Queen Elizabeth II: Her Extraordinary Life And Legacy –  Hw

good evening Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II the longest reigning monarch in British history A Reign lasted for 70 years from post-war austerity and the end of Empire through the expansion of the Commonwealth so let me just now repeat that statement from the Royal household which we have received in the last last few minutes it reads the queen died peacefully at balm moral this afternoon the king and the queen consort will remain at balm moral this evening and will return to London tomorrow she

helped preserve the institution of the monarchy during times of massive social change at her coronation the queen repeated her pledge to serve her people and fulfilled it throughout her reign with a combination of skill and a sense of [Music] Duty when it was finally announced that the queen had died there was an extraordinary outpouring of grief amongst uh the nation because you know the majority of of the queen subjects had never known um another Monarch and it was kind of the end of an era it wasn’t just her death it was the

end of an era it was end of the Elizabethan agees we know it and of course it was all so dramatic and so beautifully staged that that made it even more poignant the you know the soldiers the the wonderful music the people that used to work for the queen walking behind her coffin was very very moving [Music] [Music] at 21 years old the young princess Elizabeth who had become Our Queen dedicated her life to the service of her people and the

[Music] Commonwealth for the next 75 years Her Majesty conducted herself with Grace dignity and determination to fulfill her Duty over her 70-year Reign her life was put on hold bound by the promise she made solely committed to the people she served as the world around her changed the queen remained a constant Beacon of stability it is with the greatest solo that we make the following announcement it was announced from sandream at 10:45 today February the 6th 1952 that the king who retired to rest last night in his usual Health passed

peacefully away in his sleep earlier this morning when Princess Elizabeth received the news of the death of her father she went into shock as you would I mean she was shocked by his death because she thought he was getting [Music] better and it it meant the end of her life as she knew it it has pleased almighty God to call to his Mercy our late Sovereign Lord King George the 6 of blessed memory by whose deceit the crown is solely and rightfully come to the high and mighty princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary we therefore the Lord’s spiritual

and temporal of this realm being here assisted with these of his late Majesty pry council with representatives of other members of the Commonwealth with other principal gentlemen of quality with the Lord mayor all men and citizens of London and at the Royal exchange the Glad Tidings are announced in the city that was so long an independent and Powerful part of the realm hers by right of succession the princess Elizabeth has agreed to accept the crown and Rule as Queen long live the queen Queen Elizabeth II was placed in a

vastly difficult situation still grieving her late father King George V 6 it was now up to her to gain the trust of her people post-war austerity still dominated the economy of the United Kingdom the infrastructural social and economical remnants of World War II was still evident across the country the 1950s left many with a country to rebuild and a new Young Monarch second of June 1953 the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II is broadcasted live unequivocally pushing television into the mainstream well the coronation of the

queen was a huge and very significant Affair it was a 3-hour ceremony it was everybody record the coldest June day that had ever happened and it was boring with rain more than 20 million people watched the Nationwide event outnumbering radio audiences for the very first time the BBC knew the event would be popular based on the reaction to the limited broadcast of George V 6’s coronation procession but couldn’t foresee it would Mark the coming of age of television [Music] [Applause] [Music] following her coronation Her Majesty’s

influence was quickly established as she embarked with Prince philli on a seven-month World Tour making her the first reigning monarch to visit Australia and New [Music] Zealand the Commonwealth was really important to the queen because it was the old Empire really the Empire became the Commonwealth and it was her father instigated the common World instead of the Empire and the queen felt it was her Duty not business duty to pull that Commonwealth together and to really make it the Commonwealth of Nations which it

became standing at last on Australian soil on this spot that is the birthplace of the nation I want to tell you all how happy I am to be amongst you and how much I look forward to my journey through [Music] [Applause] Australia the world Commonwealth tour went on to remain the longest overseas tour throughout her 70 years on the [Music] throne whilst the queen was on her World Tour Dwight D Eisenhower was elected president of the USA the new president was quick to legislate and ENT to racial segregation in public schools for the

next 15 years the Civil Rights Movement worked to abolish institutional racial segregation discrimination and disenfranchisement throughout the United States to be seen as the medicine or the antidote to a sick world this marked the start of Queen Elizabeth’s reign as one that was full of progressive politics aiming to bring people together undoubtedly spurred on by the horrors of World War [Music] II back in Britain political handovers would also occur Churchill resigned in 1955 and Anthony Eden was invited by the

