The image ofElizabeth II,Queen of the United Kingdom andHead of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was widely favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Modest in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd.[1] She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests includedhorse racing,photography, anddogs, especiallyher Pembroke Welsh corgis.[2] She ate jam sandwiches every day since childhood. Some of her other favourite foods were fish and chips, chocolate perfection pie, scones with jam and clotted cream, salmon from the River Dee, and Morecambe Bay potted shrimp.[3] Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and refrained from discussing her personal opinions publicly.
Much of what is known about Elizabeth's personality and views has been compiled from impressions and descriptions by those whom had met her.Prime Minister of CanadaWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King wrote about then-Princess Elizabeth in his diary, after speaking with her at a dinner during theCommonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in 1944: "She was very natural, not in the least shy."[4]
Canadian politicianMichael Ignatieff remarked in 2010, after a private audience with Elizabeth, how he was struck by her "wonderful sense of the absurd" and noted her "sense of humour [...] that sense of comedy of life has survived 60 years of gruelling public life."[5] After a weekend atBalmoral Castle hosted by Elizabeth, Canadian Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean recounted witnessing a relaxed, informal home life: Elizabeth and her family preparing a meal together—including a salad dressing she had devised—and doing the washing up afterwards.[6] Similarly, Michael Hood,aide-de-camp to Governor GeneralRay Hnatyshyn, remembered the Queen and her husband driving their guests to picnics on the grounds ofSandringham House and helping serve food and drink.[7]
Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin ofPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, commented on Elizabeth's personality as "individualistic". Hicks's mother remembers back to when KingGeorge VI died. Elizabeth was inKenya with her husband when she found out; "I'm so sorry, but we are going to have to go back to England," she recalled Elizabeth saying.[8]
To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.
Elizabeth waspatron of more than 600 organisations and charities.[13] TheCharities Aid Foundation estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4 billion for her patronages during her reign.[14] Her main leisure interests includedequestrianism and dogs, especially herPembroke Welsh Corgis.[15] Her lifelonglove of corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first corgi owned by her family.[16][17]
Despite not being a football fan and instead enjoyinghorse-racing, Elizabeth stated to the former England men's managerSven-Göran Eriksson in the past that her favourite player was ex-Liverpool strikerMichael Owen.[18]
Elizabeth did not explicitly express her own political opinions in a public forum, and it is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views.
Prime Minister of CanadaWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King recorded a meeting with KingGeorge VI, on 23 October 1945, at which Princess Elizabeth was present. Mackenzie King wrote in his diary, "some mention was made of [Adolf]Hitler [...] the King said something about it being a pity that Hitler had not been shot. Princess Elizabeth said she would have been prepared to shoot him."[4]
While the Queen never spoke publicly on the matter ofapartheid, in 1961, the year in whichSouth Africa held a Whites-onlyreferendum that narrowly rejected theSouth African monarchy and, along with it, Elizabeth as queen, she was photographed dancing withPresident of GhanaKwame Nkrumah at a banquet inAccra celebrating Ghana's establishment as a republic (also removing Elizabeth as head of state) the year before. This act was taken as the Queen's symbolic expression of her antiapartheid stance; the image offended the white South African government.[19] Former Canadian Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney said the Queen had, through the 1980s, sided with the majority ofCommonwealth prime ministers, and against her British Prime Minister,Margaret Thatcher, on the matter of imposingsanctions on apartheid South Africa,[19] a point echoed by formerCommonwealth Secretary-GeneralShridath Ramphal, who said, "so steadfast was the Queen to the antiapartheid cause [...] that, once again, she stood firm against the position of Thatcher."[20]
Paul Martin Sr., who was in 1981 sent to the UK to discuss thepatriation of theCanadian constitution, noted that, during that time, the Queen had taken a great interest in the constitutional debate and he, along withJohn Roberts andMark MacGuigan, found the monarch "better informed on both the substance and politics of Canada's constitutional case than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats."[22] After the constitution was patriated to Canada in 1982, with amendments the cabinet ofQuebec refused to agree to, the Queen, at a reception atRideau Hall, privately conveyed to journalists her regret that the province was not part of the settlement.[23] Elizabeth later, on 22 and 23 October 1987, publicly expressed her personal support for theMeech Lake Accord, which attempted to bring Quebec governmental backing to the patriated constitution. She received criticism from opponents of the accord, which failed to attract the unanimous support from all federal and provincial legislators required for it to pass.[24]
