September 12, 2022 – Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II died last week at the age of 96. She was the longest reigning British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history. She was also the 2nd longest reigning sovereign in history, after only Louis XIV of France.
Elizabeth was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, making her 3rd in line for the throne behind her uncle, Edward, and her father. She wasn’t expected ever to become queen, since her uncle was young and likely to have children of his own that would precede her. But Edward abdicated the throne less than a year after taking it, making Elizabeth, who was 10 at the time, first in line to the throne.
Elizabeth was only a teenager when World War II broke out. Desperate to join the effort somehow, she began doing radio broadcasts to raise the morale of British children. When she turned 18 in 1945, Elizabeth joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, training as a truck driver and mechanic. She was the only female member of the Royal Family to enter the armed forces.
She married Philip Mountbatten in November 1947. Their marriage lasted 73 years, until his death in 2021. She ascended to the throne at just 25 years old when her father died in February 1952. Though Elizabeth was the most well-traveled head of state, she didn’t own a passport or a driver’s license! All British passports and drivers licenses are officially issued in the Queen’s name, so she technically didn’t need them!
Elizabeth was well known for her love of Pembroke Welsh Corgis. She owned more than 30 of them during her reign. She also helped create a new breed called the Dorgi – a cross between a corgi and a dachshund. The hybrid was started when one of her dogs mated with a Dachshund belonging to Princess Margaret. After the Queen’s death, it was announced that her son, Prince Andrew would be adopting the two surviving royal corgis. Learn more here.