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THE
MONARCHY RESTORED
In 1649, following the execution of King Charles I and
the abolition of the monarchy, almost every piece of the
existing English regalia was sold off or melted down.
Only four items of the ancient coronation regalia - 3
swords and the Coronation Spoon - were to find their way
back into the collection after the restoration of the
monarchy.
St
Edward's Crown, 1661
For
over 600 years kings and queens of England have stored
crowns, robes and other valuable items of ceremonial
regalia at the Tower of London. Since the 17th century,
at least, this collection has been known as the 'Crown
Jewels' and has been shown to visitors to the Tower.
HM
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
The
Queen was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first
child of The Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was
christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at
Buckingham Palace.
The
Princess's early years were spent at 145 Piccadilly, the
London house taken by her parents shortly after her
birth; at White Lodge in Richmond Park; and at the
country homes of her grandparents, King George V and
Queen Mary, and the Earl and Countess of Strathmore.
When she was six years old, her parents took over Royal
Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their own country home.
Princess
Elizabeth was educated at home with Princess Margaret,
her younger sister. After her father succeeded to the
throne in 1936 and she became heir presumptive, she
started to study constitutional history and law. She
also studied art and music; learned to ride (she has
been a keen horsewoman since early childhood); and
enjoyed amateur theatricals and swimming - she won the
Children's Challenge Shield at London's Bath Club when
she was thirteen. She enrolled as a Girl Guide when she
was eleven, and later became a Sea Ranger.
As
the Princess grew older she began to take part in public
life. She broadcast for the first time in October 1940,
when she was 14; she sent a message during the BBC's
children's programme to all the children of Britain and
the Commonwealth, particularly to those children who
were being evacuated for safety reasons. In early1942
she was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Grenadier
Guards, and on her sixteenth birthday she carried out
her first public engagement, when she inspected the
regiment. In April 1943, Princess Elizabeth carried out
her first solo public engagement, when she spent a day
with a Grenadier Guards tank battalion in Southern
Command.
Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth
Thereafter
her official duties increased, particularly in
connection with young people: she was President of the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in Hackney and the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children. From March 1944 onwards, she also began to
accompany the King and Queen on many of their tours
within Britain.
Shortly after her eighteenth birthday in 1944, Princess
Elizabeth was appointed a Counsellor of State during the
King's absence on a tour of the Italian battlefields
and, for the first time, carried out some of the duties
of Head of State. In August that year, with Queen
Elizabeth, the Princess received an address from the
House of Commons, and replied on behalf of the Throne.
In September 1944, the Princess carried out her first
official tour of Scotland with her parents, including
her first opening ceremony in October when she opened
the recently reconstructed Aberdeen Sailors' Home. The
Princess's first flight by air was in July 1945, when
she accompanied the King and Queen on a two-day visit to
Northern Ireland.
In
early 1945 the Princess was made a Subaltern in the
Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). By the end of the
war she had reached the rank of Junior Commander, having
completed her course at No. 1 Mechanical training Centre
of ATS and passed out as a fully qualified driver.
After
the end of the war, Princess Elizabeth's public
engagements continued to grow, and she travelled
extensively to attend public functions throughout the
British Isles. These included the launching of a new
aircraft carrier in Belfast and a tour of Ulster in
March 1946, and attending the National Eisteddfod of
Wales in August 1946.
Her
first official overseas visit took place in 1947, when
she accompanied her parents and sister on a tour of
South Africa. During this tour she celebrated her
twenty-first birthday, and gave a broadcast address
dedicating herself to the service of the Commonwealth -
a dedication she repeated five years later on her
accession to the throne.
On
her return from the South Africa tour, Princess
Elizabeth received the freedom of the City of London in
June 1947; in July, she received the freedom of the city
of Edinburgh. In
November 1947, Princess Elizabeth was created a Lady of
the Garter at a private investiture by the King.
Princess
Elizabeth
MARRIAGE
AND FAMILY
Shortly after the Royal Family returned from South
Africa, the Princess's engagement to Lieutenant Philip
Mountbatten was announced. The couple, who had known
each other for many years, were married in Westminster
Abbey on 20 November 1947. Lieutenant Mountbatten, now
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,
was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and a
great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.
The
Royal couple had four children, and seven grandchildren.
Prince Charles, now The Prince of Wales, Heir apparent
to the throne, was born in 1948, and his sister,
Princess Anne, now The Princess Royal, two years later.
After Princess Elizabeth became Queen, their third
child, Prince Andrew, arrived in 1960 and the fourth,
Prince Edward, in 1964. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward
were the first children to be born to a reigning monarch
since Queen Victoria had her family.
Their
grandchildren are Peter and Zara Phillips (b. 1977 and
1981); Prince William of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales
(b. 1982 and 1984); Princess Beatrice of York and
Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1988 and 1990); and The
Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of The Earl and Countess
of Wessex (b. 2003).
