The Queen
The Queen Elizabeth that we see today is only the tip of the iceberg. There is more to her story and she especially holds a variety of records including the longest-lived and reigning British monarch, the longest-serving female head of state in world history and the world’s oldest living monarch.
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And despite all of that recognition, she grew up and transitioned into her position fairly smoothly after her father died in 1952. Since then, everytime she appeared, she would make it a point to express elegance and authority at the same time. See some of her iconic photos over the years below.
In The Beginning
Queen Elizabeth was born on April 21, 1926. Her father was King George VI, who only became King when his older brother Edward VIII abdicated the throne on December 1936. So when her father died in 1952, as the eldest, it was her sole responsibility to take over the throne.
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She was in Kenya with Prince Philip when she heard of her father’s passing. Because of that, they had to quickly end their trip and return to the motherland. In this photo, we can see a young Queen Elizabeth with her then-children, Charles and Anne at Balmoral Castle in Scotland later that year.
Commonwealth Realm
The Queen was all smiles when she left an event with Prince Philip during her visit to Australia in 1954. She often visits the country because it is a Commonwealth Realm – which means they accept Queen Elizabeth as their monarch. Amazing right?
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And it isn’t just Australia that honors the Queen as their rightful monarch, but also countries like Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and more. And usually when the Queen travels overseas, she doesn’t need to carry a passport – ever. Talk about freedom!
The Queen’s Band
The West African Frontier Force was formed by the British Colonial Office some time in the early 1900s to militarize the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and Gambia. They later became recognized as The Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) in 1928.
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Just like any colony, countries that are within the reach of the British Empire are required to form troops in order to protect the crown. In this photo, we can see the Queen walking past the troop during her 1956 visit to Nigeria. She renamed the Nigeria Regiment to the title of Queen’s Own Nigeria Regiment. But it was in 1960 that the RWAFF disbanded when the colony gained independence.
Glamorous Nature
Every time the Queen makes an appearance, whether domestic or international, she is always on point with her fashion sense. Here she is back in 1957 wearing such a glamorous outfit when she met the American superstar Jayne Mansfield.
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Jayne was in town because she was promoting her film Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? – which the Queen had been a special guest at the premier. Though many were surprised that both ladies were super friendly because of Jayne’s Hollywood status being a sex symbol almost comparable to Marilyn Monroe.
It Runs In The Blood
In this photo, we get to see Queen Elizabeth, her younger sister Princess Margaret and their mother also named Elizabeth, though many people refer her as the Queen Mother to avoid confusion. We are sure now that indeed beauty runs in the blood.
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They are seen attending a horserace also known as The Derby at the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey. This is not uncommon as any and all official events that are being celebrated are almost always attended by royals. Unfortunately, in 2002, both Princess Margaret and their mother died just seven weeks apart.
Good Relationships
Despite the difference in culture and a lot of disproportionate views from the general public, all officials including the president of the country always maintain a cordial relationship with the Queen in order to keep the peace. And plus, it’s nothing personal whatever the political disagreements may be.
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Here we have a photo of the Queen with President Dwight D. Eisenhower who served as the president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. Prince Philip and Charles and Anne are also in the photo with President Eisenhower’s son, John, on the far right.
Love For Corgis
Corgis were popularized by the Queen herself. Her love for the breed started out when she was still a child. We can’t blame her though! Corgis are the most pleasant of all small domesticated dogs. They are strong, athletic and spirited herding dogs but at the same time very compassionate.
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Ever since she’s become queen, many people close to her claims that she has had over 30 corgis. But it wasn’t until 2015 that she had vowed to stop breeding the dogs so she wouldn’t leave any behind in the event of her passing. To this day, she has one dog left named Candy.
Courage And Solidarity
Queen Elizabeth has always had her moments of solidarity with the colonies that were once under the British Empire. Take for example, her 1961 visit to Ghana. It was a pretty momentous visit for her and the whole country. Here she is photographed with President Kwame Khrumah. Priceless photo, isn’t it?
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There is more to this photo than what you would expect. Queen Elizabeth has just been replaced as head of state and President Kwame was the target of assassinations, so it was a pretty dangerous time for both. But, against the advice of her counsel, Queen Elizabeth was still determined to go partially because she wanted to show the people that she accepts the change and supports President Kwame as their new leader.
Eventful Year
It was in 1962 that the Queen has just had about a very eventful year. From making appearances to dealing with her growing family with Prince Philip, she was taking it all in stride. Here is a photo of her walking past a troop of Boy Scouts when she attended their gang show.
