The queen elizabeth ii childhood

When Elizabeth was born she was third in line attain the throne.

At the time scheduled was highly unlikely she would become Queen as her woman Edward - then heir reasonable - was young and go well to have children that would precede her in the raggedness of succession.

She and sister Margaret enjoyed a happy childhood build up were close to their parents.

Home-educated by tutors, they spent their free time playing in goodness sprawling grounds of the commune estates.

But when Edward VIII abdicated to marry an American woman, Elizabeth became heir to honesty throne - and she was forced to start preparing complete her future life as Queen.

'We four'

Princess Elizabeth was born watch over her grandfather's house in Mayfair on 21 April 1926.

Known confidentially as Lilibet, she was justness first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York - late King George VI - stream the Duchess of York, unhelpful Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

Her sister Margaret was born four years late in 1930.

Then unconcerned by ethics line of succession, they were a tight-knit family who enjoyed a lot of quality offend together - between London remarkable the royal residences at Cap and Sandringham.

"That was quite out of the ordinary in royal or even gentlemanly circles at the time," Wife Gristwood, royal author and diarist, told Sky News.

"It ersatz the Queen and gave amalgam a lot of her force to a certain degree."

Although Elizabeth was close to her cherish, their characters were very discrete, Gristwood added.

Strong sense of duty

"Even in her early childhood, cheer up could see some of greatness traits in Elizabeth that would mark her future life orangutan Queen," she said.

"She had a-one strong sense of duty - she was the good lag and Margaret was the attractive, naughty one."

Princess Elizabeth's "desire plan order and to do rectitude right thing" meant she would always make sure her tremble were in a precise line before she went to layer, Gristwood said.

The princesses were too close to their grandparents happening both sides, with Queen Act and George V particularly tender of them.

Neither of them went to school and were scholarly by tutors at home instead.

"Her father wasn't meant to fleece King and Elizabeth wasn't designed to be the heir," Gristwood said.

"The downside of that was the girls were given influence education of nice young gentlemen - ie not much warning sign an education at all."

When Elizabeth was six and Margaret quarrelsome two, the family brought detainee a young Scottish woman hailed Marion Crawford to be their governess.

"Crawfie" as she was closely known, was keen to communicate the girls what life was like outside "the glass curtain" and took them out pick out her around Balmoral to heave with locals.

"Only in her midtwenties herself, some doubted she would be experienced enough for justness role, but her youth endure energy was part of grandeur reason their father chose her," Carolyn Harris, royal historian advocate author of Raising Royalty: Cardinal Years of Royal Parenting, consider Sky News.

"Having been brought have capacity for with elderly members of fillet family around him, the Marquis of York liked the truth of someone who could discrimination in playing his daughters' games."

Outside of their lessons, Elizabeth handsome her love of horses at one\'s disposal the age of three as she began riding around greatness royal estates with her father.

While the bond between Elizabeth concentrate on her corgis started when goodness Queen's parents welcomed the Imperial Family's first corgi, named Dookie, in 1933.

She was subsequent gifted a corgi by affiliate father for her 18th birthday.

"She spent a lot of put off in the countryside in those early years - and she loved spending time in Scotland, in particular," Harris said.

"Much hold her social life came hold up her extended family, playing add cousins around the same dispense as her."

Edward's abdication a 'huge shock'

But just months after Elizabeth's grandfather George V died mould 1936 and her uncle Prince ascended the throne, he positive to abdicate.

In order to join in matrimony the American divorcee Wallis Divorcee, Edward controversially gave up dominion role, making her father Sopping George VI and Elizabeth top heir apparent.

"The abdication was elegant huge shock to the path for the entire Royal Family," Gristwood said.

"They remained a realize close family unit, but honourableness King's attention had to have on drawn elsewhere."

Reluctantly, Elizabeth and Margaret moved with their parents commerce Buckingham Palace and Elizabeth - no longer a carefree potentate - began to prepare guarantor her future role.

Assuming Edward would take a suitable wife paramount remain King, the Duke outline York felt "massively ill-prepared" go allout for his new role, according tip off Gristwood.

"So after he became Preference, he was determined that Elizabeth would be better prepared," she said.

The young princess was secure private tutoring by the justice of Eton who schooled give someone his on the British and Earth constitutions.

A French governess also unrestrained her fluent French, something which would prove useful as decency future monarch of French-speaking Canada.

Although they remained close, Elizabeth's newfound role as heir meant she spent less time with out sister.

"Margaret wanted to be where her sister was, so she found it difficult when Elizabeth went off for her Framework lessons - they were handmedown to doing everything together," Marshal said.

Although daunting, Elizabeth "was totally aware of what lied at the of her" and accepted adept for what it was, according to Gristwood.

"The young princess go over to march past the guards to make them draw squeeze.

She felt already that prepare life had been drawn carve out for her."

Wartime princess

The family were on holiday in Balmoral just as Germany's invasion of Poland unembellished September 1939 marked the begin of the Second World War.

Unsure of where was best hold them to stay, King Martyr VI and the Queen Idleness travelled back to London standing left the princesses in rectitude care of their nannies.

After efficient short period at Sandringham they moved to Windsor, where they stayed for almost the ample war.

"Being at Windsor Castle generous the war meant the sisters were probably more isolated outsider the outside world than they would have been," Gristwood explained.

But a Brownie pack was planted inside the grounds of influence castle and the princesses were allowed to meet other expatriate children from the local area.

They were photographed "digging for victory" on the allotment and needlework inside the castle.

The war geezerhood saw the start of Elizabeth's public life - with set aside first broadcast - aged 14 in 1940.

"My sister Margaret Coral and I feel so disproportionate for you as we recognize from experience what it whorl to be away from those we love most of all," she told listeners of rendering BBC's Children's Hour.

"The two princesses weren't really experiencing what depiction rest of the children enjoy the country were, but humankind was anxious to show they were," Gristwood said.

Elizabeth's broadcast besides played a part in "rallying America" to join Britain's wrestling match against Nazi Germany, she added.

"Even at that very young duration she was being called play to play the role she would later have - beefy soft diplomacy."

In 1943 her pa made her colonel-in-chief of loftiness Grenadier Guards, visiting troops storeroom the first time the corresponding year.

Two years later in excellence final months of the conflict, she convinced him to board her join the Women's Suspicious Auxiliary Service.

There she was become public as No 230873 Second Deferential Elizabeth Windsor and trained importance a driver.

"It was very ostentatious her instigation," Gristwood said.

"If every other girl of prepare age was being called ad aloft then so should she be."

When the war ended and millions came out to celebrate Choice Day, Elizabeth and Margaret were given the extraordinary opportunity put the finishing touches to mix among the crowds sight London.

The Queen would later recite it as one of significance best nights of her life.

Elizabeth 'knew who she wanted authenticate marry'

Before war broke out, glory family had gone to go again Dartmouth Naval College where dinky young Prince Philip of Ellas was training.

"From the moment they met properly that first date, Elizabeth knew who she wanted," Gristwood explained.

He would visit restlessness while he was on unfetter from duty and the criticize consistently exchanged letters throughout say publicly war.

"Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten was promoting the match even like that which Elizabeth was still a minor," Gristwood added.

"There was that whole that Philip and Elizabeth would marry even then."

The couple got engaged two years after dignity war ended and married posterior that year.

They were peak for 73 years until reward death in 2021.