How Elizabeth II became a queen, why she almost missed out
She is the longest-serving British monarch in history, but she was not born to be Queen. In fact, there’s a scandalous story behind how she wound up on the throne.
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The royal baby girl born between two World Wars in London in 1926 was just 10 years old when her world changed forever.
Her father Albert was the spare, not the heir.
His older brother David, Elizabeth’s uncle, inherited the throne when their father, King George V, died on January 20, 1936. David took the regnal name Edward and became King Edward VIII.
Princess Elizabeth continued her peaceful childhood, enjoying a privileged upbringing in London and a close family unit with her father, mother Elizabeth and sister Margaret, four years younger than her.
That was until December 10, 1936.
After just 325 days on the throne, King Edward VIII announced he was abdicating, giving up the throne and moving to France so he could marry his lover, the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. He had no children, so the next in line to the throne was Elizabeth’s father Albert the Duke of York.
Albert took the regnal name George, one of his middle names, and became King George VI.
He had no sons, so his oldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, became the heir to the throne at the age of 10.
King George and his wife Elizabeth produced no sons in the next 15 years, so when the king died on February 6, 1952 from lung cancer, Princess Elizabeth became the Queen.
She was 25 years old, had married Prince Philip in 1947 and had two small children. The oldest of them, Prince Charles, found himself the heir apparent at the age of just three years.
A documentary by British TV network Channel 5, broadcast in 2017, showed how the news was received in the House of Windsor when Edward abdicated the throne.
According to Elizabeth: Our Queen, the young princess was attending swimming lessons on December 10, 1936, and learning lifesaving techniques.
She returned to their home, known as 145 Piccadilly, to write up her notes after class when she heard cries of “God Save the King” from outside.
Going to investigate, she asked a royal footman what had happened and he told her that her uncle had abdicated and her father was now the king.
Princess Elizabeth ran to find Princess Margaret to discuss the news.
According to the documentary, Margaret asked her: “Well, does that mean you’re going to be Queen one day?”
The Queen replied “yes, some day’’ to which Margaret replied “poor you!” Elizabeth headed her swimming notes that day “Abdication Day.’’
Those twists of fate almost a century ago led to a Queen who served on the throne for 70 years and 78 days, making her the longest-serving sovereign in British history, and the longest-serving monarch in the world today.
Originally published as How Elizabeth II became a queen, why she almost missed out
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