess Anne There would be a ten-year wait until the world would cheer the arrival of another royal baby The Queen at her happiest — on a sunny day and surrounded by those she loves most at Balmoral…

‘I hope I can bring up my children in the happy atmosphere which Margaret and I have grown up in’The Queen When Prince Charles was born in 1948, Princess Elizabeth said of her firstborn: “He’s quite adorable. I still can’t believe he is really mine.” Two years later her daughter Princess Anne was born and, at 24, Princess Elizabeth had two children under two. She loved being a mother, but there was little time to relax into the role as, just 18 months later, Elizabeth became Queen. It wasn’t until 1960 that her third child, Prince Andrew, was born and another four years before he was joined by Prince Edward. By the time her “second family” arrived she was able to enjoy motherhood more. Combining her maternal role with the…

Perhaps the single most touching image from the ceremonial funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh on 17 April 2021 was that of the Queen sitting socially distanced from her family in the historic St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, a solitary figure in mourning for her husband. Married for seven decades, she had lost the man she called her “strength and stay”. The night before he died, aged 99, on 9 April 2021, Prince Philip had enjoyed a last dinner with his wife in their private apartments at Windsor Castle. It is where the couple had been self-isolating for much of the past year during lockdown, being attended to by a reduced staff dubbed “HMS Bubble” and spending more time together than they had done in years. The following day…

The news the world had been dreading arrived at 6.30pm on Thursday 8 September in a simple 26-word statement from Buckingham Palace. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” the Palace announced. “The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.” This was followed by a touching statement from the new King, Charles III, who said: “The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. “I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. “During this period…

There was applause and a rousing cry of ‘God bless the King!’ The King made his first public appearance as monarch with an impromptu walkabout at Buckingham Palace the day after the Queen’s death. Joined by his Queen Consort, he arrived at his new official residence, where they both shook hands with many of the hundreds of mourners gathered outside. There was applause and a rousing cry of “God bless the King!” while some openly wept and offered their condolences. “We have wonderful memories,” the monarch told well-wishers before he and his wife, who drew a cheer of “we love you, Camilla”, walked the length of the palace forecourt to view a sea of floral tributes. HISTORIC MOMENT After stopping to reflect on a flag bearing a picture of the…

When she pledged herself, aged just 21, to a life of service to the people of Britain and the Commonwealth, few could have predicted just how long her commitment would endure. Princess Elizabeth went on to make history as Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning monarch and the first to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. Remarkably, 75 years after her solemn vow to serve and, despite failing health, she renewed her pledge, while also setting out her hopes for a future country and Commonwealth under King Charles III. The young Princess was not born to be Queen, but became heir presumptive aged ten, when her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated to marry the US divorcée Wallis Simpson. With her destiny as a future monarch determined, she nevertheless found herself propelled into the…

By the end of 1939, Britain was embroiled in the Second World War. With central London deemed too dangerous for the Princesses during the ferocious German bombing campaign of the Blitz, they spent much of their time at either Windsor Castle or Sandringham. Any talk of evacuating the girls to Canada had been dismissed by their mother at the start of the war. “The children won’t go without me,” she said. “I won’t leave without the King. And the King will never leave.” Elizabeth did her bit for the war effort, visiting the land girls – female farm workers drafted in while the men were away – on the family’s Norfolk estate and joining her parents on visits to rally the troops. She also made her first radio broadcast, on…

Dazzling starlets of their day, Elizabeth and Margaret maintained a close sisterly bond throughout their lives despite one becoming Queen and the other her subject. “They had a love, friendship and conspiracy that were impressive to behold,” recalls family friend Reinaldo Herrera. “Princess Margaret had a telephone on her desk in Kensington Palace with a direct line to the Queen in Buckingham Palace on which the two would gossip… daily.” Their parents endeavoured to treat the girls equally in childhood but, once their father became King and Princess Elizabeth his heir apparent, life inevitably changed. Nevertheless, the sisters remained inseparable during the war years when, evacuated to Windsor Castle, they put on pantomimes, proving themselves gifted actors and singers. “Singing must have been a huge part of their lives,” recalled…

1960s The 1960s was the decade that gave the Queen her two youngest sons, Andrew and Edward, and that ended with her eldest, Charles, being invested as Prince of Wales. Away from her family it was a time of change for the nation. In 1962 former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson said: “Great Britain has lost an empire and not yet found a role.” It was about to find one – as the cultural heart of the Swinging Sixties, taking the lead in music, fashion, film and TV. The Beatles took America by storm; Mary Quant, with her chic Vidal Sassoon haircut, became an icon of cool; while the cockney vowels of Michael Caine soon became as famous around the world as the Queen’s English. And England’s football team…

The Queen embraced life in her 90s with the same vim, vigour and commitment she’d shown throughout her life. She continued with her red dispatch boxes and affairs of state, public engagements and family gatherings, remaining fit and healthy by riding her horses and walking her beloved corgis. Her energy, work ethic and ability to tirelessly engage in activities that most people her age wouldn’t even attempt was clearly a source of pride for the Queen. In fact in 2021, aged 95, she “politely but firmly” declined an Oldie of the Year Award from The Oldie magazine, believing that she didn’t meet the criteria and explaining: “You are only as old as you feel.” Her Majesty no longer traversed the globe – but having travelled around the world 42 times…