queen to form a government on her behalf two years later in 1957 Harold McMillan succeeded Eden to become the third conservative prime minister in 2 years after the former attended his resignation at Buckingham Palace this afternoon the queen did me the great honor to ask me to form a government I have accepted this Duty following the impressive popularity of her televised coronation the Queen’s 1957 Christmas message was broadcast live on TV on the 25th anniversary of the Monarch’s Christmas message the queen

was beamed into the living rooms of those lucky enough to own a television happy Christmas 25 years ago my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages today is another landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas day my own family often gather around to watch television as they are at this moment and that is how I imagine you now I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct the world witnessed extraordinary

change during the first decade of the Queen’s reign with enormous strides forward in science technology and civil rights and by the end of the decade she had firmly established herself as one one of the most important and influential women in the world as the queen entered her second decade as Head of State Global political changes would continue to take place technology developed further a new conflicts arose as countries began to conform to a new post-war world order at the start of the decade Harold McMillan’s 1960 Winds of Change speech

which asked the white ruling government of South Africa to acknowledge the beginnings of the end of Apartheid set the tone for Global efforts to quell institutional racism and create a fairer more tolerant world the following year John F Kennedy was elected president of the USA and he continued the process of trying to bring greater equality to his country and ending the racism which had blighted the nation for so long and when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin we do not ask for whites only it ought to be possible therefore

for American students of any color to attend any public Institution they select without having to be backed up by [Music] troops two years after his election in November of 1963 Kennedy was killed by an assassin as his motorcade drove through Dallas [Music] Her Majesty sent her own messages of condolences and she was said to have greatly enjoyed meeting with the kennedies during their visit to the United Kingdom [Music] [Applause]

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] back in Britain 1963 saw the release of The Beatles first album and they quickly established themselves as the Front Runners of the new era of non-conformist Pop Culture alongside the new era of Music came a new breed of fashion designers introducing items like the miniskirt and flares to an unsuspecting [Music] public the queen not to be left behind adopted her own sense of style keeping that sense of conservative dignity yet adopting a more modern look which she

took with her on her travels championing the British fashion designers of the time the summer of 1966 was a defining moment of national pride when England beat West Germany in the football World Cup in front of a packed Wembley Stadium and an enormous TV audience the queen proudly presented Bobby Moore with the trophy as England was crowned champions of the world as the 60s Drew to a close 1969 saw Nixon elected to the White House and in the same year the USA won the space race and man finally walked on the moon Queen Elizabeth played a small part

helping escort the astronauts on their Journey on board Apollo 11 the astronauts had taken a tiny disc that contained a recorded message from Queen Elizabeth stating on behalf of the British people I salute the skills and courage which have brought man to the moon May this endeavor increase the knowledge and well-being of mankind on October the 14th 1969 the three astronauts from the Apollo 11 Mission Neil Armstrong buz Aldrin and Michael Collins visited Buckingham Palace at the invitation of the Royal Family

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hit they come up and start physically threatening you yeah we got go on we got to the airport and our road managers had a lot of trouble trying to get the equipment in because the escalators been turned off and things so we got there and we got turn uh put into the transit lounge and then we got pushed around from one corner of the lounge to to another you know you treat like ordinary passenger ordinary passenger saying was ordinary pass he doesn’t get kicked does he and so they started knocking over our road managers and things the 1970s began

with the news that no music fans wanted to hear tired of touring and the commercial pressures of the music industry The Beatles Britain’s most iconic pop group finally decided to end their musical [Music] collaboration amidst the sadness of the Beetle split the queen and Prince Phillip set off on another long visit to Australia and the Pacific Rim to celebrate 200 years since Cook’s discovery of Australia during the tour the queen left the safety of her Entourage and went on her first ever Walkabout getting close up with the cheering

crowds shaking hands and chatting with eager [Music] royalists the first Walkabout embodied the Queen’s determination to modernize the monarchy and bridge the gap between herself and the people she served undoubtedly her Walkabout proved enormously popular helping reconnect the monarchy to the people and is still to this day one of the most important aspects of a royal visit [Music] [Laughter] [Music] in 1974 Richard Nixon resigned as president following the long aftermath of the Watergate scandal good evening this is the 37th time I have

