The Queen Turns 95 Years Old Without Prince Philip — A Look At Her Incredible Life From Princess To Monarch

Apr 19, 2021

Queen Elizabeth II, the current monarch of the British royal family, has reigned for nearly seven decades. February 6th, 2021, marked the 69th year since she became the Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth nations. Even before she ascended to the throne at the young age of 27, all eyes were on her as royalists waited with anticipation and speculated what she would be like as a ruler. This year, Queen Elizabeth is turning 95 and unfortunately, she is doing so without her faithful husband, Prince Philip. 

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband of 73 years, has been laid to rest in the Royal Vault at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday. The late prince was buried alongside former kings of England and other royals, the Associated Press reported.

Images from inside the funeral, where only a select group of 30 people could attend due to coronavirus restrictions, showed Elizabeth sitting alone in the chapel. 

The queen is said to be heartbroken after losing her “strength and stay.” The enduring love between Elizabeth and Philip will always be one for the ages. Their love budded when they were very young, and unlike other royal marriages that are often arranged, Elizabeth and Philip married for love. After doing so, they have remained each other's steadfast companions and have supported one another through devastating times. While Elizabeth had the responsibility of becoming a queen thrust upon her early on, Philip had to make compromises and sacrifices to support the new queen. Through his actions and devotion towards his wife, Philip became the perfect example of a royal consort and will remain an inspiration for decades to come.

Read on as we take a look back at some of the most significant moments throughout the Queen’s life.

The Queen was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21st, 1926, and is the eldest daughter of King George VI and Elizabeth, Duchess of York. On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, she turns 95 years old, and Her Majesty has lived an incredible life that deserves to be celebrated. At birth, she was not first in the line of succession, but after her uncle abdicated the throne and her father became King, she became next in line. Currently, her son Prince Charles is next in line for the throne, followed by his firstborn, the Queen’s grandson Prince William, and then his firstborn, the Queen’s great-grandson Prince George.

As a little girl, the Queen was affectionately addressed as “Lillibet,” by her loved ones, and this nickname would later mean so much to the Queen upon the passing of her beloved husband, Prince Philip. After her father King George VI died in February 1952, Elizabeth was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth at just 27 years old on June 2nd, 1953.

She has then gone by several names when she became Queen: Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, or simply the Queen. But according to Town & Country, she goes by one other name, Gan-Gan, a name which only her multiple great-grandchildren are allowed to call her. Queen Elizabeth was destined for great things from her birth, but royal life comes with many pressures, including marriage. However, the Queen's story was quite unique.

Although Queen Elizabeth is a royal (not to mention the queen), she certainly wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty in her youth. Here Queen Elizabeth is pictured at 20 years old, taking the salute during a march-past of Auxiliary Territorial Service cadets at the Imperial Services College in Windsor, UK. She had joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she trained as a mechanic for six weeks, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member. During the Second World War, young Elizabeth showed a brave face. When a bombing in September of 1940 caused a portion of Buckingham Palace to be severely damaged, the dangers of the war were knocking right at the Royal Family's doorstep. However, Elizabeth did not back down. According to Biography, she said about the wreckage:

"Now I can look the East End in the face."

In terms of her royal love story, Elizabeth met Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark and the two got married on November 20, 1947, in Westminster Abbey. The following year Elizabeth gave birth to Prince Charles, their first child. They have four children in total—Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. Unlike many royal marriages that are arranged matches, this marriage was based entirely on love. This particular aspect of their love story is one that makes their marriage not only uncommon, but a royal romance for the ages that has warmed hearts across the world. 

According to Reader's Digest, Elizabeth and Philip first met at the wedding of Philip’s cousin in 1934, when she was 8 and Philip was 13. They met again when she was 13 and Philip was 18, and the young Elizabeth found him to be very attractive indeed.

During World War II, Philip was deployed overseas, but he and Elizabeth regularly exchanged letters. He returned to England in 1946 and proposed, and she said yes. However, due to royal family rules, they had to hide their engagement for several months until Elizabeth turned 21.

At age 94, Queen Elizabeth II is one of the longest-living royals. The Queen’s remarkable vigor has caused quite the buzz in our cyberspace. As Bored Panda described it, she is “the epitome of stability,” and has become the star in various internet memes joking about her being an immortal.

She may be an icon online, but she is not actually the oldest member of the British royal family alive today. That title goes to her husband. Prince Philip, who unfortunately passed away in April of 2021, but before his passing stood at third place for the longest-living British royal ever, having surpassed in 2019 the late Princess Alice of Albany who died at the age of 97, according to Cornwall Live. He was the longest-living male and was also the oldest of the British royal family members alive before his death. His wife is the second oldest living royal, and sixth longest-living overall. 

