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 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
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!
Information assembled by
Dwight Albert (D. A.) Sharpe
805 Derting Road East
Aurora, TX 76078-3712
817-504-6508