spoken to you from this office where so many decisions have been made that shape the history of of this nation each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest in all the decisions I have made in my public life I have always tried to do what was best for the nation throughout the long and difficult period of Watergate I have felt it was my duty to persevere to make every possible effort to complete the term of office to which you elect me in the past few days however it has

become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort to the Queen’s two words of Turkish meaning greetings soldiers they roared back Soul we’re fine as in indeed they are since the present prime minister only governs with the Army’s tacit support prime minister arim appointed 6 months ago after a wave of rioting and kidnapping has a minority vote in Parliament most major cities in Turkey are under martial law but the tour is not in foreseeable

danger to quote the Prime Minister the political crisis has been frozen and put on the Shelf at least till her majesty is safely back in Buckingham Palace so the black smoked and white collared children waved the Union Jacks specially sent over from England and the president gave the queen a dinner in a kiosk happily the original Turkish word kiosk means a palace in this case the presidential Palace the queen and Richard Nixon had first met in 1957 when he was vice president and it kept a strong relationship with him throughout

the remaining 17 years of his political career Nixon was succeeded by Gerald Ford the sixth president of the Queen’s Reign following the Scandal the new president invited her majesty to aate dinner at The White House the invitation emphasized the continued relationship between the UK and the US hosted by Ford and his wife Betty the queen and the president danced together much to the joy of the other attendees the special relationship was cemented and the queen had once again fulfilled her Duty [Laughter] in 1977 Britain and much of the world

celebrated the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in honor of Her Majesty’s 25 years as reigning monarch at this moment of my silver jubilee I want to thank all those in Britain and the Commonwealth who through their loyalty and friendship have given me strength and encouragement during these last 25 years my thanks go also to the many thousands who have sent me messages of congratulations on my silver jubilee that and their good wishes for the future my Lord mayor when I was 21 I pledged my life to the service of our people and I asked for God’s help to

make good that [Music] vow although that vow was made in my salad days when I was Green in judgment I do not regret nor attract one word of it the queen and Prince philli took on Goodwill visits throughout the year visiting 36 counties in Britain and embarking on a commonwealth tour to Fiji Tonga New Zealand and Australia their tour was rounded off by visits to Papa guine the West Indies and finally Canada where they were joined by Prince Charles two years after the Jubilee celebrations Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain’s first female prime

minister a polarizing figure in British politics thater would go on to serve as prime minister for 11 years although there was reported tension between the queen and her prime minister the image of two women in the most powerful and influential offices in the land projected the ever more Progressive Society the queen had helped oversee during her first 25 years I know full well the responsibilities that await me as I enter the door of number 10 and I’ll strive unceasingly to try to fulfill the trust and confidence that

the British people have placed in me in 1979 thata publicly revealed that one of the Queen’s art surveyors was a double agent art historian Anthony blunt who had worked for the the royal family since 1945 was revealed to be a Soviet spy were any lives put at risk during the war when you were inside MI5 and also working for the Russians owing to me yes I think the answer to that is categorically no what kind of work were you doing for the Russians then inside the MI5 um the information that I passed to them was

almost exclusively about German intelligence Services uh and and that was largely information which again as I said in in my statement a lot of people in MI5 thought ought to have been given officially the Cold War which had been simmering since 1947 had infiltrated Buckingham Palace for his deception the queen removed Blunt’s Knighthood and he withdrew from society when you made your confession did the queen know well this is a question again which I shall I’m like I would rather not discuss because my information is so to

speak second if not secondhand is rather vague um and I can only say that as far as I was told at the time and later she was [Music] not following the distressing end to the 1970s and the threat of Soviet infiltrators on all levels of society the queen would have been hoping for less trouble as she entered her third on the throne unfortunately 1981 proved to be one of the most dangerous years of the Queen’s [Music] Reign on the 29th of July 1981 Prince Charles the Queen’s eldest son and Heir a parent to the throne married Lady

Diana Spencer in a ceremony which captured the hearts and minds of the nation [Music] the event was watched by an estimated global television audience of 750 million people and was build as the wedding of the [Music] century a year after the wedding Queen Elizabeth enjoyed another personal family moment with the birth and christening of Prince William [Music] close bonds weren’t just forming within the royal family for the UK and the USA the 1980s were a time when relations grew stronger too mainly thanks to the

