The British, and the world, are in mourning. Queen Elizabeth II has died at 96-years-old at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
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In the service of the monarchy
Many hope that Queen Elizabeth II will now be reunited with her husband, Prince Philip. He passed away in April 2021 at the age of 99.
The Queen has always been dedicated to the service of her country and the monarchy for many decades. On 2 June 1953, Elizabeth was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom. The crown she wore at the ceremony weighs more than a kilo.
The crown was made of platinum, consists of 2868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies and also contains two almost priceless stones: the Black Prince's Ruby and the Koh-i-Noordiamond.
Coronation in 1953
Elizabeth married Philip in 1947. Several years later at her coronation, Elizabeth, full name Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, became Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of State of 14 other sovereign countries. She also became Head of the Commonwealth.
Her husband, made Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh through his marriage to Elizabeth, was at her side during her coronation, supporting her where he could with his advice.
Their children
At the time of her coronation, Elizabeth was already a mother of two: Prince Charles was born in 1948, followed by his sister Princess Anne in 1950. The Queen and her Prince Consort later have two more children: Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.
Hobbies
In addition to her work, the Queen also had time for hobbies: horse and dog breeding were especially close to her heart. Elizabeth II, the daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth 'Queen Mum', enjoyed going to horse races and actively bred racehorses.
She also loved dogs more than anything else, especially corgis. That is why the Queen also bred the Welsh Corgi Pembroke breed for over 80 years, which she almost always had around her.
Politics
During her decade-long reign, a lot happened in Britain and the rest of the world: she saw 15 prime ministers come and go, including two women. She also lived through the Cold War and probably no one has met as many foreign heads of state as she had.
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