Midwestern Mom
Aristocracy
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Well at least Elizabeth had the sense to marry a tall man!
MM
MM
Funny you should mention that. I am just tucking into Sally Bedell Smith's book "Elizabeth, the Queen" And in her preface am struck by those very same words. Especially in regards to Prince Philip whom she knew, at 13 she was going to marry.And yes, I do believe she knew from a very early age what she was expected to do.
Funny you should mention that. I am just tucking into Sally Bedell Smith's book "Elizabeth, the Queen" And in her preface am struck by those very same words. Especially in regards to Prince Philip whom she knew, at 13 she was going to marry.
Elizabeth was born in 1926. Edward became King and abdicated in 1936. Therefore Elizabeth became heiress presumptive in 1936 aged 10. As the eldest of two daughters with no son she therefore became heiress presumptive on the day of the abdication. She was never a 'minor princess' as from birth until January 1936 she was 3rd in line (the same position Harry is now) and throughout 1936 she was 2nd - the position William is now before moving into 1st position in December 1936....an article which said that Elizabeth was 14 when she became heiress presumptive.
It was always my understanding as well that the young Elizabeth first fell in love with the 18-year-old Philip when she was 13 on a visit with her family to Dartmouth College where he was a student. He apparently made quite an impression on her as he was showing them around. This is an interesting story from the DM along with a photo of their supposed first meeting at Dartmouth:
First meeting: The moment the Queen first set eyes on Prince Philip | Mail Online
Thank you for the information.Elizabeth was born in 1926. Edward became King and abdicated in 1936. Therefore Elizabeth became heiress presumptive in 1936 aged 10.
In regards to the whole "major royal" thing... from Ben Pimlott's biography "The Queen": "Why the Home Secretary needed to attend the birth of the child of a MINOR MEMBER of the Royal Family was a mystery..." (pg. 1) While she was only third-in-line until 1936 and Pimlott goes on to write that when she was first born, she had considerable attention, in due course she would have been supplanted (remember that the Princess Anne was second-in-line and very prominent in terms of media exposure until Diana entered the Family) Aside from royal tours of Northern Ireland in 1924, the Near East and India in 1925 and Australia and New Zealand in 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York rarely carried out major public duties and lived quietly in Piccadilly, Windsor and Birkhall. Most of the attention was focused on Edward as heir apparent. It was a MUCH different time. There was much more deference to the Royal Family and a heck of a lot more privacy. I've read in Bradford's biography of King George VI and Lacey's biography of the Queen, that the Yorks were rarely bothered too much by media attention because everyone believed Edward would settle down in due course and produce heirs.Elizabeth was born in 1926. Edward became King and abdicated in 1936. Therefore Elizabeth became heiress presumptive in 1936 aged 10. As the eldest of two daughters with no son she therefore became heiress presumptive on the day of the abdication. She was never a 'minor princess' as from birth until January 1936 she was 3rd in line (the same position Harry is now) and throughout 1936 she was 2nd - the position William is now before moving into 1st position in December 1936...
Anne was second in line only until Prince Andrew was born, and she fell to fourth in line after Prince Edward's birth....(remember that the Princess Anne was second-in-line and very prominent in terms of media exposure until Diana entered the Family).
maybe it is because of his playboy lifestyle
And so what? He would not be the first Prince playboy to make a convenience marriage and continue his "happy" life.
Everyone seems to agree that the Queen was only ever interested in Philip.
She was 13 when war broke out and 19 when the war ended, and it was a good year after that before all the men were demobbed, so the usual social events where she might have met other potential suitors just didn't happen, and it sounds as if she and Philip had an "understanding" before the end of the war anyway.
I think it's a lovely story, actually . They've been married for nearly 66 years, and "together" for around 70 years - not many couples can say that! Setting eyes on "the one" when you're 13 and being together when you're 87, he's 92 and you're great-grandparents is amazing .
It is a remarkable love story. At 13 Princess Elizabeth was still in the nursery, so her first meeting with Phillip may have really been the first time they were around each other.
Phillip was too distant a family member to have been invited to intimate Royal family events.