FEB 6, QE II Diamond Jubilee

I've always been fascinated with the English monarchy. So I would be remiss if I didn't mention that sixty years ago today, upon the death of her father, King George VI, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary became Queen Elizabeth II.

Commonly called the Queen of England, she is actually the constitutional monarch of 16 out of 54 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Head of the Commonwealth. As the British monarch, she is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

She wasn't born to be Queen.

Her father was the second son of King George V. The firstborn was her uncle Edward. He ascended the throne as King Edward VIII upon the death of George V in 1936. However, less than a year later, Edward revealed his desire to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

For political and religious reasons, he could not marry Mrs Simpson and remain king. Edward abdicated in order to marry, and Elizabeth’s father, becoming George VI, ascended the throne as the third monarch of the House of Windsor.

During 1951, King George VI's health declined and Elizabeth (who had married Prince Phillip in 1947) was frequently standing in for him at public events. In October of that year, she visited President Truman in Washington, D.C.; on the trip, her private secretary, Martin Charteris, carried a draft accession declaration for use if the King died while she was on tour.

In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand via Kenya. On February 6 1952, just after returning to their Kenyan home, word arrived of the death of Elizabeth's father. Philip broke the news to the new queen. She was just shy of 26 years old.

Martin Charteris asked her to choose a regnal name; she chose to remain Elizabeth, "of course". She was proclaimed queen throughout her realms, and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom.


Queen Elizabeth’s reign of 60 years is the second-longest for a British monarch; only Queen Victoria has reigned longer at nearly 64 years.

Recent legislation in the commonwealth, which allows the firstborn child of Prince William, the future king, to ascend the throne, has brought the monarchy into more modern times.

A celebration of her Diamond Jubilee is planned for June 2012 when London weather will be more enjoyable.