History UsefulNotes / TheHouseOfWindsor

Elizabeth was enormously popular, to the point that some of the nations of the commonwealth actually ''rejected'' movements towards republicanism, preferring to retain her as their Head of State (even if only a ceremonial one). She was the longest-living British monarch in history, and as of September 9, 2015 the longest-reigning British monarch, beating the record formerly held by UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria. She was also the longest-reigning and longest-lived female head of state in world history, second only to [[UsefulNotes/LouisXIV the Sun King]] in length of reign for the monarch of a European Great Power, and -- as she was never under a regency -- ''the'' longest-reigning European monarch in her own right.\\\

->'''Nicknames''': ''Bertie'', "Dirty Bertie", ''Edward the Caresser''[[note]]A pun on the name of his [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWessex 11th-century predecessor and distant relative Edward the Confessor]], on account of the modern Edward's somewhat lecherous reputation[[/note]], "Tum-Tum" [[note]]On account of his weight, used among his close friends, but not necessarily to his face.[[/note]]

->'''Nicknames''': ''Bertie'', ''Edward the Caresser''[[note]]A pun on the name of his [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWessex 11th-century predecessor and distant relative Edward the Confessor]], on account of the modern Edward's somewhat lecherous reputation[[/note]]

->'''Title''': Her Majesty ''Queen'' Elizabeth II

* Age and mobility issues eventually slowed her down, but couldn't stop her. She showed every indication that she'd continue doing what she could as long as she was able. Indeed, she worked right up until the very end.[[note]] Her Majesty’s final publically official duty was appointing UsefulNotes/LizTruss to be Prime Minister and asking her to form a government two days before she died. Her last public statement came just a day latter to express her sympathies as Queen of Canada with the victims of a stabbing spree in northern Saskatchewan. It was also later revealed that her last official act was to appoint six new members to the Order of Merit which was in her personal gift.[[/note]]

* Despite being in exile, he had a relatively normal childhood in Paris with his family until the age of 9, at which point things took a RealityIsUnrealistic turn: his mother developed severe psychiatric symptoms and required involuntary hospitalisation for several years, during which Philip had very little contact with her; his father couldn't handle this additional trauma and drifted away to the Riviera and Monaco, leaving Philip's guardianship to his wife's relatives; his four older sisters all married German princes in a span of about a year[[note]] the first and youngest, Sophie, was only 16[[/note]], and Philip was sent to boarding school at Cheam in England, Salem in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany (briefly), and finally Gordonstoun in Scotland. When in the UK, he was looked after by his grandmother, Victoria, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven and his uncle the marquess, George Mountbatten. When he was 16, his sister Cecile died with her family in a plane crash, and the following year his uncle George died of bone cancer, after which his other uncle "Dickie" Mountbatten took a larger role in his life[[note]] Since his mother and her brothers have been noted, it's worth mentioning that the final sibling, their sister Louise, had married the widowed Crown Prince of Sweden in 1923 and eventually became that country's Queen consort; Philip may have been an impoverished exile with a scattered family, but he was ''very'' highly connected all over Britain and Europe[[/note]]. WWII separated him from his parents and sisters ''again'', with his father dying when Philip was away on naval service before the end. Small wonder he was so self-reliant.

* He was played by Creator/MattSmith (Seasons 1-2), Creator/TobiasMenzies (Seasons 3-4), and finally Creator/JonathanPryce (Seasons 5-6) in ''[[Series/TheCrown2016 The Crown]]''.

* Despite being portrayed increasingly frequently — Creator/ColinFirth did in the 2010 film ''Film/TheKingsSpeech'', about him and his speech therapist, and received the Best Actor Oscar for it[[note]] He looks nothing like Bertie, ''either,'' but even Elizabeth II apparently enjoyed the film and the portrayal of her beloved Papa very much[[/note]] — it's much harder to find someone who resembles the ''actual'' George VI than it is for his father or older brother, for some reason.[[note]] Probably because the real Bertie had a combination of particularly "finely-drawn" but not otherwise exceptionally-memorable features; rather than go for this tricky resemblance, the solution appears to be that [[AbilityOverAppearance anyone can play him]], and so we've gotten people as diverse as Colin Firth and Jared Harris winning praise.[[/note]] James Wilby played him in the 2002 feature ''Film/BertieAndElizabeth'', which was part of the celebration of Her Majesty's 50th year as Queen. Creator/SamuelWest played him in the movie ''Film/HydeParkOnHudson''. Creator/JaredHarris played him in the ''Series/TheCrown2016''; he did a remarkably good representation of the king's character, but doesn't bear even the vaguest resemblance.[[note]]For viewers of ''Series/MadMen'', it's essentially watching Lane Pryce do a remarkable impression of the King.[[/note]] He appears in two 2017 biopics of Winston Churchill: Creator/BenMendelsohn plays him in Creator/JoeWright's ''Film/DarkestHour2017'' and Creator/JamesPurefoy in ''Film/{{Churchill}}''. In the 1974 TV movie ''The Gathering Storm'', he's played by Denis Lill. In ''Film/IntoTheStorm2009'', he's played by Creator/IainGlen, who [[https://youtu.be/S4xhAoMFdSE perhaps comes the closest to a physical resemblance]].