1980 election of Ronald rean as president of the United States whose political views and policies paralleled those of Margaret [Music] thater with the politically aligned US president and UK prime minister in regular communic a state visit was organized for rean during his visit he broke tradition and became the first US president to stay overnight at Windsor [Music] Castle in the same decade diplomatic efforts brought about the end of the Cold War when President Ronald rean and Soviet leader Mikel gorbachov signed a

peace treaty it was a time of great change in the world but one in which Her Majesty played a significant role in bringing about peaceful and diplomatic answers to seemingly unsolvable issues the imagery of gorbachov lunching with the queen at Windsor Castle in 1989 was evidence of a new era of Peace Brewing following the historic trip of the Soviet leader his relationship with thata th and for the first time since the end of World War II diplomacy was helping to cool down the seemingly NeverEnding tension between the world’s

great nuclear Powers there is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable that would Advance dram dramatically the cause of freedom and peace General Secretary gorbachov if you seek peace if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe if you seek liberalization come here to this gate Mr garbatov Open this gate Mr gorbachov teared down this wall on the 9th of November 1989 the Berlin Wall fell the physical symbol of the division between the west and the Soviet Union was destroyed the reconnection of East and

West Germany alluded to the beginning of the end of the Decades Long Cold War [Music] at the end of the Cold War came the dismantling of the Soviet Union whilst the world rejoiced at the end of global tensions associated with the Cold War the ’90s would prove to be Her Majesty’s most challenging decade 1990 saw a shift in British politics when Margaret Thatcher resigned after 11 years and handed the Reigns to John Magen no longer were the two highest offices in the land occupied by women for the queen John Major would become

the 10th prime minister of her Reign I’d like uh I’d like firstly if I may to thank my many parliamentary colleagues for the tremendous support they’ve given me today it’s an enormous encouragement to know that so many people in the Parliamentary party have prepared to entrust me with the leadership of the conservative party the two years following the resignation of that chair were the Queen’s notably difficult which she dued 1992 as her Anis horis whilst the queen celebrated her 40th year on the throne the year saw the separation

of Prince Charles and Diana the divorce of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips and the Windsor Castle fire the foundations of the royal family both metaphorically and literally were burning away 1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure in the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents it has turned out to be an Anis horribilis I sometimes wonder how future Generations will judge the events of this tumultuous year I dare say that history will take a slightly more moderate view than that of

some contemporary commentators he who has never failed to reach Perfection has a right to be the harshest critic in 1993 Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 42nd president of the USA Clinton wrote about the queen in his Memoir saying her majesty impressed me as someone who but for the circumstance of her birth might have become a successful politician or Diplomat as it was she had to be both without quite seeming to be either in 1994 the queen made a historic trip State visit to Russia alongside Prince philli the queen stayed at the

Kremlin for 3 days it was the first ever State visit to Russia by a British monarch and was undoubtedly a symbolic and significant Moment encapsulating The post-cold War era in 1995 Queen Elizabeth and Prince philli were invited to Cape Town by the new South African president Nelson Mandela just four years before President Mandela had been released from prison as a parthe came to an end my memories of South Africa are part of me and I have wanted to return to This Magnificent country that wish has never deserted me

through a half century during which you have seen turmoil and tragedy now now though you have become one nation whose Spirit of reconciliation is a shining example to the World on the Queen’s first official visit to postapartheid South Africa against security advice she and her husband visited black townships where they were greeted With Tears of Joy by black and white supporters alike president Mandela was invited to Buckingham Palace in 1996 and he spoke in adoration for this gracious lady whilst the queen praised this wonderful

man as we approach the 21st century our relationship is one of friendship fortified on South Africa’s Side by a warmth and respect for yourself for Britain and for the common world you have yourself provided the leadership and by your willingness to embrace your former captors have set the course towards National reconciliation and freedom for all the people of South Africa the face of British politics saw a drastic change in 1997 as Tony Blair became prime minister ending 18 years of conservative rule the landslide Victory

earned Blair in the new labor movement a majority of 179 seats in the House of [Applause] Commons a new dawn has broken has it not and it is wonderful we always said that if we had the courage to change then we could do it and we did it 3 months after the election of Tony Blair the death of Diana Princess of Wales pushed the royal family into one of their most difficult periods Diana was one of the most popular figures across the world and her death touched [Music] Millions but whilst the people lost their princess the Queen’s grandchildren

