Historical Sleepy Story 💤 A History of Queen Elizabeth II 👸 Storytelling and rain

Welcome back to Night Falls, the bedtime show of classic and original stories designed to guide you into a calm and peaceful sleep. I'm Geoffrey. And in tonight's story will be delving into a biography of Queen Elizabeth, the second of England, who grew into her position unexpectedly and nevertheless devoted her life to what she felt was her duty to the world and her family. Elizabeth Alexandra. Mary Windsor, Born on the 21st of April 1926, grew up to be a beloved ruler. Queen Elizabeth, the sec

ond serving with pride, dignity and courage. On the day of her birth. Nobody could have guessed that baby Elizabeth or Lilibet, as her family like to call her, would become the future queen of England and be the longest reigning monarch in British history. For you see, when Elizabeth, Alexandra, mary was born, she was not born into the direct line to the throne. She was born to the second son of the king, which meant she was very unlikely to ever be crowned. However, a series of surprising event

s would unfold over the next ten years that nobody could have predicted, and young Elizabeth's fate would be set the stars aligned to make way for the princess who never should have been queen. Elizabeth was born to the Duke and Duchess of York. Prince Albert and his wife, Lady Elizabeth, Angela, Marguerite Bowes-lyon under the reign of her grandfather, King George the Fifth. Elizabeth, alongside her younger sister, Margaret, lived the first ten years of her life as a young royal with no assumpt

ive duties with her uncle, Prince Edward, as next in line to the throne. Elizabeth would likely never ascend to the throne in her lifetime. Any children that her Uncle Edward had would become the next in line after him, and she and her sister Margaret would be firmly pushed out. While this may sound unappealing to some, to others, this is a blessing. And Elizabeth lived a carefree childhood without the pressures of being an heir to a throne, brought when Elizabeth's grandfather, King George the

Fifth, passed away in 1936, Her uncle stepped up to the throne as King Edward the eighth, becoming the second monarch of the House of Windsor. However, King Edward, the eighth reign did not last for long. Edward abdicated from the throne just 11 months later to marry the twice divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson, thrusting his younger brother, Prince Albert, into the spotlight as heir presumptive to Edward Albert. The Duke of York became king, taking the regal name of George the sixth. No

w, the ten year old Elizabeth's father was the king of the United Kingdom and the dominions of the British Commonwealth. She automatically became the heir presumptive, a path that had never been expected for Elizabeth, despite the sudden turn of events. The young princess took this change to her fate in her stride and embraced her new royal expectations. Although the young princess often wished that her parents would have another child and bear a son to overtake her right to the throne, a brothe

r never came and Elizabeth resigned herself to her new future. Like most children from wealthy families at the time, Elizabeth and Margaret were educated at home. But once she became heir presumptive. Elizabeth had additional subjects she needed to study, such as constitutional history and law. She received tuition from her father and was educated in religion by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Several friends and bound in governesses taught her French a skill which held her in good stead whenever

she made visits to French speaking countries. But the princess also studied art, music and learned to ride horses, a passion that would grow with her through the years. Elizabeth's education was thorough, all in preparation of the Royal duties she would inherit one day. Like most young girls, Elizabeth dreamed of marrying her very own Prince Charming. From the age of 13, Elizabeth had her sights set on one prince in particular, Philip GLUCK'S Bourg, the prince of Greece and Denmark. 13 year old

Elizabeth first met Philip, who was 18 at the time. In 1939, while she was touring the grounds of the Britannia Royal Navy College with her family, Philip was training at the college as a cadet, but he spared an afternoon to enjoy a game of croquet with the royal family and made young Elizabeth laugh by jumping over tennis nets. From that fateful first meeting, young Elizabeth was smitten with the dashing young naval officer, and she thought of nobody else. Like most sweet loves of the era, the

two began to exchange letters throughout the war years. During the Second World War, Philip served with distinction in the British, Mediterranean and Pacific Fleet, while Elizabeth stayed in London with her family and undertook public duties serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. By the time the war was over in 1946, their romance had blossomed and the two young royals were quite in love. Philip wrote in a letter dated from that year to have been spared in the war and seen victory, to hav

