Queen Elizabeth II Has Died

During childhood, Elizabeth and Margaret were seen as an inseparable pair, despite their four-year age difference. Their bond, which was a subject of great focus from the media, was remarkably close, despite the tension of one being the heir and the other the “spare.” Each had reason to envy the other. Although Elizabeth’s role offered her power, fame, and adulation, Margaret’s allowed her freedom, the ability to socialize as she wanted, and the ability to enjoy privacy. Echoes of their relationship can be seen in that of Princes William and Harry. When Margaret died in 2002, Elizabeth lost a stalwart confidante.

In her late teens, then Princess Elizabeth began undertaking royal duties, making official visits and embarking on an overseas tour of Africa, during which she turned 21. Elizabeth became engaged to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark—a longtime acquaintance and her second cousin—in 1947. The two had first met when Elizabeth was a 13-year-old girl, and she later kept a framed photo of him. Upon their wedding that year, Philip took the last name Mountbatten and became the Duke of Edinburgh. When Elizabeth took the throne, Philip became consort of the British monarch. The marriage was, by most accounts, loving, nurturing, and genuine, with each trying to support the other in unusual roles. “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years,” the Queen said in a speech to mark their 50th anniversary.

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth the Second primarily spent her weeks within the 775 rooms of Buckingham Palace, which is currently undergoing a lengthy renovation that is expected to cost around $500 million. The project is expected to improve accessibility, advance the plumbing and electricity and to protect against water damage. When work began on the East Wing in 2018, 3,000 of the family’s artworks were relocated. For decades, the Queen used Windsor Castle—the 11th-century home and the world’s oldest occupied castle—as a weekend house. More recently she lived there full-time. In 2019, the home’s Inner Hall was opened for the first time since the 1820s after a two-year restoration that revealed the original Regency-era carved ceiling and refreshed the antique windows. Although Buckingham and Windsor were royal residences, the Queen also owned Scotland’s Balmoral Castle and Sandringham Estate as private residences. Balmoral, which many hinted was her favorite home, was a destination for summer vacations, while Sandringham was the site of family Christmases. Balmoral is also where the Queen spent her final days.