Queen Elizabeth II – the British Monarch is the head of the British Royal Family.
- She was born in 1926, became Queen at the age of 25.
- She was married in 1947.
- She has four children and eight grandchildren.
- She loves walking and animals with a particular interest in horses and horse racing.
Her Majesty has also broken several records.
- She has become the first reigning monarch to have been married for 60 years.
- In December 2007 she became the oldest reigning British Monarch and has even outlived her great, great grandmother Queen Victoria.
- In March 2007 Queen Elizabeth II also became the 3rd longest reigning monarch in over 1,200 years of British history.
The Royal Family’s last name
As mentioned on the home page George V officially adopted the surname Windsor in 1917. Before this date members of the British Royal Family had no surname. They instead used the name of the House of dynasty to which they belonged. At the time it was Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
The change in 1917 was therefor a very radical change for the Royal Family. The House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was no more as George V made Windsor both the House or dynasty name and also the family surname. The official declaration said:
“all descendants in the male line of Queen Victoria, who are subjects of these realms, other than female descendants who marry or who have married, shall bear the name of Windsor”.
The family name change was due to the anti-German sentiment at the time (First World War) and Windsor was chosen after the name of Windsor Castle.
On 9 April, 1952 in a meeting at Clarence House the Queen made also made the following declaration:
“The Queen today declared in Council her will and pleasure that she and her children shall be styled and known as the House and Family of Windsor, and that her descendants, other than female descendants who marry and their descendants, shall bear the name of Windsor.”
A later declaration (8 February, 1960) stated that all her descendants who did not bear the “style, title or attribute of HRH, and the titular dignity of Prince or Princess” shall bear the name of Mountbatten-Windsor.
