Woman of the Year: Queen Elizabeth the Second

Woman of the Year: 1953-Queen Elizabeth II

From the day she was born, the life of Queen Elizabeth II shows that she deserved to receive the title “Woman of the Year.” She had practical intelligence since she was a kid and she respected peoples opinions.
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926 at the London home of her mother's parents, Lord and Lady Strathmore. She was baptized at Buckingham
Palace and named Elizabeth Alexandra Mary five weeks later.
Elizabeth's father was Albert, the Duke of York. He was the second son of King George V. When his dad died in 1936, his brother was supposed to become king but he resigned. So he became king. Her mother was Lady Elizabeth
Bowes-Lyon. She was a member of the Scottish aristocracy. Her sister Margaret
Rose was born on August 21, 1930, when she was 4 years old in Glamis Castle.
Her grandparents were George V and Queen Mary, and Lord and Lady Strathmore.
Elizabeth and her sister were homed schooled. She was taught by Miss
Marion Crawford, a young Scottish woman. At the age of 5, she usually woke up at 6 a.m. and went out for riding lessons. After that, they had lunch, lessons in French, voice and piano. In the afternoon she would play in the garden, usually with her sister and Miss Crawford. She became heiress to the throne at the age of ten. She had to learn court etiquette and diplomatic practice from her grandmother, Queen Mary. She studied the geography and history of the
Commonwealth countries and the U.S. Elizabeth went to Eton College for private lessons in law. She was training for future duties. Being a princess was not easy. She had to prepare for a hard life, never make mistakes, never look bored and never be sick if possible.
Elizabeth grew up at the families London home, a large Victorian House on 145 Picadilly and at the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. When her dad became King they moved to Buckingham Palace. It was more like a museum than a house. Elizabeth spent their holidays with their grandparents on both sides.
When she spent it with the Strathmore it would sometimes be at the Glamis Castle.
It was a rugged, rambling old Scottish fortress. “It looked like something out of a child's adventure stories-paradise of echoing rooms, long passage and mysterious stairways.” (Trease 1953, 231) Elizabeth enjoyed exploring the castle when she was young. She was 13 when World War II occurred. A year later bombs started falling on London. Elizabeth and her sister had to go to safety