It was her husband Philip who had the difficult duty of passing the word to his wife that her father had passed. The two knew he was ill; in fact they were travelling in Kenya because the King was not well enough to travel internationally so his daughter and son-in-law took on the duty. The trip was supposed to include travel to Australia and New Zealand, but of course news of the King's death took priority over all else. Elizabeth, true to the stoic stereotype of the British and the royals, reportedly did not succumb to her emotions upon hearing the news, but instead began planning for the practical steps that must come next... She and Philip returned to England, and it was on the plane flight home that she finally allowed herself to cry - although never in public, of course. Even then, she hid in the bathroom and emerged with reddened eyes but a composed face.

Years later, Elizabeth recalled the implications of taking the throne at such a young age, "In a way I didn't have an apprenticeship. My father died much too young ... It's a question of maturing into something that one's got used to doing, and accepting the fact that here you are and it's your fate, because I think that continuity is very important. It is a job for life," she said. Preparations for Elizabeth's coronation ceremony took over a year. Her father died in February of 1952, but the official coronation did not occur until June of 1953. It rained on the day of her coronation, but this did nothing to temper the excitement of the day for the British people who had watched this young woman grow up.

Elizabeth was coronated in Westminster Abbey, bringing her into the line of kings and queens who had been crowned there for nearly a millennium. Not even thirty years old, Elizabeth solemnly delivered the coronation oath which was heard by millions around the world. The ceremony, in a sign of the changing times, was the first British coronation ceremony to be televised. In her coronation speech, Elizabeth looked to the future, saying the following: "I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendor that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen." Following the actual ceremony, Elizabeth and dozens of other dignitaries rode through the streets of London, cheered by adoring crowds. Still more applauding Brits stood and cheered her as she waved to them from the balcony of Buckingham Palace later in the evening...

Elizabeth and Philip moved into Buckingham Palace after the coronation, but they did not spend much time there initially. Instead, they took off on a world tour for months of 1953 and 1954. The tour was the brainchild of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who recognized the appeal of Queen Elizabeth to the masses and the possibilities such a favored Queen presented for building a positive image for England abroad. The royal couple went around the world, making Elizabeth the first European monarch to do so. She was also the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. This trip was only the first of many Elizabeth would take as Queen. During her 65 years (and counting) as Queen, she has become the world's most widely-travelled monarch. And, as Queen, she has an easier time than the rest of us - because of the way British and international law works, she doesn't actually need a passport to travel. If she did have a passport, though, it would be plenty full.

The tradition of these red boxes dates back nearly two centuries, and until recently parliamentary ministers also received them. While Parliament has recently opted to switch to digital delivery of information, the Queen remains tied to paper delivery, so those red boxes continue to arrive daily at her door. The material contained within encompasses everything from foreign intelligence to economic updates to the most mundane matters of state. Reading and digesting the information can take several hours a day, but it is a crucial part of her role as a leader. Even today, at the age of ninety, she receives her red box each day, and takes the time to go through the crucial information contained within. Queen Elizabeth's more public duties include presenting medals, issuing knighthoods, and presiding over many ceremonies that take place in a society that still has a monarch. As she has aged, some of Elizabeth's duties have been passed down to her children and grandchildren, particularly ceremonies where the nobility receive their titles.

Growing Family

Over the years, Elizabeth's family grew to include grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her family, despite their royal blood, have not been immune from the ups and downs of life and love... Three of her four children have been through divorces with the world watching, and the death of Princess Diana shook the entire family, and the world. It was 1992 when much of the royal family seemed to crumble, with the marriages of Princess Anne, Prince Charles, and Prince Andrew all coming to their ends in one way or another. It was also the year that Windsor Castle caught on fire, and the public became outraged at the idea their tax money would be used to rebuild it when the Queen was one of the richest women in the world. That year, though, the Queen demonstrated her political acumen when it was announced that the royal family would pay for the restoration of Windsor Castle, and, in a reversal of a thousand year old policy, the family would begin paying taxes.

Now, Queen Elizabeth had long understand the importance of public opinion. She was the power behind the British monarchy's increased visibility to the media. She recognized that the public wanted to know more about the family and feel like they knew the royals. Increased transparency was one way to help the royal family connect with the public, and it has long been a hallmark of Elizabeth's reign. Hers was the first televised coronation, and then she was the first to allow television cameras into Buckingham Palace. Live cameras were allowed into the Palace during President Nixon's visit; an informal event that included lunch and the swapping of signed photographs between the world leaders. Elizabeth also welcomed cameras into the family's lives for the production of a documentary on the royals, hoping to show them as simply humans who loved their family members... But it was in 2007 that Buckingham Palace really got with the times and launched an official YouTube Channel. This was ten years after perhaps one of the most important displays of Elizabeth use the media to effectively communicate with the public - her speech about Princess Diana...