The future Queen Elizabeth II was born at 2.40am on 21 April 1926 at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London, home of her maternal grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. On 29 May, she was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary at Buckingham Palace

Princess Elizabeth was then third in line to the throne, after her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales and her father George, Duke of York. It seemed unlikely she would ever be monarch.

The Princess spent her early years at 145 Piccadilly and at White Lodge in Richmond Park. She would also visit her paternal grandparents King George V and Queen Mary at Windsor Castle, Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, as well as Glamis Castle in Scotland where her mother’s parents lived.

In 1930, Princess Elizabeth’s only sibling, Princess Margaret Rose, was born. Two years later, the family moved into Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park which became their country home.

Heir
In 1936, King George V died and the Prince of Wales ascended the throne as King Edward VIII. However, he was forced to abdicate later that year when he married Mrs Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. The Duke of York succeeded his brother as King George VI. Princess Elizabeth was now heir to the throne.

Like many upper-class girls at that time, Princess Elizabeth and her sister did not attend school but were taught at home. After her father became King in 1936, Princess Elizabeth began to study constitutional history and law to prepare her for her future role as Queen. The Archbishop of Canterbury tutored her in religion and she learned to speak fluent French.

Military service
The Princess also learned to ride horses and excelled at swimming. At 11, she joined the Girl Guides and became a Sea Ranger. In 1944, she competed in the first Royal Windsor Horse Show where she won the Single Private Driving Class.

During the Blitz in 1940, both Princesses were moved to Windsor Castle for their safety where they spent the war years. In the same year, 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during BBC Children’s Hour where she addressed other children in Britain and its overseas territories who had also been evacuated.

Late in World War II, Princess Elizabeth, then 19, undertook six weeks’ training to become a mechanic and driver with the Women’s Auxiliary Territory Service. The role involved fixing and refitting car engines and tyres. Her military service ended when Japan surrendered in August 1945.

Public duty
Princess Elizabeth was the first female British royal to become an active member of the British Armed Forces, known as ‘Princess Auto Mechanic’. Her wartime service helped to instil in her the remarkable sense of public duty that characterised her reign.

In 1947, Princess Elizabeth made her first overseas tour with her parents to southern Africa. While there, she made a broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her twenty first birthday. “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

On 20 November 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten (created Duke of Edinburgh) in Westminster Abbey in front of 2,000 guests. They had four children and were married for over 73 years until the Duke’s death in 2021.

70 year reign
King George VI’s health deteriorated rapidly and on 6 February 1952 he died at Sandringham aged only 56. At 25, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II while staying at Treetops Hotel on a tour of Kenya. Her reign was to last 70 years, the longest in British history, ending with her death in 2022 at the age of 96.

100 years ago in London is researched and written by Alexa Michael