e been given the chance to rest and re-adjust myself, to have fallen in love completely and unreservedly makes it all one's personal and even the world's troubles seem small and petty. Nobody quite knows when Philip popped the question, but it is presumed that he proposed to the 20 year old princess on a beautiful June day on the grounds of Balmoral, the British royal family's residence in Scotland. Rather controversially, Philip did not request Elizabeth's father's permission before popping the

question. Despite their sure love for each other, Elizabeth's parents had their reservations about the union. Elizabeth's father, King George the sixth, was hesitant. He feared that Elizabeth was too young and was settling for the first man she had met. Meanwhile, her mother didn't believe Philip was a suitable match for her daughter and dubbed him the Prince Without a Kingdom. The reference to his family being exiled from Greece in 1922. In her eyes, Philip wasn't blue blooded enough to be a f

uture king consort. However, the lovestruck princess was defiant and made it clear to her parents that it was Philip who wants to be her husband or nobody. If she was going to carry the burden of the crown one day, then she needed a man by her side who could make her laugh and keep her happy. During the difficult times. Eventually, her royal parents made a compromise with the young lovers. They wanted the young couple to wait until after Elizabeth's to first birthday before they announced their

engagement. This would give the couple more time to court and a chance to see if their feelings for each other lasted the test of time or whether they faded. Now that the mystery and longing for their love letters from the war were removed. Honoring her father's wishes, the couple delayed making their betrothal public until after the princess turned 21 years old. And on the 9th of July, 1947, they finally announced their engagement to the World. Philip wasn't quite what the Royal Institution exp

ected from a future king consort of England, and he ruffled a few feathers along the way. He was seen to be a bit too brusque and too unpolished. The fact that Philip was of both Greek and German descent made things a little politically uncomfortable in the wake of the recent Second World War. However, all of these seeming imperfections were of no concern to Elizabeth. Philip made Elizabeth laugh and brought a lightness to her heart that was perfectly welcome amidst the serious nature of her wor

k as heir to the throne. She loved Philip and he loved her. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered in her mind. Before their wedding day on the 20th of November, 1947, Philip prepared to take on a new royal title by renouncing his right to the Greek and Danish thrones and by changing his surname from Clarksburg to Mountbatten. His maternal grandparents surname. He officially became a British citizen, removing the risk of a backlash from the British public due to his German connections

. Then, on the 20th of November at Westminster Abbey in London, Elizabeth and Philip wed in front of 2000 people, and Philip became a future king, consort to the future Queen of England. Despite Elizabeth's parents initial reservations with time, they grew to like Philip and welcomed him into their family. They could see how happy he made Elizabeth, and despite his flaws, he appeared to be the perfect man for their daughter. On the wedding day, it is alleged that King George Elizabeth's father w

as overheard commenting to a guest. I wonder if Philip knows what he's taking on. One day, Lilibet will be queen and he will be consort. That's much harder than being a king. But I think he's the man for the job. Elizabeth married her prince, and the world rejoiced with her. The pair enjoyed the next five years as a blissfully happy newlywed couple living for a few years in Malta, where Philip was stationed with the Navy. And they welcomed their first two children, Charles and Dan. While her par

ents may have initially believed Elizabeth's affection for Philip to be merely a young girl's crush, that would fizzle out with time, Elizabeth and Philip's love would go on to last for over seven decades, just as Elizabeth's incredible rise to the throne was written in the stars. So was her successful marriage to her prince. On the night of their 50th wedding anniversary, Elizabeth would make a rare, intimate speech before the prime minister of the time, Tony Blair, and dozens of distinguished

guests at London's banqueting house. She would say of her husband, he is someone who doesn't take easily to compliments, but he has quite simply been my strength and stay. All these years, I and his whole family and this and many other countries owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim. Or we shall ever know. The happy young couple believed that they would have many years ahead of them, enjoying married life and making the most of time with their children relatively carefree. But the fate

s had other plans in store. Only five years after the couple wed, King George passed away at the young age of 56 at Sandringham House. On the day the 25 year old Elizabeth's life changed, she was not with her family at Sandringham House, but instead she was away working on her father's behalf in Kenya due to King George, his ailing health. He'd requested that his daughter embark upon the Commonwealth tour through Africa on his behalf. The the princess and her husband, Philip, the Duke of Edinbur