* Despite being in exile, he had a relatively normal childhood in Paris with his family until the age of 9, at which point things took a RealityIsUnrealistic turn – his mother developed severe psychiatric symptoms and required involuntary hospitalisation for several years, during which Philip had very little contact with her; his father couldn't handle this additional trauma and drifted away to the Riviera and Monaco, leaving Philip's guardianship to his wife's relatives; his four older sisters all married German princes in a span of about a year[[note]] the first and youngest, Sophie, was only 16[[/note]], and Philip was sent to boarding school at Cheam in England, Salem in UsefulNotes/NaziGermany (briefly), and finally Gordonstoun in Scotland; when in the UK, he was looked after by his grandmother, Victoria, Dowager Marchioness of Milford Haven and his uncle the marquess, George Mountbatten. When he was 16, his sister Cecile died with her family in a plane crash, and the following year his uncle George died of bone cancer, after which his other uncle "Dickie" Mountbatten took a larger role in his life[[note]] Since his mother and her brothers have been noted, it's worth mentioning that the final sibling, their sister Louise, had married the widowed Crown Prince of Sweden in 1923 and eventually became that country's Queen consort; Philip may have been an impoverished exile with a scattered family, but he was ''very'' highly connected all over Britain and Europe[[/note]]. WWII separated him from his parents and sisters ''again'', with his father dying when Philip was away on naval service before the end. Small wonder he was so self-reliant.

* Despite her great longevity, she was never likely to {{abdicate the throne}}. This was in spite of an increasingly popular trend among other monarchs to do so; the rulers of UsefulNotes/TheNetherlands, UsefulNotes/{{Belgium}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, and even [[UsefulNotes/VaticanCity the Pope]] all abdicated within an 18-month period in 2013-14, and the Emperor of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} (a similarly venerated figure in his home country, if not more so) abdicated in 2019. But not Elizabeth, which was apparently known to cause a little consternation for her heir apparent Charles. Three reasons are given for this refusal: first, she took her coronation oath (and the declaration she made on her 21st birthday) very seriously, considering it an [[IGaveMyWord unshakable promise made]] [[SeriousBusiness personally to God]]; and second, she saw her uncle Edward VIII abdicate in favour of her father George VI, and her father's relatively early death at age 56, which she may have attributed to the stress of his not having been ready for the throne.[[note]]That said, George VI was a heavy smoker who died of lung cancer, and the stress of his reign could not have been made any easier by the outbreak of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. [[/note]] There was speculation that Charles would be set up as prince regent if she became incapable of discharging her duties as Sovereign. Instead, he took on many of her roles without the establishment of a formal regency. Third, like her uncle Edward discovered, the laws of the United Kingdom are not friendly toward abdicated monarchs. Unlike Spain, Belgium and Japan, abdicated British monarchs lose their regal title and style (there's no honorific title for former monarchs like ''king/queen emeritus''), as well as their previous titles that merged with the crown, and she'd have to start curtseying again for the first time in decades.[[note]]Her title and style would have reverted back to ''HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh'', as she'd still be eligible for the courtesy title from her husband.[[/note]]

* George VI was the last British monarch to fight in battle, as a turret officer aboard the battleship HMS ''Collingwood'' at the Battle of Jutland, although other royals since then have seen battle (Prince Philip was a naval officer in World War II, Prince Andrew was a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War, and Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan). He was also the first member of the royal family to become a qualified aeroplane pilot; he joined the RAF because he wanted to serve on the Continent during the Great War, but only arrived there in October 1918 and thus never flew before the war ended.

* Despite her marriage to a British prince, she was famously furious after her brother-in-law King George VI denied her the style of "Her Royal Highness", which is usually automatically granted to the wife of a prince, and was referred to by the lower form of address, "Her Grace". Wallis' household staff were instructed to refer to her as "Her Royal Highness". It is therefore likely that any children they might have had would have likewise been addressed as "Lord" or "Lady", as the children of a Duke, despite otherwise being grandchildren in the male line of a Sovereign and therefore entitled to the style "Prince" or "Princess" by right.

