Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years on the throne

Ashley Barletta, News editor

It has officially been 70 years since Elizabeth II first became Queen of the United Kingdom, which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Following the death of her father, she was crowned queen on Feb. 6, 1952. She was only 25 years old at the time.

Her formal coronation, which took place on June 2, 1953, was the first international live televised event. She has led the United Kingdom through many trials and tribulations since then, with the most recent being the COVID19 pandemic.

Queen Elizabeth is currently the longest-reigning British monarch of all time, beating Queen Victoria’s 63 years and 216 days.

When she was first born, it was unlikely that she would have ever become queen. However, her uncle renounced the throne and instead married an American woman. Elizabeth’s father became King George VI in 1936 and was the last Emperor of India.

During World War II, Queen Elizabeth’s father made her an honorary colonel in the 500 Grenadier Guards, which is a Royal Army regiment.

The queen’s engagement to Prince Philip was announced in 1947. They were married in November of the same year. Soon after, her father died of lung cancer and she ascended the throne. She sought to modernize the monarchy.

She worked closely with Winston Churchill during his time as Prime Minister as well as the other 12 prime ministers who have served during her reign.

Queen Elizabeth also televised a Christmas broadcast, with the first being in 1957. She has continued the tradition annually.

Since the time when Elizabeth first ascended the throne, there have been many royal scandals, one of the more famous being the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. During the queen’s 40th year as monarch, Charles and Diana separated. Queen Elizabeth’s other son, Andrew, separated from his wife in the same year and Princess Anne and her husband divorced.

A more recent scandal happened when Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, left the royal family. It was rumored that Queen Elizabeth was not a fan of Meghan because she was different from the other members of the royal family.

Still, Elizabeth remains a very popular royal figure. The U. K. plans to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 with four days of festivities.