On February 6th, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. In the contemporary era when democracy has become the mainstream, she is praised as a model of constitutional monarchy with a low-key and steady image.
Learn to live like a civilian from an early age.
Little Elizabeth spent most of her childhood in a room with a simple Scottish woman, Bobo McDonald. Bobo McDonald grew up in a farmhouse and came to the Duke of York (later George VI) as a maid at the age of 26. After Elizabeth was a little more sensible, the nanny taught the little princess to open Christmas and birthday presents hand in hand, then carefully flattened the wrapping paper, rolled up the ribbon and put it in a box for later use. There is no running water in her bedroom, so she can only wash her hands with the water in the jar before going to bed, and she has to clean herself. The future Queen of England spent her childhood in the shadow of the Great Depression. As the royal expenses were cut, she naturally learned the civilian lifestyle from Aunt Bobo, a worker's family.
As the daughter of the youngest son of her grandfather George V, in the first 10 years of her life, Elizabeth's status was the same as that of Princess Beatrice today. She had sincere respect for the crown, but she never expected to inherit the big system. But the old king did not neglect this granddaughter who likes tricycles and toy horses. 1929 At the beginning of this year, George V, who suffered from bronchitis, went to the seaside to recuperate and specially brought Elizabeth with him. In March of that year, grandmother Queen Mary also mentioned in her diary: "Frequent contact with her granddaughter is very important for her health." Unlike other children, only Elizabeth calls her grandfather "Grandpa England".
As the economic crisis continued, Elizabeth's father, Duke of York, sold all his horses and stopped hunting. He hoped that young Elizabeth and her sister Margaret would also set an example. 1932, the royal family hired Welsh workers to build a small house. After attending the home exhibition, the house moved to Windsor Castle, and Elizabeth and her two-year-old sister were responsible for dust removal, just like two housewives. After this scene was filmed and published in a magazine, "frugality" became the first impression of the little princess.
The "perfect gene" of constitutional monarchy
1936 65438+ In February, Elizabeth's life ushered in a big turning point. After the death of George V, my uncle Edward VIII abdicated after being king for several months, and the scepter was naturally passed on to her father George VI. Margaret recalled, "After my father became king, the first question I asked my sister was:' Does this mean that you will become a queen?' "
After childhood experience, the new heir to the throne at this time initially formed his own life style: silence is golden, be careful what you say and do. Since then, her character has been steady, low-key and moderate. In the contemporary era when democracy has become the mainstream, these qualities are widely regarded as the "perfect genes" of constitutional monarchs.
It is not clear to the public that the future queen's character is actually the product of the neutralization of two opposing concepts: her father tends to be strict and professional in education; Mother thinks entertainment is the first choice. One summer, Moses, then the director of the Royal Library, was shocked to find that the Queen had arranged 18 novels for her eldest daughter's summer reading list, but there were no documentary works.
Crawford, the tutor, often disagrees with the hostess. He once complained to the courtiers, "Things are not easy. I always get orders to make heavy homework as simple as possible. " Moses understood Crawford's difficulties and told Queen Mary more than once that "Crawford felt disheartened and this issue should be concerned."
Among the private documents left by the old lady, there is a private letter she wrote to her son about raising her granddaughter: "In case I am gone, remember not to laugh at the children and speak with a pleasant face;" Never bluff, or you will lose their trust. Remember your father? How unhappy you are that he is unreasonable and refuses to help his son. "
Join women soldiers before marriage.
From 65438 to 0940, Elizabeth grew up to be a lively and beautiful girl, but her country was tortured by war. In order to defeat Hitler, the Elizabeth sisters collected tin foil, rolled bandages and knitted socks ... and supported the front line like ordinary women.
Of course, the tense life in wartime also has bright colors. Elizabeth began to associate with the guard officer guarding the castle, and the king and his wife could not help wondering whether the future son-in-law would appear from the castle. What they don't know is that in Elizabeth's heart of hearts, her prince charming is already a navy lieutenant Philip. According to lascelles, the king's private secretary, they danced until the morning at the Christmas ball in 1943. "Elizabeth fell in love with Philip at first sight." .
However, because the king and his wife insisted that their daughter was not suitable for love affairs, Elizabeth first tried to seek independence by other means. On the occasion of her19th birthday, she temporarily left the palace life, joined the local auxiliary force "Women's Army", and wrote her name and rank on the file No.230873-Captain elizabeth alexandra mary windsor. In the next few months, she went to the camp every morning to attend car maintenance training, learned how to change tires and cylinder heads, and returned to Windsor Castle at sunset, at the dinner table.
In the autumn of the second year after the war, Philip formally proposed to Elizabeth while she was on vacation. George VI asked that the two sides should not be made public for the next year, and the conservative Queen Mary was even more skeptical about Philip's talent. Philip hoped that the Empress Dowager would not imagine herself as "argumentative and advocating socialism", so he got up the courage to call home. "After lunch, they came to see me," recalled the Queen Mother, who gave her granddaughter some family jewels. Ali, the maid, was impressed by Philip's dress: "His uniform is very shabby, as if he had just returned from the front." Like the princess who is used to collecting wrapping paper, her fiance also made a similar position: stop extravagance and waste. His performance finally won the recognition of the royal family.
After the wedding, George VI wrote to his daughter: "I am proud of you, but when I gave your hand to the archbishop, I felt that I lost something precious." At this time, Elizabeth was relieved of everything and left this reply: "I have the best parents in the world. I only hope that my children can grow up happily in an environment full of love and fairness. "