HM
Queen Elizabeth II coronation day 2 June 1953
ACCESSION
AND CORONATION
After her marriage Princess Elizabeth paid formal visits
with The Duke of Edinburgh to France and Greece; in
autumn 1951 they toured Canada. She also visited Malta
four times while The Duke was stationed there on naval
duties. In 1952, King George VI's illness forced him to
abandon his proposed visit to Australia and New Zealand.
The Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his
place. On 6 February, during the first stage of this
journey, in Kenya, she received the news of her father's
death and her own accession to the throne.
Her
Majesty's coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on
2 June 1953.
Representatives
of the peers, the Commons and all the great public
interests in Britain, the Prime Ministers and leading
citizens of the other Commonwealth countries, and
representatives of foreign states were present. The
ceremony was broadcast on radio around the world and, at
The Queen's request, on television. It was television,
then in its relative infancy, that brought home the
splendour and the deep significance of the coronation to
many hundreds of thousands of people in a way never
before possible. The coronation was followed by drives
through every part of London, a review of the fleet at
Spithead, and visits to Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Wales.
In 1660-1, the regalia was entirely remade for
King Charles II and it is these objects, among them the
crown, orb and sceptres with which Queen Elizabeth II
was invested at her coronation, which form the heart of
the collection in the Tower of London today.
The
Coronation Regalia
Among the objects on display in the Jewel House are the
magnificent solid-gold St Edward's Crown (1661) made for
the coronation of Charles II and used to crown Queen
Elizabeth II in 1953; the Imperial State Crown (1937),
worn by the sovereign on great state occasions; and the
Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign's Orb,
used at the coronation of every monarch for 350 years.
Some of the world's most exceptional and historic
precious stones are to be found adorning objects in the
collection. Among them Cullinan I and Cullinan II, the
two largest top-quality cut diamonds in the world and
the extraordinary and ancient Koh-i-Noor diamond. Other
famous stones include the Stuart Sapphire, the Black
Prince's Ruby, and St Edward's Sapphire all set in the
Imperial State Crown.
The Swords of Temporal Justice, Spiritual Justice and
Mercy (the Curtana), c1626
ROLE
AS MONARCH
In winter 1953 Her Majesty set out to accomplish, as
Queen, the Commonwealth tour she had begun before the
death of her father. With The Duke of Edinburgh she
visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar. This was
the first of innumerable tours of the Commonwealth they
have undertaken at the invitation of the host
governments. During the past fifty years The Queen and
Prince Philip have also made frequent visits to other
countries outside the Commonwealth at the invitation of
foreign Heads of State.
Since
her Coronation, The Queen has also visited nearly every
county in Britain, seeing new developments and
achievements in industry, agriculture, education, the
arts, medicine and sport and many other aspects of
national life.
As
Head of State, The Queen maintains close contact with
the Prime Minister, with whom she has a weekly audience
when she is in London, and with other Ministers of the
Crown. She sees all Cabinet papers and the records of
Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings. She receives
important Foreign Office telegrams and a daily summary
of events in Parliament.
Her
Majesty acts as host to the Heads of State of
Commonwealth and other countries when they visit
Britain, and receives other notable visitors from
overseas. She holds Investitures in Britain and
during her visits to other Commonwealth countries, at
which she presents honours to people who have
distinguished themselves in public life.
As
Sovereign, Her Majesty is head of the Navy, Army and
Air
Force of Britain. On becoming Queen she succeeded her
father as Colonel-in-Chief of all the Guards Regiments
and the Corps of Royal Engineers and as Captain-General
of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Honourable
Artillery Company. At her Coronation she assumed similar
positions with a number of other units in Britain and
elsewhere in the Commonwealth. (A full list appears in
Whitaker's Almanack.)
HM
Queen Elizabeth II
Every
year, Her Majesty entertains some 48,000 people from all
sections of the community (including visitors from
overseas) at Royal Garden Parties and other occasions.
At least three garden parties take place at Buckingham
Palace and a fourth at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in
Edinburgh. Additional 'special' parties are occasionally
arranged, for example to mark a significant anniversary
for a charity. In 1997, there was a special Royal Garden
Party attended by those sharing The Queen and The Duke
of Edinburgh's golden wedding anniversary. In the summer
of 2002 there was a special Golden Jubilee Garden Party
for individuals born on Accession Day, 6 February 1952.
Her
Majesty also gives regular receptions and lunches for
people who have made a contribution in different areas
of national and international life. She also appears on
many public occasions such as the services of the Orders
of the Garter and the Thistle; Trooping the Colour; the
Remembrance Day ceremony; and national services at St
Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
The
Queen is Patron or President of over 700 organisations.
Each year, she undertakes a large number of engagements:
some 478 in the UK and overseas in 2003.
HM
Queen Elizabeth II
THE
QUEEN'S MESSAGE TO VICTIMS OF THE EARTHQUAKE IN ASIA
DECEMBER 2004
Her Majesty sends her condolences to the countries
that have been affected. Click
here to read The Queen's message to the Foreign
Secretary
 
Further information about the Crown Jewels can be found
in the Official Crown Jewels Guidebook.
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