Queen Elizabeth - 70 Years

I am going to interrupt Nations at War due to the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.  It took a lot of thinking, but I feel the need to share documentaries on Queen Elizabeth II.  As of right now, I am planning on moving Nations at War to the start of 2023 because of themes for October, November, and December but that may change.  Everything is fluid right now with the announcement of the Queen’s death.  Today’s documentary was shown during the celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee and is called the Majestic Life of Queen Elizabeth II.  It has a runtime of 1:34:39.

Queen Elizabeth’s life was shaped by a life of service.  As a princess, she never expected to be Queen.  However, was thrust into the spotlight.  This documentary highlights her life and her family and the three events that shaped her life.  The Depression, the Abdication, and World War II.  She trained as a mechanic during World War II.  She would meet the love of her life and would raise four children.  She was a steady figure for seventy years of history.  This documentary gives a look at the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

When Queen Elizabeth was a little princess, she never expected to be Queen.  She lived a normal, but grand life.  She was the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York.  She would have grown up with a reverence for the Crown and Duty.  While she was growing up, the Royal Family was not expected to do much and so could disappear to Scotland for several months.  Her family was incredibly close and they were homebodies.  She was brought up as an aristocratic young lady and would have been taught at home.  Eventually, a professor from Eton College was brought in to teach her about the Constitution. 

Her parents would have been more in touch with the real world.  The Depression was going on when she was growing up and her father would have visited the work camps.  Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was in touch with the times and when Buckingham Palace was bombed the Queen Mother remarked “at least I can now look the east end in the eye.”
Princess Elizabeth was close to Princess Margaret.  Princess Elizabeth never did anything naughty nor was she daring.  Princess Margaret was the more boisterous one.  Eventually, the family was thrust into the spotlight with the abdication.  It was a terrible shock to them all. 

The Duke of York was to become King.  The documentary then talks about the reign of her father and how he got treatment for his stammer.  It is here where Lionel Logue is mentioned for helping him get over his stammer. 

Princess Elizabeth would have witnessed the start of World War II.  She would have seen her father’s devotion to duty while under trying circumstances.  She adored her father and worked to follow his example.  She took part in the World War II victory celebrations. 

She would meet Prince Philip when he was a dashing naval cadet.  Prince Philip would have been considered a Greek god in the Princess’s eyes.  They would keep in touch and she kept a photo of him with a beard.  By 1946 they were in love with each other and planned to marry.  Both would have been considered young to marry.  She would marry her prince and it was a dazzling wedding.  It came at a time of austerity and so Great Britain needed a celebration.

The next section of the documentary goes into the early married life of Prince Phillips and Princess Elizabeth.  While getting settled into married life, she got the news that she was Queen.  Then there is a discussion on how young the Queen was when she became Queen.  Thus begins the reign of one of Britain’s longest-reigning monarchs.  She would have been reigning during a period of great change.  How would a royal family, especially a young queen manage these changes?  Her coronation would have been the first one to be broadcasted on TV.  To learn more about Queen Elizabeth, continue to watch this documentary.

This is an interesting document about the life of Queen Elizabeth.  If you wanted to show this in a classroom, you would want to break it up into smaller pieces because it is a long documentary.  This is a good look into the life of Queen Elizabeth.