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Two years before this, she had just given birth to her third child, Prince Andrew and was going to give birth to her fourth and last child, Prince Edward in 1964. She was really taking on that motherly role despite her social responsibilities as Queen of England.
Most Traveled Head Of State
Yes, you heard it right. It is no surprise that Queen Elizabeth is the most widely traveled head of state to ever exist. Why? Because the British Empire is the largest empire in all of human history which means that there is so much land that is covered and is dominated by the crown.
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Here she is in her prime years back in 1963 with Prince Philip when they visited the Outward Bound School for Boys at Aberdovey in Wales. This is part of her royal day to day duties, making appearances and consulting on how to better the organization. Such big responsibilities for one person, if you ask me.
Growing Family
Every time there is a new addition to the royal family, a public appearance is always made. In this photo, we see the new member of the family at the Trooping the Colour celebration that happens in June every year. Prince Edward was born on March 10 1964.
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The festival has been a yearly tradition since the 17th century and it also marks the official birthday of the British sovereign. As part of the festivities, members of the royal family travel down the Mall from Buckingham Palace in a parade with military forces right behind her.
Love Of Horses
It is already common knowledge to many that the queen has always had a knack for horses. It just isn’t the corgis that she favors, but she has always bred horses for racing. People even made so far as a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to her collection of horses.
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In this picture, you see her petting a horse during her official royal tour to Ethiopia in February of 1965. The man just right behind her happily looking on is Emperor Haile Selassie. Obviously the Emperor knows exactly how to keep her happy during her visit.
Queen Of The Bahamas
Queen Elizabeth is not just the Queen of the UK, she is also the honorary Queen of the Bahamas. Although, she is not involved in the country’s daily government business. She only visits every once in a while to make sure that things are kept in order.
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Here she is photographed, speaking on stage during one of her visits wearing a bright yellow sundress adorned with pearls on her neck and ears. She is also duly represented by Sir Cornelius A. Smith as acting Governor-General.
Fit For A Queen
No matter what type of clothes Queen Elizabeth wears, whether it be a simple solid-colored dress or a glamorous gown with her cape and crown, she is unimaginably perfect in every way. Back then when she was younger, as pictured below, she glowed so much and truly enjoyed her role.
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She always has Philip by her side at every event she goes to and here they turn up to attend a service for the Order of St. Michael and St. George at St. Paul’s Cathedral back in 1968. No matter how many times we see photos of her in her younger days, it just seems like she gets better as she ages.
Proud Mother
Even if we rarely ever get the Queen expressing about her family, we know for sure that in this moment pictured below, she could not be any more proud of her eldest son, Prince Charles. She looks on as he stands before the crowd after his investiture.
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This was a very momentous event not only for Prince Charles as he is invested into his new role as the Prince of Wales but also to Queen Elizabeth as she watches her son grow to be the man that he is today. In case anybody forgot, Charles is next in line to the throne. The investiture is somewhat of a mini-rehearsal for when he takes position as king.
Happy Family
It has become more of a tradition for the royal family to take pictures together and publish it for the world to see. They may not be your every day suburban family, but they sure are just like any other tight-knit family behind closed doors.
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I don’t know what it is, but every time they release their family photos, such as this one from 1972, it just brings joy to anyone who practically sees it. Not only were they pictured with smiles plastered on their faces, but it’s just nice to see them in their younger years.
Lady In Blue
In the past, every time a movie was premiered, almost all royals were invited to attend the event. Queen Elizabeth and Philip would always be the first on the list of people to be invited. And it’s no wonder though. Why you may ask?
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Royals are like an attraction – especially the Queen. They practically make every other important person on that list attend because they want to be able to see the Queen in the flesh. Here she is with Prince Philip at the UK premiere of the Murder On The Orient Express.
Iconic Wedding
Who would have thought that Princess Anne, despite being younger, would end up marrying first than her older brother, Prince Charles? Well, she married in 1973 to Mark Phillips and had a son four years after. And being the next in line to the throne, he needed to find someone.
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But it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Prince Charles. He had a string of relationships before he finally settled on marrying Princess Diana in 1981. Here they are photographed shortly after their wedding with Queen Elizabeth smiling right beside her son.
Keeping Safe
Did we mention that the Queen loves her horses? Of course, we did. Just like how she loves her corgis, she really likes her horses top quality. Fast forward to today, people were surprised to see a photo of her released last year at the height of the pandemic.
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She is photographed riding one of her highbred horses. And just in case that anybody forgot how old she really is, she is 94 years old – and riding a horse at that! Queen Elizabeth really deserves the titles she’s given. She intends to make her mark in this world and she’s proof that resiliency to the changes in times really is necessary in order to live longer.