A QUEEN ADORED: ENGLAND'S ELIZABETH II

Countess of Longford, Elizabeth Pakenham, was born in London England in 1906.

She attended Lady Margaret Hall and Oxford University where she studied classical
history and philosophy. She later married Oxford professor and politician, the
seventh Earl of Longford in 1931, with whom she had eight children. She worked as
a tutor from 1930-36 in the Worker's Educational Association, and was a member of
the Paddington and St. Pomcras Rent Tribunal from 1946-51. She was also a Labour
party candidate for Cheltenham, and later for the City of Oxford. After both
campaigns proved unsuccessful, Longford began her career as a writer in 1954, where
she concentrated on the topic of parenting. She later turned her focus to British
history, and became recognized for her talent as a biographer. She was awarded the
James Tait Memorial Prize for best biography in 1964 for Victoria R.I. Longford
claimed the Yorkshire Post Book of the Year Award twice with Wellington,1969, and
The Royal House of Windsor, Winston Churchill in 1974. It is with this same
thoroughness and true human interest that she captures the life of England's
reigning monarch in The Queen; The Life of Elizabeth II.
Though surveys have revealed that at any one time between 15 and 30% of the
English people claim they would prefer a republic, the majority uphold the
traditional support of the monarchy, as has been the English custom for over a
thousand years. Since 1952 the endeared Queen Elizabeth II has played this role in
her country's politics as an important aspect of the modern nation's identity. As
she has proved neither conservative nor liberal in her stance, she has so come to
symbolize a popular democracy.
It was raining on the sunless April day in 1926 when Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
announced to her husband of three years that it was time. The Duke and Duchess of
York were anticipating the birth of their first child. As the doctors were soon to
discover, this was not to be a routine delivery. The child was breech and as night
fell the decision to perform a cesarean section was made and thus commenced. The
operation a success, at 2:40 AM, Wednesday, April 21, a princess was born. As is
characteristic of cesarean birth, the first granddaughter of King GeorgeV and Queen
Mary was particularly immaculate with a shapely head, fair hair, and pink skin.
Her bright blue eyes were framed by long dark lashes. She was christened Elizabeth
Alexandra Mary, after her mother, great-grandmother, and grandmother the Queen.
Her delighted father wrote to his royal parents to announce the new arrival and
express his hope that they would be as satisfied with the birth of a girl as were
he and his wife. As she was born third in line of an unlikely succession, a
granddaughter was a refreshing delight. As one more of sentiment, the ideal of a
little Princess had an immediate public appeal as well.
In the same year of Elizabeth's birth, there were other significant changes
within the Commonwealth. The white "colonies" had grown into self-governing
"dominions". The Commonwealth would now be comprised of nation-states which were
to co-exist in absolute equality with one another and the "mother country". The
king was to be the binding force for this partnership of nations as he was to
symbolize their common values of patriotism, history, and culture. The Imperial
Conference of 1926 would reaffirm these common beliefs of liberty, equality, and
unity in the Balfour Report.
The English people were very taken with little Elizabeth. Longford writes,
"part of [her] immense appeal was due to her vivacity and comic fervor in doing
what was expected of her". Though Elizabeth's childhood was quite sheltered, she
found access to the rest of the world through the many nursery toys her parents
endowed her with. Miniature delivery vans of bread and garden supplies represented
the everyday jobs of the people. A Christmas present of a dustpan and brush also
symbolized work in the real world, and possibly served as a tool in the development
of a remarkable tidiness that followed her through adulthood. Her many ponies also
served as a learning experience through the necessity of their care in grooming,
feeding, and watering.
 She was a very bright child as well. Her mother began teaching her to read
at the age of five, the same age she had began to learn. Much like her mother,
Elizabeth caught on very quickly. This may be greatly attributed to the amount of
attention the Duchess was able to give the Princess. She had put all of her social
engagements on hold due to her current disposition of pregnancy. In 1930, on a day
not unlike that of Elizabeth II's birth, the Duchess gave birth to yet another
daughter. Named Margaret Rose, she was to be Elizabeth's only sibling. The new
sister would also bring many new experiences into the life of the future Queen.
