Queen Elizabeth II

Compiled by D. A. Sharpe

 

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born April 21, 1926, known to the world as Queen Elizabeth II, is a relative to our family.  She is my 33rd cousin, once removed, with our ancestors in common being Eystein Glumra Ivarsson, Jarl of the Uplands (known as "The Noisy"), and his royal wife, Aseda Rognvaldsdatter, ninth century Vikings of Maer, Nord Trondelag, Norway.  They are our 32nd and 33rd great grandparents.  Elizabeth was born just the year before my sister, Martha de Noailles Sharpe Ehlers, was born.  Another description of our relationship is that Queen Elizabeth is the eighth cousin, nine times removed from the husband of the stepdaughter of my sixth great grand uncle, Danette Abney, born about 1712.  Many of Danette's descendants settled in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas.  

 

Upon the death of her father, King George VI, on February 6, 1952, Elizabeth became Queen of the British Commonwealth.  It is a group of sixteen independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms. Her coronation as Queen was not until June 2, 1953. 

 

The rule of the longest tenured English monarch has been that of Queen Victoria, who became Queen June 20, 1837 and who ruled for 63 years, 216 days.  She died January 22, 1901. Queen Elizabeth II reached the tenured rule time of Queen Victoria on August 22, 2015.  She was 89 years old then.  Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth is the longest-reigning British monarch in History!

 

"Queen Elizabeth II spent her girlhood at Windsor Castle as a safe retreat during World War II, and to this day Windsor Castle England holds a special place in the heart of the royal family.  She was known to her family as "Lilibet."  Though the castle was ravaged by fire in 1992, five years of restorations have made Windsor Castle one of Britain's major tourist attractions. Windsor Castle Tours are available throughout the year, though certain sections of the castle are open only during the busiest travel seasons. 

 

The luxurious Semi-State Chambers are open only between September and March, and castle enthusiasts may want to plan around these dates. Additionally, the Windsor Castle changing of the guard takes place throughout the year, but tourists will note that there is more fanfare involved when the Queen is in residence."

 

Source:http://www.destination360.com/europe/uk/windsor-castle.php

 

On May 16, 1991, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address the United States Congress. At the time that I was witnessing this event in the news, I had not yet learned that she and I are related.  Obviously, she had not yet been informed either, as she did not come down to Texas to visit our family while here, nor even gave us a phone call!

 

Speaking of coronations, here is a story about Elizabeth upon the occasion of King George VI's coronation, her father in 1936:

 

The TV Series, "The Crown," is a historical drama produced, beginning in 2016, by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television focusing on  Queen Elizabeth II, the daughter of George VI.  In an early chapter, this moving occasion took place between father and daughter.

 

Elizabeth was 9 years old at the time of George's 1936 Coronation.  He beckoned Elizabeth's presence to a private meeting to help him practice for what he described as the most important part of the whole series of steps in the Coronation, the act known as the anointing. He had her to read from the script of the words that would be addressed to him for the anointing so he could practice his appropriate responses.  

 

Here is how Wikipedia reference describes the process of an English monarch's Coronation.  It is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally invested with regalia and crowned at Westminster Abbey. It corresponds to the coronations that formerly took place in other European monarchies, all of which have abandoned coronations in favor of inauguration or enthronement ceremonies.

 

The coronation usually takes place several months after the death of the previous monarch, as it is considered a joyous occasion that would be inappropriate while mourning continues. This interval also gives the planners enough time to complete the elaborate arrangements required. For example, years later Queen Elizabeth II was to be crowned on 2 June 1953, having ascended the throne on 6 February 1952; the date of her coronation was announced almost a year in advance, and preparations inside the abbey took five months.

 

The ceremony is performed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior cleric in the Church of England, of which the monarch is supreme governor. Other clergy and members of the nobility also have roles; most participants in the ceremony are required to wear ceremonial uniforms or robes and coronets. Many other government officials and guests attend, including representatives of other countries.

 

The essential elements of the coronation have remained largely unchanged for the past thousand years. The sovereign is first presented to, and acclaimed by, the people. He or she then swears an oath to uphold the law and the Church. 

 

Following that, the monarch is anointed with holy oil, invested with regalia, and crowned, before receiving the homage of his or her subjects. Wives of kings are then anointed and crowned as queen consort. The service ends with a closing procession, and since the 20th century it has been traditional for the royal family to appear later on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, before attending a banquet there.