In what would prove to be her public swansong – and some of the final major high-profile appearances of her life – the Queen enjoyed four days of spectacular celebrations in June 2022 to mark her Platinum Jubilee, with her beloved family at her side. Having made history as the first British monarch to reach the milestone of 70 years as sovereign, Her Majesty was determined to take part in the festivities, even if mobility issues meant she could not attend them all. On the eve of the specially extended weekend of celebrations, a commemorative portrait by Ranald Mackechnie was unveiled showing the Queen – wearing an elegant blue Angela Kelly coat and dress, embellished with a pearl and diamanté trim – sitting in the Victoria Vestibule inside Windsor Castle.…

The King paid a poignant and deeply personal tribute to his “darling Mama” in a historic televised address to the nation the day after the Queen’s death. In his first public broadcast as monarch, His Majesty spoke of his “profound sorrow” at his mother’s passing and promised to devote himself to “lifelong service” – just as she had. “Throughout her life, Her Majesty the Queen – my beloved mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother, for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example,” said the King. “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well lived, a promise with destiny kept, and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That…

The royal parents wanted Elizabeth to have as normal an upbringing as possible Nobody could have foreseen that Princess Elizabeth would become our longest-reigning monarch When she was born on 21 April 1926, in Bruton Street, London, nobody could have foreseen that the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York would become our longest-reigning monarch. Christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 29 May in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, she took her first name from her mother and middle names from her grandmother and her great-grandmother, Queens Mary and Alexandra. For the first ten years of her life Princess Elizabeth of York remained third in line to the throne, enjoying a carefree childhood that her royal parents endeavoured to keep as normal as possible. The Princess spent her…

Arm in arm and smiling into each other’s eyes, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh appeared as much in love in a photo taken in 2007 at Broadlands in Hampshire as they did on the first day of their honeymoon at the same stately country house 60 years earlier Enjoying 73 years of marriage until Prince Philip’s death on 9 April 2021, the Queen could pride herself on knowing that the good impression made on her by the handsome young man at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1939 was spot on. It was said to have been an instant attraction for the teen Princess Elizabeth when she spotted Prince Philip of Greece, 18, a distant cousin she had first met at a wedding five years earlier. “How…

‘Never has there been such excitement. Never has a monarch received such adulation’ The Queen took to wearing the St Edward’s Crown at home to become accustomed to its 5lb weight The Queen’s coronation on 2 June 1953 was one of the greatest events of the 20th century. More than 8,000 guests packed into Westminster Abbey to witness the crowning of the young Queen, while millions more thronged the route that took her and the Duke of Edinburgh to and from the abbey, or watched on the still novel phenomenon of TV. Elizabeth had been proclaimed Queen and Head of the Commonwealth and Defender of the Faith on her father’s death, but her coronation marked her formal acceptance of her role and enthronement as monarch. ALL IN THE PLANNING The…

‘Philip has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years’ The Queen Throughout their long and happy 73-year marriage, the Queen credited her husband with its success. She summed it up best on their golden wedding anniversary in 1997, when she said: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.” Her Majesty understood early on the sacrifices her husband would have to make to fulfil this vital role. As well as relinquishing his naval career, Philip gave up any idea of his four children bearing his surname, Mountbatten. But she was ever keen to make it up to him. In 1960 it was decided their children should take the surname Mountbatten-Windsor. Then in 2011, the monarch gave up her title Lord High Admiral, bestowing…

‘The arrival of a baby… gives renewed happiness and hope’The Queen PRINCE GEORGE To the young prince Her Majesty was the ultimate role model… but most of all she was simply his beloved Gan-Gan He was born to be King and, as such, Prince George shared a special bond with his great-grandmother. To the young Prince, Her Majesty was the ultimate role model who provided a gentle guiding hand when needed but, most of all, she was his beloved “Gan-Gan”. The Queen doted on young George, as was evident on occasions such as the christening of his younger sister Princess Charlotte in 2015, when Her Majesty was seen bending down to speak to the toddler Prince. The Duchess of Cambridge once said of the Queen: “She always leaves a little…

As the UK was plunged into the turmoil of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Queen became more of a symbol of unity than ever before, voicing the hopes and fears of a nation suddenly put into lockdown. In a message shared on 19 March 2020, as she returned to Windsor to isolate with the Duke of Edinburgh, the monarch urged people to do their bit, saying: “Many of us will need to find new ways of staying in touch with each other and making sure that loved ones are safe. I am certain we are up to that challenge. You can be assured that my family and I stand ready to play our part.” And the following month, as both her son the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Boris Johnson…

‘She was in amazingly good form, full of fun’Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields The Queen continued to work right up until her death, carrying out her last official duty two days before she passed away. She welcomed the 15th Prime Minister of her reign, Liz Truss, to her Scottish home, and invited her to form a new Government a day after being announced as the new leader of the Conservative Party. Earlier, the monarch had held an audience with outgoing PM Boris Johnson, during which she accepted his resignation. Both audiences took place at Balmoral for the first time in the Queen’s reign, for her “comfort”. The Rt Rev. Dr Iain Greenshields, moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, spoke after her death about enjoying Saturday night…