Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II

Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II: Obituary: Queen Elizabeth II bbc.com/news/uk-61605149 BBC News Published 8 September Image source, Chris Levine/Rob Munday © Jersey Heritage Trust The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II was marked by her strong sense of duty and her determination to dedicate her life to her throne and to her people. She became for many the one constant point in a rapidly changing world as British influence declined, society changed beyond recognition and the role of the monarchy itself came into question. Her success in maintaining the monarchy through such turbulent times was even more remarkable given that, at the time of her birth, no-one could have foreseen that the throne would be her destiny. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born on 21 April 1926, in a house just off Berkeley Square in London, the first child of Albert, Duke of York, second son of George V, and his duchess, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Baby Elizabeth with her parents at her christening Both Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret Rose, who was born in 1930, were educated at home and brought up in a loving family atmosphere. Elizabeth was extremely close to both her fath