 

Here is the  oath administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury: 

 

"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South AfricaPakistan and Ceylon, and of your Possessions and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?'

 

"The Monarch: I solemnly promise so to do.'

 

"The Archbishop of Canterbury: Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?'

 

"The Monarch: I will.'

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury: Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement of the Church of England, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them? '

 

"The Monarch:v All this I promise to do. The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God."

 

The Anointing

 

After the Communion service is interrupted, the anthem Come, Holy Ghost is recited, as a prelude to the act of anointing. After this anthem, the Archbishop recites a prayer in preparation for the anointing, which is based on the ancient prayer Deus electorum fortitudo also used in the anointing of French kings. After this prayer, the hymn Zadok the Priest is sung by the choir; meanwhile, the crimson robe is removed, and the sovereign proceeds to the Coronation Chair for the anointing, which has been set in a prominent position, wearing the anointing gown. In 1953, the chair stood atop a dais of several steps. This mediaeval chair has a cavity in the base into which the Stone of Scone is fitted for the ceremony. Also known as the "Stone of Destiny", it was used for ancient Scottish coronations until brought to England by Edward I. It has been used for every coronation at Westminster Abbey since. Until 1996, the stone was kept with the chair in Westminster Abbey, but it was moved that year to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, where it is displayed on the proviso that it be returned to England for use at future coronations.

 

Once seated in this chair, a canopy of golden cloth is held over the monarch's head for the anointing. The duty of acting as canopy-bearers was performed in recent coronations by four Knights of the Garter. This element of the coronation service is considered sacred and is concealed from public gaze; it was not photographed in 1937 or televised in 1953. The Dean of Westminster pours consecrated oil from an eagle-shaped ampulla into a filigreed spoon with which the Archbishop of Canterbury anoints the sovereign in the form of a cross on the hands, head, and heart. The Coronation Spoon is the only part of the mediaeval Crown Jewels which survived the Commonwealth of England. While performing the anointing, the Archbishop recites a consecratory formula recalling the anointing of King Solomon by Nathan the prophet and Zadok the priest.

 

After being anointed, the monarch rises from the Coronation Chair and kneels down at a faldstool placed in front of it. The archbishop then concludes the ceremonies of the anointing by reciting a prayer that is the English translation of the ancient Latin prayer Deus, Dei Filius, recited in the consecration of other Christian sovereigns. Once this prayer is finished, the monarch rises and sits again in the Coronation Chair. The Knights of the Garter then bear away the canopy.

 

That is the impressive elements crafted into the English mode of initiating the ruling service of a new King or Queen.

 

The rule of the longest tenured English monarch has been that of Queen Victoria, who became Queen June 20, 1837 and who ruled for 63 years, 216 days.  She died January 22, 1901. Queen Elizabeth II reached the tenured rule time of Queen Victoria on August 22, 2015.  She was 89 years old then.  Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth is the longest-reigning British monarch in History!

 

"Queen Elizabeth II spent her girlhood at Windsor Castle as a safe retreat during World War II, and to this day Windsor Castle England holds a special place in the heart of the royal family.  She was known to her family as "Lilibet."  Though the castle was ravaged by fire in1992, five years of restorations have made Windsor Castle one of Britain's major tourist attractions. Windsor Castle Tours are available throughout the year, though certain sections of the castle are only open during the busiest travel seasons.  The luxurious Semi-State Chambers are only open between September and March, and castle enthusiasts may want to plan around these dates.  Additionally, the Windsor Castle changing of the guard takes place throughout the year, but tourists will note that there is more fanfare involved when the Queen is in residence."

 

Source:

http://www.destination360.com/europe/uk/windsor-castle.php

 

 

 

 

THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND

   I amazed by these pictures when it penetrated my brain how long she's been around.  Queen Elizabeth II gives new meaning to the phrase "Long Live the Queen"


 

This is a series of photographs of Queen Elizabeth posing with every United States President from Harry S. Truman all the way through to Barack Obama.

 

 

 

  



  





  



  



  



  



  



  



  






 

 

 

 

 

 

Information assembled by

Dwight Albert (D. A.) Sharpe

805 Derting Road East

Aurora, TX 76078-3712

 

817-504-6508

da@dasharpe.com

www.dasharpe.com

Who is D. A. Sharpe?