Elizabeth was, in October 1995, tricked into a hoax call by Montreal radio hostPierre Brassard impersonating Canadian Prime MinisterJean Chrétien. Elizabeth, who believed that she was speaking to her Prime Minister, said she supported Canadian unity and agreed to make a national, televised statement encouraging such in the days ahead ofthat year's referendum on Quebec's independence.[25][26]
Following the2014 Scottish independence referendum, Prime MinisterDavid Cameron stated that the Queen was pleased with the outcome.[27] She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.[28]
Elizabeth favoured action to mitigate the effects of climate change. She told the2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference: "None of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves, but for our children and our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps".[29]
At Elizabeth'sSilver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic;[30] however there was a significant shift over the next twenty years with her popularity sinking to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, andBuckingham Palace was opened to the public.[31] Although support forrepublicanism in Britain seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republican ideology was still a minority viewpoint and Elizabeth herself had high approval ratings.[32] Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself, and the conduct of Elizabeth's wider family, rather than her own behaviour and actions.[33] Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak onthe death ofDiana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity—as well as general support for the monarchy—rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days after Diana's death.[34] In 2002, Elizabeth was ranked 24th in the100 Greatest Britons poll.[35]
Meeting children inBrisbane, Australia, October 1982
In November 1999, areferendum in Australia on the future of theAustralian monarchy favoured its retention in preference to an indirectly elected head of state.[36] Many republicans credited Elizabeth's personal popularity with the survival of the monarchy in Australia. In 2010, Prime MinisterJulia Gillard noted that there was a "deep affection" for Elizabeth in Australia and another referendum on the monarchy should wait until after her reign.[37] Gillard's successor,Malcolm Turnbull, who led the republican campaign in 1999, similarly believed that Australians would not vote to become a republic in her lifetime.[38] "She's been an extraordinary head of state", Turnbull said in 2021, "and I think frankly, in Australia, there are more Elizabethans than there are monarchists".[39] Similarly, referendums in bothTuvalu in 2008 andSaint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009 saw voters reject proposals to become republics.[40]
Opinion polls suggested that Queen Elizabeth II had a strong approval rating even in the 1990s which improved in the early years of the 21st century;[41] coinciding withher Diamond Jubilee, the Queen had an approval rate in the United Kingdom of 90% in 2012.[42] According to a YouGov poll in January 2014, Elizabeth was the most admired person in the United Kingdom with 18.74% of respondents reporting that she was the person they most admired, the highest percentage of all candidates.[43] Internationally she was the 17th most-admired person in the world.[44]
Elizabeth's public image had noticeably softened in the years prior to her death; as although she remained reserved in public, she had been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past, and shed tears during emotional occasions such as atRemembrance Day services.[45]Henry Ward described his2016 portrait of the Queen as portraying "a queen of warmth but also of reserve".[46] Whilst not as universal as it once was, various polling suggested the popularity of the monarchy remained high in Great Britain during thePlatinum Jubilee in 2022,[47] with Elizabeth's personal popularity remaining particularly strong.[48] As of 2021, she remained the third most admired woman in the world according to the annual Gallup poll, her 52 appearances on the list meaning she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.[49]
United States PresidentGerald Ford and Queen Elizabeth II dance during the state dinner in honour of the Queen andPrince Philip at theWhite House, 17 July 1976
In matters of diplomacy, Elizabeth was known to be quite formal, and royalprotocol is generally very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the monarch were relaxed during her reign (bowing was no longer required, for example, although it is still frequently performed), other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are discouraged by officials. At least six people are known to have broken this rule, the first being a woman named Alice Frazier, who hugged the Queen in 1991 when Elizabeth visited her residence in a government housing project inWashington, D.C. (accompanied byFirst LadyBarbara Bush andSecretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentJack Kemp).[50][51] The second wasPaul Keating,Prime Minister of Australia, when he was photographed with his arm around Elizabeth in 1992. The third was Canadian cyclistLouis Garneau, who did the same thing ten years later when posing for a photograph with Elizabeth atRideau Hall (her official residence in Canada).[52] In 2009, Elizabeth initiated an affectionate gesture with First LadyMichelle Obama at a palace reception she attended with President Obama. The Queen rested her hand briefly at the small of the First Lady's back, a gesture that Mrs Obama returned. It was remarked at the time as unprecedented and described afterwards by a palace spokeswoman as "a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation between The Queen and Michelle Obama."[53]
