By Hanan Ouali
Queen Elizabeth II is remembered as one of the most disciplined and respected women in the world. On the 6th February 1952, 25-year-old Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor became Queen Elizabeth II; head of state of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of 14 Commonwealth countries. She was a record-breaking queen; no other living monarch and no other living monarch reigned as long as she did. 70 years was the length of her glorious reign.
She is known for her discipline and strictness, but also for her colourful costumes and matching hat creations. What irony of life that exactly in the time period where colours reign the fashion world again, she is unfortunately no longer with us.
But who was the person under the crown other than the longest-standing boss babe – possibly in the history of the world? What did the Queen love? What did she dislike? What was her private life like? Did she have friends like you and me?
It would probably take 70 years to read an article with all the details of her multifaceted life. Don’t worry, I give you a compact insight into phenomenal moments from the life of this honourable woman.
ELIZABETH'S OLDEST FRIEND
Her oldest and longest friend was named Sonia Graham-Hodgson. The Queen met the commoner from a good family when she herself was four years old, Sonia eight months older. They stayed in touch until Graham-Hodgson’s death in 2012, inviting each other to parties and birthdays. At the age of eight, Queen Elizabeth even dedicated a short story to her dear little friend and horse lover.
We should all do that for our besties! I promise you that the self-written short story is more valuable than material things, which will be out of fashion in 1-2 years – unless it’s about a timeless Chanel bag…
ELIZABETH WAS A COVER GIRL
Portraits of the Queen often appear on the covers of various magazines. But only once did Elizabeth consciously stand in front of the camera and have herself photographed. On her 90th birthday, a cover story of the Queen appeared in Vanity Fair magazine. The monarch was photographed by none other than star photographer Annie Leibovitz. What does that tell us? It’s never too late, whatever the age to be a cover girl. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different – never!
SHE FINANCED HER WEDDING DRESS WITH COUPONS
It has been over 70 years since the Queen gave her consent to Philip. Shortly after the Second World War, it was not at all easy to get hold of the materials for wedding dresses due to rationing in Great Britain. Certain goods were in limited supply. Which is why the materials for the stunning dress were only available through coupons. So, THE Queen Elizabeth saved up as many coupons as she could. In addition, she received over 200 more coupons from the British government as a gift, and as a result, ultimately walked down the aisle in a spectacular gown! The dress made of ivory silk and a train almost four meters long, the young bride looked breath-taking. It was decorated with crystals and 10,000 seeded pearls that were imported from America. She was a fashion icon!
QUEEN ELIZABETH TAUGHT THE SAUDI KING TO BE AFRAID
In 1998, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, then still Crown Prince, who died in 2015; was Queen Elizabeth’s guest at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Around this time, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, women were forbidden to drive cars. Following a joint lunch, Queen Elizabeth invited her guest to take a tour of the grounds. Although against royal protocol, which includes not allowing members of the royal family to get behind the wheel of a vehicle themselves in the exercise of their office; Queen Elizabeth insisted on driving the guest personally in her Land Rover. Unsurprisingly, the guest was not at all enthusiastic, but finally allowed himself to be chauffeured by the monarch.
The Queen had learned to drive during her military service in World War II, so she was a confident driver (although she never had a license). She drove at breakneck speed along the narrow paths of the grounds, causing her guest to feel anxious. His interpreter finally asked the queen, at his behest, to slow down a bit. At least the Queen of Great Britain will probably never be underestimated by the Saudi Arabian regent again.
ELIZABETH CRIED IN PUBLIC ONLY ONCE
Feelings do not belong in public! That was the Queen’s motto. But even she herself was not immune to them. The only public tear she shed was in 1997, when her royal yacht, the Britannia, was decommissioned. For 44 years, the ship had been in the service of her majesty. The royal family made more than 700 visits on the Britannia, and Charles and Diana even went on their honeymoon.
Even the Queen discovered, we can’t always control our emotions and feelings, so let it happen, listen to your body and don’t try to fight it. This only gives us headaches and in the context even premature wrinkles, which we have not yet earned!
British Queen Elizabeth II left her mark on entire generations with her reign over an astonishingly long period of time. Now she has died at the age of 96. During her long reign, the Queen touched many people around the world. For decades, Elizabeth Windsor kept her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle. Her feet are firmly on the ground, she wears her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm, and she has weathered many, many storms. I bow to her courage and her steadfastness. On that note, I’d like to share with you two of my favourite quotes of hers.
“Everyone is our neighbour, regardless of faith, race and skin colour.”
“It was women who breathed gentleness and compassion into the hard progress of humanity.”
Some refer to the Queen as an icon of feminism and so do I.
