30 Photos of a Young Queen Elizabeth Before She Ruled the United Kingdom
Updated: Jun. 17, 2022Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the United Kingdom's longest reigning monarch, having ascended the throne in 1952 at age 25. Here are some snapshots of what her life was like before her coronation.
1926: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is born
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of York was born on April 21, 1926. She’s pictured here with her mother, Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, who was the wife of Prince Albert “Bertie” of York. Since Bertie was the second-born son of the reigning monarch, King George V, no one, and least of all the princess, herself, had any clue Elizabeth would one day be queen.
1927: Princess Elizabeth as a toddler
When Princess Elizabeth was learning to speak, she had trouble pronouncing her name, referring to herself as “Lilibet,” and the name stuck. Outgoing and plucky, Lilibet was one of the few people on the planet who wasn’t intimidated by the man she called “Grandpa England,” whom she led by his beard as if he were a horse, according to TIME.
1927: Princess Elizabeth with Mom and Dad
The Duke and Duchess of York are seen with Princess Elizabeth just after their return from Australia. How cute is this royal baby? She looks just like a little Shirley Temple with that hair.
1932: The Royal Tournament
Arriving at the Royal Tournament in 1932, Princess Elizabeth was dressed like the proper princess that she was, but she generally lived a quiet life outside the spotlight. Until the birth of her sister, Princess Margaret Ann, she played with the children of businessmen and doctors, as opposed to the children of royals.
1933: The Little House
Elizabeth is photographed posing on the steps of Y Bwthn Bach (The Little House), the playhouse given to her by the people of Wales. (This playhouse is larger than many actual family homes.)
1933: Playtime
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret can be seen playing on the grounds of the model house on Margaret’s 6th birthday. Just a little sisterly love!
1936: Princess Elizabeth with two corgis
Pictured with two of her Corgis in 1936, Princess Elizabeth likely has little awareness of the constitutional crisis brewing as a result of King Edward VIII’s romance with the still-married, once-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. Her divorce, among other things, made her an inappropriate king’s “consort,” but Edward declared his intention to marry her and make her his queen. By the end of 1936, Edward would abdicate the throne after learning the British people wouldn’t be able to support their King’s marriage to a divorcee, leaving Elizabeth’s father, Bertie, as King (King George VI) and Elizabeth as the presumptive heir. One thing that hasn’t changed, even today? Elizabeth’s love of Corgis.
1937: The future Queen and her sister at play
It was around this time that Princess Elizabeth realized she was now the presumptive heir to the throne. (She could not be heir “apparent” because theoretically, her father could still have fathered a son, who in the days of male primogeniture, would bump Elizabeth from the line of succession.) Today, Elizabeth helped do away with male progeniture.
1940: Royalty
The royal family is pictured hanging out at the Royal Lodge in Windsor with the royal dogs Ching, Carol, and Crackers.
1943: Young Queen Elizabeth with one of her horses
Elizabeth started riding at age 3 and has owned many horses throughout her life. Here she is, at age 17, with one of her many horses during Harvest Time at Sandringham in Norfolk.
1944: Elizabeth turns 18
The 18th birthday of an heir (apparent or presumptive) signifies that the heir could become monarch at any time without the need for a regent to act on his/her behalf. Here, Elizabeth answers a telephone greeting on her 18th birthday, April 21, 1944.
1945: A Princess does her military duty
It took a lot of cajoling, but eventually, Elizabeth got her father, King George VI, to agree to allow her to join the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War II, for which she donned coveralls and trained as a mechanic and truck driver. According to history, the Queen is the only female royal family member to have entered the armed forces. She may also be the only royal female who can change a spark plug.
1946: The Princess does her duty for fashion
The current Princesses of the United Kingdom are not the first to have been on almost constant style-watch. Here, Princess Elizabeth is pictured modeling what can only be described as a truly fabulous, fashion-forward hat. Find out why the Queen always wears bright colors.
1947: Sisters posing
Elizabeth and her sister Margaret are pictured posing together at the Royal Lodge in Windsor on July 8, 1946.
1947: A future Queen’s promise
On April 21, 1947, on the occasion of her 21st birthday, Princess Elizabeth announces her intention to serve as Queen for life (when the time comes) and promises her loyalty and faithfulness in serving. Find out exactly what Queen Elizabeth has the power to do.
1947: Wedding day
On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten were married at Westminster Abbey. To marry Elizabeth, Philip, who was born into the royal families of Greece and Denmark, had to renounce his birth titles (Prince of Greece and Denmark.) In return, his father-in-law-to-be named him Duke of Edinburgh, Baron Greenwich, and Earl of Merioneth. Here’s the real reason Prince Philip was never considered king.
1947: Newlyweds
Just a few days after the big royal wedding, Elizabeth and Philip are photographed on their honeymoon at Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire, after they left the palace showered in rose petals.
1948: The pregnant Princess Elizabeth
During the summer of 1948, Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, are snapped arriving at Ballater Station en route to Balmoral for a family vacation (or “holiday,” as they say in England). At this time, Elizabeth is six months pregnant with her first child, Prince Charles.
1950: Prince Charles
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Charles are pictured watching a procession during the visit of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, from the wall of Clarence House in London.
1951: Princess Elizabeth and her baby daughter
Princess Anne is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Born Her Royal Highness Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise of Edinburgh on August 15, 1950, Anne will later become Princess Royal, a title the monarch may bestow on his/her eldest daughter.
1951: Family photo
Princess Elizabeth is pictured here with her husband Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, along with their two children Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Clarence House in London.
1952: A last look at the Princess
On February 2, 1952, Colonel Mervyn Cowie opens the visitors’ book for Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to sign upon their arrival at Nairobi National Park for a tour, during which they slept in a hotel built as a treehouse. Philip is chatting in the background with Cowie’s daughter, Mitzie. Four days later, King George VI would be dead, and the Princess would ascend the throne as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Read more to discover why, on that trip, Elizabeth was one of the last to know she had become Queen.
Sources
- History.com: “8 Things You May Not Know About Queen Elizabeth II”
- TIME: “Elizabeth Didn’t Expect to Be Queen. Here’s How It Happened”
- Royal.uk: “Wartime broadcast, 1940”