For Philip's funeral, Queen Elizabeth bid farewell to her late husband with a handwritten note which she placed on top of the coffin,  She signed the letter with her nickname "Lillibet" - a nickname she was given as a child. The Duke of Edinburgh is thought to be the last person who called her by her childhood nickname. 

“She is saying farewell to someone to whom she was married for 73 years. I think that must be a very, very profound thing in anybody’s life,” Archbishop Justin Welby said in a Friday interview with the BBC.

The letter was a nod to the early days of their romance when they exchanged love letters. 

In a letter, which was among several revealed in Philip Eade's 2011 book "Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life," the Duke wrote to the Queen Mother two weeks after his wedding to Princess Elizabeth in November 1947, Philip expressed his vision for their time together. He said:

"Lilibet is the only thing in this world which is absolutely real to me and my ambition is to wield the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good... Cherish Lilibet? I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me. Does one cherish one's sense of humour or one's musical ear or one's eyes?"

The Archbishop also asked the public to pray for Elizabeth during "what must be an anguished moment" for the queen. He added that onlookers should refrain from making judgments about what the monarch looks like, for he says she will "behave with the extraordinary dignity, extraordinary courage that she always does.”

Here the queen is seen flashing a megawatt smile as she leaves Schloss Augustusburg in Bruhl, Germany, after attending a State Reception. She paired the shining crown with the Jubilee Necklace and a diamond bow brooch that featured a pearl drop. Queen Elizabeth II had inherited the piece from Queen Mary. The jewels complimented her soft curled updo. 

According to USA Today, the Queen has hosted a whopping 152 state visits since her ascension to the throne back in 1952 and has met with 11 out of 12 sitting U.S. presidents. 

The Queen holds the Guinness World Record for being featured on the most number of currencies. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the monarch appears on the coinage of more than 35 different countries. The second and third places do not even come close to that number with her ancestors Queen Victoria and King George V having appeared on the currencies of 21 and 19 countries respectively.

The Queen has appeared on the coinage of these countries: Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, East Africa, East Caribbean States, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Kiribati, Malaya British Borneo, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Rhodesia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, South Africa, St. Helena, Tokelau, Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, and the UK.

Here the Queen is pictured with her husband as they attended the State Opening of Parliament during the Queen's Silver Jubilee Tour in Wellington, New Zealand. The Silver Jubilee marked Her Majesty’s 25th year of accession to the throne. The tour spanned three months and the couple visited a total of 36 countries together, according to Wikipedia.

During her Diamond Jubilee held in 2012, the Queen acknowledged the effect that their relationship had had on her, saying Philip had been her "constant strength and guide." Their marriage happens to be the longest of any British sovereign as they have been married for 72 years so far. The Queen is still more than fond of her husband, in an emotional tribute on their golden wedding anniversary she revealed: 

"He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years."

To their family, they are relationship goals. "I'd love to know their secret," William said in a BBC documentary about the Queen’s life as per Good Housekeeping. "I think it's fantastic and I've regularly asked them both how they've managed it because they are the most lovely couple.”

Here the Queen is pictured on New Year’s Day in 1969 with a 20-year-old Prince Charles standing behind her at Windsor Castle.

Although Prince Charles holds numerous titles, his most well-known moniker is likely to be The Prince of Wales. As stated on the official royal website, while not an inherited title, the title 'Prince of Wales' is bestowed from the throne by sovereign power to the oldest male child of the reigning British monarch. As Queen Elizabeth II’s oldest son, he received that title from his mother. The Queen bequeathed the title to him over half a century ago in 1958, though his investiture was not held until July 1st, 1969 when he was 20 years old, as reported by HistoryExtra.

Charles has worn this title ever since. When Charles ascends to the throne as king when Queen Elizabeth II dies, the title of Prince of Wales will be conferred upon his own oldest son, Prince William. William will then pass the title to his own oldest son, Prince George, should William assume the throne. That tradition will continue as new monarchs are crowned in future generations.

Our hearts go out to the Queen celebrating her 95th birthday without her beloved husband Prince Philip. We can only hope that Her Royal Highness has support from the rest of the Royal Family during this difficult time. If you enjoyed this story about the Queen, be sure to let us know your thoughts on what surprised you about her the most and pass it along to your loved ones to get their take on it as well.