Long may she reign. Queen Elizabeth II has been monarch for 68 years and is still going strong. The royal family has endured a lot during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. From the great times to the royal scandals, there is no shortage of royal news. As moments in time start to fade into history, let's delve into some of the biggest royal moments over the queens reign. 10. Opening of the 2012 London OlympicsStills from the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony video featuring Queen Elizabeth and Daniel Craig Every Olympic games have seen the head of state of the country that the games are held in, ceremonially declares the opening of the games. In 2012, London hosted the Olympic games and it fell to the queen to open the games. The Queen Elizabeth alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond starred in a short film of them heading to the opening ceremony in a helicopter. At the end we see Queen Elizabeth and James Bond jump out of the helicopter and parachute down. Unfortunately it was stunt doubles but who was expecting the queen to actually jump out of a helicopter at 86 years old. Nevertheless it ended with one of the most memorable Olympic openings. 9. Silver Jubilee Queen Elizabeth greeting crowds on her Silver Jubilee The Silver Jubilee was the celebration for Queen Elizabeth to mark 25 years on the throne. Leading up to the Jubilee, it was massively unpopular as the tide of republicanism was strong. But as the day of celebration drew closer, slowly but surely anticipation grew. On the day, a BBC article described it as a “Sea of Union Jacks”. The streets were filled with people trying to see Queen Elizabeth or filled with food. For Queen Elizabeth’s first jubilee it was a massive success. 8. The Deaths of The Queen Mother and Princess MargaretQueen Elizabeth, Queen Mother and Princess Margaret 2002 was a tough year for Queen Elizabeth seeing her mother and sister pass away in the same year. On February 9 2002, princess Margaret passed away from a stroke. Leading up to her death, Princess Margaret’s extensive smoking history, drinking and cocaine use all caught up to her in the years leading to her death. At 101 years old, on March 31 2002, six weeks after the funeral of Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother passed away as well. At 101, she had many ailments and months before her death, she sustained a broken hip. This period for Queen Elizabeth was very hard as she was very close to her sister and mother and to see her loved ones pass away in such a short time was not easy. 7. CoronationThe Queen, photographed by Cecil Beaton to commemorate her coronation On a typical grey and rainy day in britain on June 2 1953, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation took place. Though the day was not too warm and slightly wet, 20 million people watched as Queen Elizabeth was crowned. From the crown jewels to the golden state coach, it was a lavish affair steeped in tradition. It was also the testing grounds for live television, a new technology that Prince Phillip helped bring to the ceremony against the wishes of Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal circle. Though leading up to the coronation, there were internal conflicts, the day was a day of joy and celebration. 6. Queen addresses Diana’s DeathQueen Elizabeth addressing the death of Diana The Death of Diana sent shockwaves through the world and caused massive outcry. In one of a handful of times, the public turned angrily against Queen Elizabeth. When the news of Diana’s death reached the queen, she decided at the one time she has, to put her family first. She spent a couple of days with Prince WIlliam and Prince Harry to gripple with the Death of their mother. Unfortunately, Queen Elizabeth’s decision to put family first resulted in public backlash, people felt that the queen had abandoned them and their princess. In the end, the Queen made a historic public address to calm the public. It was a very hard time for the royals and the world. 5. Almost Shot by Guard Throughout her reign many people have shot at Queen Elizabeth and she is known to shrug off these events, but imagine the people who are there to protect you almost shoot you. The public was already paying close attention to the queen after she had to drop out of christmas events due to poor health. It was reported that the queen during a late-night walk was mistakenly taken for an intruder and a guard shot towards her. The guard reportedly said “Bloody hell, Your Majesty, I nearly shot you.” Although what makes this one memorable event was the queen's reported response. She replied to the guard “That’s quite all right, next time I’ll ring through beforehand so you don’t have to shoot me.” 4. Sussex WeddingPrince Harry and Meghan Markle about to kiss on the steps of Saint George’s Chapel On May 19 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married at Saint George’s Chapel. For many people it was a breath of modern and new light to the royals. Meghan Markle was the embodiment of royal taboos, from divorced to half black, she was outside the norm. At the time it was a sign of a changing monarchy, inclusive Britain and globalized world. The wedding was watched by 1.9 billion people. It was a signal of something different. 3. Royal Exit 2020 did not start off good, on January 8 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced via Instagram that they would step back from being senior royals. For the royal family it was and still is uncharted waters, the decision resulted in many problems being worked out within the royal family. It also caused massive debates on the reasons and split people on if it was the right decision. No matter what you think, it rocked the royal family and the public. 2. Cambridge’s Wedding Prince William and Kate on the balcony of Buckingham palace after getting married After nearly 7 years of dating and a brief split, on April 29 2011, 2 billion people watched Prince William and Chatherine Middleton were married. For most people, they are more concerned with what they want for their wedding, well not this couple. Prince William, as heir, his wedding would be treated as a state occasion and the wedding had to please the public. Either way, the wedding was smash and Kate and William dazzled. 1. Annus HorribilisQueen Elizabeth at her Ruby Jubilee speech Not one single event but a whole year of bad luck it would seem. The year where Queen Elizabeth would be celebrating to mark 40 years of her reign was overshadowed by devastating scandals and unfortunate events one after another. By the end of 1992, Princess Anne and Mark Philips divorced, a biography of Diana was released showcasing the turmoil in her marriage with Prince Charles and with topless pictures of The Duchess of York splashed across front covers, the break down of 3 marriages was a public relation nightmare for the royal family. Most telling was the opposition of parliament to the queen faced about her wealth with tax exemption, followed with a fire at Windsor castle, public pressure for Queen Elizabeth to pay more of her expenses forced the royals to drastically change up their ways. Many more events played out throughout the year. Best summed up by Queen Elizabeth “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an 'Annus Horribilis'”. All in all, the royal family has gone through quite a bite during Queen Elizabeth’s 68 years of reign. This is just scratching the surface of a rollercoaster life that the royals have. So if you want to explore more of this weird and foreign life. It’s always fun to look into a life we wish we could have. Suggestions for further explorationSources
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