Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK and the longest-reigning monarch in the world. She is also the oldest one currently.
Nobody thought this princess would ever become queen, especially not at the young age that responsibility was thrust upon her. Today, Her Highness Queen Elizabeth II holds the record for being the longest-reigning and oldest monarch ever. She's seasoned at her job today but the inheritance came at a price. For years, she's had a great burden on her shoulders and has been coping with it on her own.
There have been multiple scandals and tragedies that she's had to face in her long tenure as the British monarch, but she has been a resolute and immutable figure through modern history. She's changed herself for the new era and continues to surge ahead with a positive outlook. However, there are many heartbreaks she's had to face before becoming the woman she is today.
While growing up, she was third in line for the throne and would have been considered a "minor royal" like Princess Beatrice, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, today. In 1926, when she was born, Princess Elizabeth's grandfather King George V was monarch at the head of the British royal family. He was the king from 1910 to 1936 and he too was third in line for the throne. He too inherited the throne because an elder brother could not. His younger son, Queen Elizabeth II's father, Prince Albert, suffered the same fate when his elder brother had to abdicate.
She never went to school and was taught at home by a governess instead. She had a bucolic childhood until the age of 10 when her family moved to the Buckingham Palace. She craved for a simple life in idyllic Britain. According to Historic-Newspapers, when she was 12, the princess told her Royal Riding Master, Horace Smith, “I would like to be a lady living in the country with lots of horses and dogs."
After her grandfather passed away, her uncle Prince Edward (the eldest son of George V), was the successor. It was still unimaginable that she would become queen since Prince Edward became King Edward VIII. It was expected that he would marry and his children would be in line for the throne. Her father, Prince Albert, was the second in line until then. While Edward VIII did marry, his love for a divorced woman also forced him to leave the throne. This incident became a shame for the royal family since a divorced woman could never be queen.
He was the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January 1936 until his abdication on 11 December of that year for marrying American socialite Wallis Simpson. This decision on his part transferred the throne to Prince Albert who took on the name of King George VI. From 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952, he was the king.
This was the scandal that thrust her directly in line for the throne when she was just 10 years old. A simple lady who wanted a life with her beloved animals in the country had to learn how to be a ruler of the UK and the commonwealth.
People assumed that it would be years before the heir presumptive would actually have to take on those responsibilities. If her father, King George VI, had produced a son then he would have taken the throne, according to succession laws, says MentalFloss. She had a younger sister Margaret, who was born in 1930. The rules of succession have been altered since then and women have as much claim to the throne as male children because of which today Prince Harry has gone from third in line to sixth in line for the seat of power (following Prince William and his three children).
Probably, one of the most difficult days in the life of Queen Elizabeth II was the day she was given that title. For her to become queen, a heartbreaking tragedy would have to occur, and that day came too soon. On February 6, 1952, her beloved father died at the young age of 56 leaving an entire kingdom to a 25-year-old woman.
While there have been many heartbreaks in her life, including the year 2002, when she lost both her sister Margaret and mother, Elizabeth, her father's loss would have loomed as the biggest loss. It was a shift from innocence to becoming a woman of the world for her.
The Queen currently holds the record for being the longest-reigning and oldest monarch in history.
References:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/85182/why-queen-elizabeth-ii-almost-wasnt-queen-all
https://www.historic-newspapers.co.uk/blog/queen-elizabeth-ii-the-early-years/
