[custom_adv] Queen Elizabeth II was born to the future King George VI and the Queen Mother on April 21, 1926. At the time of her birth she was born as Princess Elizabeth, and she was third in the line of succession. With her uncle expected to become Edward VIII, Elizabeth was not expected to be a future monarch at the time of her birth. [custom_adv] However in 1936 the British Royal Family entered a period of crisis like it had never seen before. After the Queen’s uncle ascended the throne as King Edward VIII, he faced conflict over his desire to marry American socialite and divorcee Wallis Simpson. Facing opposition from the Church of England and many in the public, Edward decided to abdicate. [custom_adv] Aged only 11, Princess Elizabeth became heir apparent to the British throne. It was a position Elizabeth was never intended to hold, as it was assumed Edward would have had his own heirs in the future. So certain was it that Princess Elizabeth would never be monarch, she was not born within the walls of a palace or a castle. [custom_adv] While royal births were always carried out at royal palaces and castles, modern royal women have often opted for hospital births. Princess Diana decided to have both her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, also had her three children at the same hospital a few decades later. [custom_adv] The Queen carries out all of her duties against the backdrop of a full personal life which has seen her raise four children and welcome grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren to the Royal Family. The Duke of Edinburgh has been – in her own words – her ‘strength and stay’ during her reign, whilst other members of the Royal Family continue to offer vital support through their work in the UK and overseas. [custom_adv] Having Her Majesty as Royal patron or president provides vital publicity for the work of these organisations, and allows their enormous achievements and contributions to society to be recognised.