Elizabeth's subtle uses of signals to her staff in certain social situations has been described by journalistHugo Vickers and others.[54] It is said that by twisting her wedding ring she would signal that she was ready for the conversation or event to end forthwith.[55] Alternately, placing her handbag onto the table at dinner meant that she wanted the event to end within the next five minutes and by setting it on the floor she indicated that she was not enjoying the conversation and wanted a lady-in-waiting to assist immediately.[56]
A portrait of Elizabeth painted in theNetherlands in the first year of her reign is transported to London
In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen".[57] After the trauma of theSecond World War, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a "newElizabethan age".[58]Lord Altrincham's accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a "priggish schoolgirl" was an extremely rare criticism.[59] In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of the monarchy were made in the television documentaryRoyal Family and by televising Prince Charles'sinvestiture as Prince of Wales.[60] Her wardrobe developed a recognisable, signature style driven more by function than fashion.[61] She dressed with an eye toward what was appropriate, rather than what was in vogue.[62] In public, she took to wearing mostly solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, allowing her to be seen easily in a crowd.[63] Her wardrobe was handled by a team that included five dressers, a dressmaker, and a milliner.[64]
In the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny.[65] In 1997, she and other members of the royal family were perceived in the tabloid press as cold and unfeeling when they did not participate in the public outpouring of grief at the death ofDiana, Princess of Wales.[35] Elizabeth ignored precedent, opting to bow to Diana's coffin as it passedBuckingham Palace and also gave a live television broadcast paying tribute to Diana.[66] Her family came under scrutiny again in the last few years of her life due to her son Andrew's association with convicted sex offendersJeffrey Epstein andGhislaine Maxwell, hislawsuit withVirginia Giuffre amidst accusations of sexual impropriety, and her grandson Harry and his wifeMeghan'sstepping-down as senior members of the royal family and subsequent move to the United States.[67][68]
Elizabeth attended many cultural events as part of her public role. She gave an annualChristmas message to the Commonwealth every year, apart from 1969, while she was Queen. Elizabeth's first such message was aired on Christmas Day 1957.[69] In 2001, the Royal Christmas Message was webcast on the royal website for the first time and, in 2006, it was made available as apodcast. Her first appearance onlive television was for an address to Canadians on 13 October 1957,Thanksgiving Day in Canada that year.[70] Elizabeth read her speech atRideau Hall and it was aired by theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation.[71][72]
Elizabeth never did a press interview. In 2018, she engaged in small talk withAlastair Bruce of Crionaich for the television documentaryThe Coronation.[73] In 2006, Elizabeth had been filmed having a conversation with the later-disgraced Australian artist and media personalityRolf Harris while he painted her portrait. It ventured little beyond talk of previous portraits of Elizabeth and royal art history in general, and Elizabeth's responses to Harris's overtures were notably crisp and monosyllabic. She had a more jovial on-camera exchange with the painterAndrew Festing while sitting for a portrait in the 1992 BBC documentaryElizabeth R, directed byEdward Mirzoeff on the 40th anniversary of her accession.
The BBC, along withRDF Media Group, became the target of the Queen's lawyers,Farrer & Co, after the broadcaster aired a documentary trailer forMonarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007), which was edited in such a way as to make it appear as though Elizabeth had stormed out of a photo shoot with photographerAnnie Leibovitz. The BBC had earlier apologised for the misrepresentation, which was fuelled by BBC1 controller Peter Fincham describing Elizabeth as "losing it a bit and walking out in a huff"; but, Elizabeth and Buckingham Palace were not satisfied with the results and pushed to sue for breach of contract.[74]
Elizabeth played detective in theHer Majesty Investigates series of mystery novels byC.C. Benison, which includesDeath at Buckingham Palace,Death at Windsor Castle andDeath at Sandringham House. Elizabeth was the subject ofThe Queen and I, and was a character inQueen Camilla, both books written bySue Townsend. She was also a character in the bookThe Uncommon Reader, byAlan Bennett.