gh, departed London Heathrow Airport on January 31st, 1952, and on their return, their world had been changed forever. On her last known morning as a princess, Elizabeth was enjoying a Kenyan safari. A keen photographer, Elizabeth was too excited to sleep and stayed up most of the night photographing nocturnal visitors to the watering hole close by to their TreeTop hotel. She enjoyed breakfast with her husband, tossing bananas to the baboons on the ground below. James Corbett, a British hunter w

ho was staying at the Treetops Hotel at the same time as the princess, wrote in the visitor's guest book, a line that would go on to become famous. He wrote, For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day as a princess. And after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree the next day as the Queen, Elizabeth and Philip moved on to a fishing lodge 20 miles away from the hotel where they had been staying. And

while Elizabeth worked in the office, Philip was informed by a local newspaper reporter that the United Kingdom was in a state of mourning. The king had passed away, meaning that 25 year old Elizabeth sitting inside the lodge was now the queen. Philip and Elizabeth took a walk around the grounds, and Philip broke the sad news to his wife. Elizabeth immediately began writing letters to world leaders, apologizing that she would have to cancel the rest of her commonwealth trip. She reacted profess

ionally, accepting her destiny. She had known that this day would one day come and know that it was here. She accepted it nobly. In February 7th, Elizabeth arrived back in London from Africa. Flags were at half mast, sporting events were canceled and many businesses had closed down. London was different to how it had been before, as was Elizabeth's life. A day later, Commonwealth representatives and privy counselors attended an the session council at St James's Palace, where Elizabeth officially

recognized her new role. She announced to the witnesses, by the sudden death of my dear father, I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty. My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work as my father did throughout his reign to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples. And from that moment on, Elizabeth worked to fulfill her promise. Over a year later, on June 2nd, 1953, Elizabeth was officially Crane, the Queen of England, and

her husband, Philip King, consort. Her children, Charles and Dan, became heirs to the throne. And the life of this young family had changed forever. Over 8000 people crammed into Westminster Abbey to witness this momentous event in history. For a moment, the nation forgot about the recent traumatic war and looked forward to an optimistic postwar future. With Elizabeth at the helm, Elizabeth emerged from her coronation as the queen of the Commonwealth, a body of eight states with over half a bill

ion people living across her domain. However, during Elizabeth's reign, she would see much change and watch as the Commonwealth dismantled. The sun was already setting on the British Empire by the time Elizabeth took the throne and during her 70 year reign, 17 countries discarded the monarchy and became republics. One at one time, the British monarchy had ruled over a quarter of the world's population as the largest empire in history. Its power was fading fast and the Queen could do little to st

op it. Queen Elizabeth. The second reign was far from easy, filled with many internal family dramas, brutal tabloid coverage, national and international disasters to navigate. Yet through it all, Elizabeth carried her head held high and rose above the difficult times, maintaining an air of professionalism, grit and strength. In choosing to focus on what was in the nation's best interests, she also saw many successes and wonderful moments during her reign, both in her royal life and her personal

life. After Charles and Dan, Elizabeth and Philip welcomed two more sons, Andrew and Edward, firmly cementing the royal lineage of the House of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth took her lifelong commitment to serving her country very seriously. The Queen's Army, public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work, and she had links with over 500 charities, professional bodies and public service organizations. Her patronages and charities covered a huge range of initiatives fro

m preserving wildlife and the environment to creating opportunities for young people. She attended many engagements and overseas tours, building bonds with other countries, whilst also taking the time to appreciate and honor subject within her own realms. The Queen presented tens of thousands of people with their insignia over the course of her reign, conferring titles such as and BS, Obes and CBOs to people from all walks of life in recognition of their merit service and bravery. As head of sta

te, she also acted as diplomat and hostess to overseas visitors, and she was famously able to encourage or warn against bills in Parliament and formally agree to make them into laws as a whole. The Queen had to remain politically neutral, but she could still advise on matters much changed in society. During the Queen's 70 year reign. Technology vastly developed and the media had many new outlets for their reporting. On Christmas Day, 1957. Queen Elizabeth became the first monarch ever to make an