* Despite her marriage to a British prince, she was famously furious after her brother-in-law King George VI denied her the style of "Her Royal Highness", which is usually automatically granted to the wife of a prince, and was referred to by the lower form of address, "Her Grace". Wallis' household staff were instructed to refer to her as "Her Royal Highness".

Her full name being hugely bulky even by royal standards -- Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes -- she was informally called ''May'', after her birth month. Prior to her marriage she was known as ''Princess'' Mary of Teck, the name by which historians generally refer to her to this day.

* In recent years, she has been award-winningly played by Creator/VanessaKirby in the first two series of Netflix's much celebrated ''[[Series/TheCrown2016 The Crown]]'', and despite Ms Kirby being a good ''nine inches'' taller than the petite real-life Margaret, her complicated, layered performance has been met with universal praise. Creator/HelenaBonhamCarter's turn at the role in Series 3 has yet to win an award, but it has met with great praise.

* Her family was technically a junior branch of the royal family of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, but she was born and raised in Britain--which is why Victoria thought her a suitable wife for her grandson, as she was thoroughly English but also of royal blood.[[note]]Her ''mother'' was the daughter of the 1st Duke of Cambridge, a son of [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfHanover George III]], making her the second cousin once removed of her husband.[[/note]] She would become the first British queen consort born in the British Isles since UsefulNotes/CatherineParr in the 16th century.[[note]]Who was, of course, technically only the last ''English'' queen consort born in the British Isles. The last ''Scottish'' queen consort born in the British Isles, if you were wondering, was [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor Margaret Tudor]], r. 1503-13.[[/note]]

* Age and mobility issues eventually slowed her down, but couldn't stop her. She showed every indication that she'd continue doing what she could as long as she was able. Indeed, she worked right up until the very end.[[note]] One of Her Majesty’s final official duties was appointing UsefulNotes/LizTruss to be Prime Minister and asking her to form a government two days before she died.[[/note]]

* She broke precedent by attending the coronation of her son, George VI. By convention, crowned monarchs and consorts, both domestic and foreign, do not attend the coronations of others. She also planned on attending the coronation of her granddaughter, Elizabeth II, but died two months before it. She had stipulated in her last wishes that it should not be delayed if she died.

* He led Britain through UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne. He infamously denied his cousin (Nicholas II of Russia) asylum; he did so on the advice of his ministers, a concept the autocratic Nicholas could never wrap his head around.[[note]]Which, if we're being honest, was Nicholas's downfall generally; if he'd been content to do like his cousin and let his ministers make decisions rather than micromanage, he probably would never have been deposed.[[/note]]

* Technically the first Windsor - he changed the family name from the bulky "Wettin von Saxe-Coburg and Gotha" during the war to appease anti-German sentiment (particularly after the name "Gotha" became infamous due to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotha_G.IV German bombers of the same attacking London]]). When H.G. Wells referred to Britain's "alien and uninspiring court" before the name shift, George is said to have responded "[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I'm alien!]]". Supposedly, the name change prompted the humour-challenged Kaiser Wilhelm II's nearly-sole recorded joke: he would be going to the theatre to see ''[[Theatre/TheMerryWivesOfWindsor The Merry Wives of Wettin von Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]''.

* She was in great shape and looked a lot younger than she was for most of her life, it is said that the lissome queen once almost split her sides laughing when she saw her portly husband and his fat mistress Alice Keppel taking a walk in the garden through the window.

* In spite of his crippling shyness, had a famously short temper as well as a sharp sense of humour (which he may have bequeathed to his eldest daughter). On meeting General Sir Harold Alexander, George VI asked him what he thought about [[UsefulNotes/BernardLawMontgomery Montgomery]]. Alexander replied that he always had the impression that Montgomery was after his job (commanding 18th Army Group as Montgomery's direct superior). "You should worry," George replied, "whenever I meet him I always think he's after mine." [[note]]On another occasion, when he was a young RAF officer in 1919, he was in an officer's mess when another pilot, a distinguished air ace who was quite drunk, noticed that Prince Albert had a lot of medal ribbons but, mysteriously, no pilot's wings, meaning he couldn't possibly have earned them the way the air ace had. The air ace said "Captain, what are all those ribbons?" Albert stared at them for a moment and then smiled and said "I'm not quite sure. The tailor puts them there whenever I have a uniform made." This self-deprecation earned him the respect of the other fliers. In fact, in 1919 Albert had a number of legitimately earned ribbons, including the 1914-15 Star, the General Service Medal 1914-1918 and the Allied Victory Medal 1914-1918 with Oak Leaf, and some honorary ones including the King Edward VII Coronation Medal, the King George V Coronation Medal and the King George V Jubilee Medal.[[/note]]