Queen Elizabeth II celebrates 70 years on the throne; these are the great dates in life and reign

These are the great dates in the life and reign of Isabel IIwho this Sunday celebrates 70 years on the throne, an unprecedented event in the British monarchy.

April 21, 1926Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, was born in London. The family expands in 1930 with the arrival of Margarita.

December 11, 1936: Elizabeth becomes heir to the throne with her father’s ascension following the abdication of her uncle Edward VIII, who resigned to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

April 21, 1947: During a trip to South Africa with her family, Isabel commits in a radio speech to dedicate her whole life to the service of her people.

November 20, 1947: Marries Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, her third cousin. Prince Charles, heir to the throne, was born in 1948, followed by Ana in 1950, Andrés in 1960 and Eduardo in 1964.

February 6, 1952: When she is in Kenya with Felipe, replaced on an official tour of the Commonwealth by her sick father, she is informed of his sudden death and becomes queen at only 25 years old.

June 2, 1953: After the period of mourning, she is crowned queen. The ceremony is broadcast live on television.

1977: celebrates its “silver jubilee”, muddied a bit by the Sex Pistols song god save the queenin which they describe the monarchy as a “fascist regime”.

1981: Carlos marries Diana Spencer in a fairy tale ceremony. The couple’s disagreements, evident from the first moment, are a serious blow to the monarchy.

December 25, 1992: the queen speaks in her traditional Christmas speech of the Annus horribilismarked by the separations of Carlos and Andrés, the divorce of Ana and a fire in Windsor Castle.

Carlos and Diana will divorce in 1996 and the heir to the throne will marry discreetly in 2005 with his long-time lover, Camila Parker Bowles.

August 31, 1997Princess Diana dies in a car accident in Paris. The cold reaction of the sovereign, which contrasts with the pain of the people, arouses criticism.

2002: his sister Margarita died on February 9, and less than two months later, on March 30, the queen mother at 101 years old.

April 29, 2011: his grandson William, second in line, marries his girlfriend, Catherine, in another super wedding of the British monarchy.

May 2011: Elizabeth II makes a historic reconciliation visit to the Republic of Ireland, the first by a British monarch since independence in 1922. In a speech in Irish, she expresses her “deep sympathy” for the victims of a common turbulent history.

June 2012: four days of lavish celebrations mark the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth’s accession to the throne, the “diamond jubilee”.

July 22, 2013: George is born, first son of Prince William and Catherine, and great-grandson of the queen, who thus has three generations of direct heirs to the throne. The couple will later have Carlota in 2015 and Luis in 2018.

September 9, 2015: Elizabeth II becomes the longest-living British monarch in history by surpassing her great-great-grandmother Victoria.

May 19, 2018: his grandson Enrique marries the mixed-race American actress Meghan Markle, which is considered a symbol of the modernization of the British monarchy.

January 31, 2020: After four years of a very hectic political process, the United Kingdom leaves the European Union carrying out a Brexit that divides its population.

March 31, 2020: Enrique and Meghan leave the monarchy and settle in the United States, from where they publicly criticize the royal family, even accusing some of its members of racism.

April 9, 2021: Her husband, Prince Philip, of almost 100 years, dies, leaving a “huge void” in the life of the monarch according to one of his sons.

February 6, 2022: Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to reach 70 years of reign, which will be celebrated for four days in June. (I)