- - This day in history: Queen Elizabeth II takes the throne

Yasmin MustefaFebruary 6, 2026 at 4:56 AM

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On February 6, 1952, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland died in his sleep at Sandringham Estate. George VI became king in 1936 and is best known for leading his country through the Second World War. At the time of his death, Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya, completing a tour of Commonwealth countries in Africa on her father’s behalf. Queen Elizabeth became queen that day at age 25.

King George did not grow up believing he would become king. His elder brother, Edward VIII, inherited the throne after their father, George V, died. However, in 1936, Edward abdicated the throne to marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson, making George the monarch. His reign was marked by the devastation of the Second World War. The king was deeply loved by the British public for choosing to remain in London with his family during the Battle of Britain, standing alongside the British people.

Throughout his reign, he struggled with anxiety and lung cancer. Although his health deteriorated after the war ended, he continued to perform his duties as king until 1952. On February 6, 1952, he went to bed as normal and passed away in his sleep. Doctors revealed that a blood clot had stopped his heart. He was 56 years old.

Elizabeth, born in 1926, was prepared from a young age to succeed her father as queen. She married Phillip Mountbatten, a descendant of the Greek royal family, in 1947 at London’s Westminster Abbey. Together, they had 4 children: today’s King Charles III, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Her coronation took place on June 2, 1953, the first British coronation to be televised.

Elizabeth’s reign was marked by a lifelong commitment to duty and service to the British people. The day before her coronation, she declared in a radio broadcast, “Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.”

Throughout her 70-year reign, she ensured the survival of the monarchy amid the collapse of many European monarchies. However, she faced numerous challenges during her time as Queen. She was often described as cold, particularly during the divorce between Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1996, as well as in the aftermath of Diana’s fatal car accident. Elizabeth remains the longest-reigning monarch in British history.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”