Longford writes,"[had] the princess remained an only child, her tranquil and
responsive temperament might have lacked the stimulus of confrontations, however
affectionate, in childhood". Margaret Rose was to be yet another tool in the
molding of England's present monarch.
As the young Princess Elizabeth was meticulous, even to the point of
obsessiveness, she maintained a similar character in the classroom. She was found
to be conscientious, reasonable, and attentive to detail. She was self-disciplined
and well trained in what was considered proper behavior for a princess. To offset
the risk of portraying her as too perfect a child, she was also noted to have been
somewhat wanting in the area of arithmetic (an area her grandfather thought
unnecessary for her to master) and a poor knitter as well. One of her favorite
pastimes was the devotion of her time to her horses (the two sisters had eventually
acquired over 30).
In late January of 1936,(later recognized as the year of three kings),the
death of her grandfather King George V brought little Elizabeth's first stage of
youth to a close. Under the opinion of the nursery and school-room the King's
favorite grandchild was advised not to attend the ceremonies. However, intent on
doing the proper thing, she did not heed this advice and went along-side her
parents. Her father's older brother, Edward VIII, would thus assume the
throne. His reign would be short lived ,however, as he would meet an American
woman who had already divorced twice, and ask her hand in marriage. As this was
not acceptable behavior for a king Edward was given the choice to break off the
engagement or abdication from the throne. He choose abdication, leaving her
father, King George VI the acquisition of the crown, and Princess Elizabeth of York
heir presumptive.
At the age of 13 the Princess met her third cousin, Prince Philip Mountbatten
of Greece who was then18. Quite taken with him upon their first meeting, Elizabeth
watched as he showed off in a college tennis match. About four years later Prince
Phillip, also having been love stricken, would return to watch Elizabeth in her
performance of Aladdin.
The next four years were to lead Elizabeth into womanhood. Firstly, this
development began with her Confirmation, performed on March 1,1942 by the same
Archbishop of Canterbury who had christened her. In1942 she registered in the
Labour Exchange, and in1945 she was finally called to serve as Second Subaltern
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor of the Auxiliary Transport Service where she was
to learn to be a mechanic of sorts. In 1945 the war was brought to a close, and
with the return of Prince Philip, the two were engaged by the following year.
They were married on November 20,1947. Three months later she was to become
pregnant. Six days before their first wedding anniversary, the Princess was to
give birth to Prince Charles Philip Arthur George at Buckingham Palace. The whole
countryside joined in celebration. The Princess felt she had finally achieved some
form of the cherished ordinary life as a wife and mother. 1950 brought even more
of the same with the birth of six pound Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise. This
fairy-tale existence of an "ordinary" life was not to last for long. King George's
health was failing because of cancer, though he was never given the diagnoses.
Elizabeth's doting father died peacefully in his sleep during the early hours of
February 6, 1952.
She was to be crowned Queen Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender
of the Faith, just after the death of Queen Mary in March of 1953. As Head of the
Commonwealth the Queen serves as an important aspect of the modern nation's
identity. Unlike the President of the United States, she does not run for office,
and does not dominate her country's politics and policies. Throughout her reign
she has come to symbolize a popular democracy in which she neither takes an extreme
stance to the right or left, but holds firm on the middle ground. The two
principal rights that the parliamentary body has bestowed on her are the right to
appoint a prime minister, and the right to dissolve parliament before the end of
its term. She also holds three other general rights, the right to be consulted,
the right to encourage, and the right to warn. She has consistently demonstrated
her grace, temperament, and competence under the possession of her crown.
She has been as doting a mother to her country as to her four children. An
untainted illustration of a lady, she is an example and inspiration to both royalty
and the common man alike.
Elizabeth Longford's portrayal of the life of Queen Elizabeth II goes
unrefuted. She has brought forth a vivid and candid portraiture of her subject.
She obviously displays great admiration for the reigning Queen, but has also tried
to capture her human side, in weaknesses and strengths alike to give a true account
of the life of England's little Princess, Queen Elizabeth II.