Prince William and Harry had lost their beloved [Music] mother some expressed anger towards the royal family following the loss of Diana not only for their perceived mistreatment of the late princess during her time as a royal but more importantly ly due to their silence after her [Music] death spurred on by the diminishing popularity of her institution and the need to do something to put things right the queen addressed the nation on live TV what I say to you now as your queen and as a grandmother I say from my

heart first I want to pay tribute to Diana myself she was an exceptional and gifted human being in good times and bad she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness I admired and respected her for her energy and commitment to others and especially for her Devotion to her two boys I for one believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death I share in your determination to cherish her memory I hope that tomorrow we can all

wherever we are join in expressing our grief at Diana’s loss and gratitude for her all too short life it is a chance to show to the whole world the British Nation United in grief and respect [Music] as we entered the third decade of the 21st century nobody could predict the challenges the world would face the uniquely difficult start to the 2020s was fueled by a global pandemic sweeping across the world the looming threat of Corona virus coupled with mass rallies and demonstrations made the start of the 20s one of the most

confrontational yet isolating periods in our history I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this Challenge and those who come after us will say the Britain of this generation were a strong as any that the attributes of self-discipline of quiet good humored resolve and a fellow feeling still characterize this country we will be with our friends again we will be with our families again we will meet again but for now I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all in April

2021 following a short illness Prince Phillip the Queen’s husband died peacefully surrounded by his family I think Prince Philip’s Legacy is that he was the Queen’s Greatest supporter and enabled her to do this incredible ly lonely and demanding job and he made her laugh she actually said something very very Charming in her Christmas message saying that you know that the the twinkle in his eye was uh as much there when when he died as it was when she very first met him and I think in a way that said it all I think it must have been very hard

for the queen being alone at Prince Phillip’s because she might have just wanted to hold somebody’s hand but in fact uh the Duke of York was only three places away and I noticed that he was very as near her as you were allowed which was I think three places but she it must she must have wanted to hold somebody’s hand and again I would think she just sort of it sounds a bit weird to say this but in a way she just put her hand in the hand of God because that’s what she was like much like a Majesty Philip had given his life to juty to and was always

at her side as her greatest supporter his funeral amid covid restrictions saw a most poignant image of the queen sitting alone in St George’s Chapel mourning for her husband the following year on the 6th of February 20122 the queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum Jubilee marking 7 20 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom the Realms and the [Music] Commonwealth on Hadrian’s Wall in North umberland a flaming arrow was fired as part of a chain of Beacon Lighting celebrating 70 years of the Queen’s

Reign across the world events were held and people came together to celebrate the Queen’s long reign the celebration concluded with a concert at Buckingham Palace although the queen didn’t attend due to ill health since 1952 I have witnessed the transformation of the international landscape the emergence of the Commonwealth the growth of the European Union the end of the Cold War and now the dark threat of international terrorism this has been matched by no less rapid developments at home in the Devol shape of our nation in the

structure of society in technology and Communications in our work and in the way we live change has become a constant managing it has become an expanding discipline the way we embrace it defines our future I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to yourself service and the service of our great Imperial family to which we all [Music] belong I think what has defined the Elizabethan era is it took us from the ravages of War to this extraordinary World in which we live in now so it

actually defines the era of the greatest change the world has ever [Music] known and yet she managed to stay the same but I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone I know that your support will be unfailingly given God help me to make good My Vow and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it her Legacy remains forever as the extraordinary woman who helped steer Britain through its trials and tribulations the queen didn’t just live through history she was history her longevity on the throne made her the

Cornerstone of our modern world a Common Thread weaved through an everchanging society that held us all together for most of her life first as a princess then as Queen Buckingham Palace was her London home today with military Precision Britain’s longest serving Monarch left the palace for the last time the Queen’s coffin draped in the Royal Standard and with the Imperial State Crown on top was taken slowly through the palace Gates aboard a gun Carriage behind walked the king his sister and brothers and behind them the

Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex 25 years ago the two brothers had their childhood defined by the image of them walking behind behind their mother’s coffin today they honored their grandmother in the same way [Music]