Her funeral was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people. She died in a tragic car accident in Paris in 1997. Her tortured relationship with Prince Charles enthralled the public, and they finally divorced in 1996.

The glamorous, empathic “Queen of People’s Hearts” renewed interest in the British royal family. Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997)Ī cultural phenomenon, Lady Diana Frances Spencer was only 20 when she married the 32-year-old Prince of Wales on July 29, 1981. However, his doomed marriage to Princess Diana and long-term affair with second wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has often overshadowed his public service. Before his accession as King Charles III, he championed environmental and humanitarian causes. He was invested as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle on July 1, 1969. 1948)Ĭharles Philip Arthur George was born in 1948, the oldest child of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Princess Margaret was very close to her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II, who was devastated when she died of a stroke in 2002. In 1960, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon. Glamorous, dramatic, artistic, and difficult, her doomed love affair with the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend caused an international scandal in the 1950s.

Princess Margaret Rose was born in 1930, the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930–2002) In 2022, she became the second longest-reigning monarch in world history. Throughout her long reign, her tireless commitment to service and duty have helped her withstand family tragedy, scandal, and drama. In 1952 she ascended the throne as Elizabeth, Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms. With her uncle King Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936, the kind, stoic, horse-mad girl became heir apparent in the British royal family’s line of succession. He was a constant support to his wife, who called him her “strength and stay.” Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022)Įlizabeth Alexandra Mary was born to the future King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1926. Blunt and opinionated, he was known for his grumpy insults, but he also helped modernize the British monarchy and championed environmental causes. In 1947, he married his distant cousin Princess Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey. He served England in the Royal Navy during World War II. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021)Ī member of the Greek royal family, deposed shortly after his birth, Prince Philip was said to have been born on a dining table on the Greek island of Corfu. During her long widowhood, she supported her eldest daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, undertaking numerous public duties up until the end of her life. Outgoing, cheerful and tough, she was often voted one of the most popular members of the royal family throughout her long life. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900–2002)Įlizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon married the future George VI in 1923. He died on February 6, 1952, likely of coronary thrombosis, and thus his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, ascended the throne. His fearless leadership during World War II made him beloved by the British people. But when his popular brother King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, his small family was thrust into the international spotlight. George VI, the retiring, stuttering second son of King George V and Queen Mary, never expected to be king.

Queen victoria of england family tree