Elizabeth II
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor or Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926 -) is the Queen and head of state of the United Kingdom (and several other Commonwealth countries) since February 6, 1952. Her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
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Born in London, England, by Caesarean section she is the eldest daughter of George VI (then Duke of York) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and sister of Princess Margaret. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne following the death of her father.
She married Philip Mountbatten in November 1947. They have four children.
Despite a succession of controversies about the royal family, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s (including wide reportage of Prince Philip's propensity for verbal gaffes, and the marital difficulties of her children), Queen Elizabeth remains a remarkably uncontroversial and widely respected figure. She has managed to reflect the expectations of the British public for the role near-perfectly, with one notable exception when she and the other royals were perceived to be unmoved by the public outpouring of grief following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on August 31, 1997.
She is both a public figure, and, by all accounts, an exceedingly private person. She has never given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except for those few heads of government who have private conversations with her. She reportedly has few close friends, instead preferring the company of horses and corgis, areas in which she, like many of the other royals, is regarded as an expert. External links:
- Official Web Page: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page412.asp
Children of Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip
- Charles Philip Arthur Windsor (b. 14 Nov 1948), Prince of Wales, married (29 July 1981) and divorced (28 Aug 1996) Lady Diana Frances Spencer (1961-1997)
- Anne Elizabeth Alice Windsor (b. 15 Aug 1950), Princess Royal, married (14 Nov 1973) and divorced (28 Apr 1992) Captain Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (b. 1948); married (12 Dec 1992) Commander Timothy Laurence
- Andrew Albert Christian Windsor (b. 19 Feb 1960), Duke of York, married (23 Jul 1986) and divorced (30 May 1996) Sarah Margaret Ferguson (b. 1959)
- Edward Anthony Richard Louis Windsor (b. 10 Mar 1964), Earl of Wessex, married (19 Jun 1999) Sophie Rhys-Jones (b. 1965 )
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Queen Elizabeth is a central character in a series of murder mystery novels by the Canadian author Douglas Whiteway (writing under the penname C. C. Benison). In each one, a murder takes place at one of her estates, and Queen Elizabeth asks the Canadian housemaid Jane Bee to solve the crime, which of course she does.