In 2006, she was portrayed byHelen Mirren in theGolden Globe- andAcademy Award-nominatedStephen Frears filmThe Queen, a fictional account of the immediate events following thedeath of Diana, Princess of Wales. The film ended up as the most critically acclaimed film of 2006.[77] Mirren, who had been appointed into theOrder of the British Empire in 2003, won the Oscar for her work in the film and, in her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II: "For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle," she said.[78]
Private Eye, the British satirical magazine, has given the royal family working-classnicknames, as though they were characters in a soap opera.[79] Queen Elizabeth II's nickname is "Brenda".[79]
An investigation byThe Guardian in February 2021 alleged that Elizabeth II had used the power ofQueen's Consent to secretly influence the content of parliamentary bills that could affect the Crown's financial interests, particularly bills related to wealth and taxation.[87] For example, the report claims that Elizabeth used the procedure to request an exemption for her private estates from a 1968 road safety bill, and to request changes to a 1975 bill regulating the leasing of private land.[88]The Guardian also reported that the Queen's royal household had barred "coloured immigrants and foreigners" from working in clerical roles, and that the household had used the consent mechanism to lobby Parliament for an exemption from a 1960s lawbanning employment discrimination. This exemption has prevented women and people of colour who work for the royal household from suing for discrimination.[89] However, Buckingham Palace responded toThe Guardian, stating that consent was always granted when requested and that legislation was never blocked.[90]
Groups opposed to the monarchy sometimes refer to Elizabeth as "Betty Windsor"[91][92] or "Liz Windsor".[86]
Given the time period in which she lived and the media technology available, she is most probably the real world individual (as opposed to fictional creation) with the greatest number of fictional portrayals, including the following:
Lesley Staples in the straight-to-videoRoyal Faceoff (2006)
Elena Safonova in the Russian comedy filmA Hare over the Abyss (2006)
In theBollywood filmDhoom 2 (2006),Hrithik Roshan's character sky-dives and lands on a train carrying Elizabeth. He steals her crown by disguising himself as her, and escapes. Roshan also briefly plays the Queen herself.
Elizabeth Richard in the disaster movie2012 (2009), shown in a cameo while going to one of the ark with her dogs and other British officials; in the straight-to-video comedyNever Say Never Mind: The Swedish Bikini Team (2001); and in the American movieWhat a Girl Wants (2003)
Sharon Miller (voice) inThomas & Friends: "The Royal Engine" episode (2020). Elizabeth II also appears in two episodes in the fourth series of this show, though she has no dialogue.
In December 2012, as part of a radio show, a group of Australian radio jockeys rang up theKing Edward VII's Hospital, whereCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge was staying.Mel Greig impersonated Elizabeth andMike Christian impersonated Prince Charles. One of the nurses who spoke to them,Jacintha Saldanha, later committed suicide and there was much criticism directed at the radio show. There were no charges laid against the radio jockeys.
Canada was the first country to feature Elizabeth on their banknotes
The Queen on an Australian one-dollar banknote
The image of Queen Elizabeth has appeared on the banknotes of at least 35 countries, making her theGuinness World Record holder for the "Most Currencies Featuring the Same Individual".[106] Her depictions on these currencies serve as a photo journal of sorts, as they span the range of Elizabeth's life, from youth to the end of her life.[107][108]
^Routledge, Paul (1994).Scargill: the unauthorized biography. London: HarperCollins. p. xiii.ISBN0-00-638077-8.
^Heinricks, Geoff (2001)."Trudeau and the Monarchy".Canadian Monarchist News. No. Winter/Spring 2001–2001. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada (published July 2001). Archived fromthe original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved10 February 2009.
^Geddes, John (2012). "The day she descended into the fray".Maclean's. No. Special Commemorative Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years. Rogers Communications. p. 72.
^Bond, pp. 66–67, 84, 87–89; Bradford (2012), pp. 160–163; Hardman, pp. 22, 210–213; Lacey, pp. 222–226; Marr, p. 237; Pimlott, pp. 378–392; Roberts, pp. 84–86
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