announcement on television and quickly cemented the Christmas Day tradition of the Queen's Speech, a tradition that will no doubt continue for all monarchs to come on the 29th of July, 1981. 750 million people worldwide tuned in on their TV sets to watch the marriage of Elizabeth and Philip's eldest son and future heir to the throne, Prince Charles, to Lady Diana Spencer, the prince and Princess of Wales. His marriage signified the start of a new generation of the monarchy and things couldn't h

ave appeared more perfect and blissful. Diana was a perfect match for the future heir. She was young, beautiful, charitable and exceptional with the public. Most importantly, there were no skeletons lurking in her closet. Diana was the ideal definition of a modern princess, and the press and the public couldn't get enough of her. Diana's activism, glamor and popularity raised the royal family's profile with the British public, and she was aptly dubbed the People's Princess. During their marriage

, Prince Charles and Diana welcomed two sons into the world, William and Harry, who instantly became future heirs to the throne. What should have been a celebratory 40th year on the throne in 1992 turned out to be arguably the lowest point in Elizabeth's reign. In a speech made by the Queen, she claimed that the year 1992 was her annus horribilis due to the long list of unfortunate events that cast her family. But after everything, royals, scandals and all at the end of the year, Queen Elizabeth

, the second, made one of her most honest and vulnerable speeches to the public, garnering an unexpected standing ovation and a surge in support for the monarch. 1992 had certainly shown that the queen was a human being just the same as everybody else. In spite of her birthright and privilege, the queen famously confessed in that speech, 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents. It has turned out to be an ann

us horribilis. No institution, city, monarchy, whatever should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support. Not to mention those who don't. But we are all part of the same fabric of our national society. And that scrutiny by one party or another can be just as effective if it is made with a touch of gentleness, good humor and understanding. The year 2022 marked 70 years on the throne for Queen Elizabeth, and she became the first monarch in British history t

o celebrate her platinum jubilee. All over England and across the world. Citizens celebrated the Queen's incredible achievement with street parties, concerts and copious amounts of Victoria sponge cake. Commemorative stamps and coins were issued by several Commonwealth nations, and in many places, trees were planted in the Queen's honor. It was a grand celebration for a truly grand monarch. Ever the expert in delivering inspiring, heartfelt messages to the public. Queen Elizabeth said of her asp

irations to the future on her platinum Jubilee. As I look ahead with a sense of hope and optimism to the year of my platinum Jubilee, I am reminded of how much we can be thankful for. These last seven decades have seen extraordinary progress socially, technologically and culturally that have benefited us all. And I am confident that the future will offer similar opportunities to us, and especially to the younger generations of the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth. The Queen thanked

everybody for their support, loyalty and affection over the years and signed off her message to the public as your servant. Even after 70 years as monarch, Elizabeth still respected and felt appreciative to her subjects and credited them as the heart and soul of her reign. Queen Elizabeth, the second, not only guided her kingdom after the Second World War, navigated the modern, ever changing landscape and provided support throughout a worldwide pandemic. But she also brought an inspiring streng

th and warmth to her position as ruler. She believed in the power of her people and happily greeted and spoke with as many of her subjects as she could. She was a symbol of stability, commitment and pride throughout her time on the throne, when Queen Elizabeth, the second's reign, came to an end on September the sixth, 2020, to the age of 96. A nation mourned the passing of a great and noble ruler in the 70 years the Queen Elizabeth reigned. She was Queen Regnant of 32 sovereign states. Over the

course of her lifetime and was served by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms, She celebrated her silver, gold, diamond and platinum jubilees, some of which had never been celebrated before, by a monarch in the history of England. She brought forward children into the world and welcomed eight grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren in her lifetime. She enjoyed almost 74 years of happy marriage to her one true love, Philip and her eldest son, Charles. The Prince of Wales, ascended to

the British throne as the king of England. Upon her passing, the princess who never should have been queen, not only unexpectedly sat on the throne at the tender age of 25, but she went on to be the longest reigning monarch in British history and hold the longest verified reign of any female head of state in history. She surpassed everybody's expectations of her. Queen Elizabeth The second may not have had the easiest of rides like every person on this planet, and encountered many trials and tr

ibulations through the years. But her enduring strength, wisdom and loyalty saw her enjoy an illustrious and successful reign on the throne and earned her a fond place in many millions of people's hearts across the globe.