And We Live to Keep the Promise 2 Quiz

It was 1934 when Princess Elizabeth met the future Prince Philip for the first time at a family wedding. He was her third cousin through Queen Victoria's lineage, and her second cousin once removed through the King of Denmark. She was eight and he was thirteen. Then, in 1939, she really noticed him when her family made a visit to the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth; Philip was asked to show Elizabeth and her sister around. The Queen herself said that was when she fell in love with him.

After that the two exchanged letters, but it was not until 1946, when both served as members of a cousin's bridal party, that they began to draw public attention and speculation about their relationship began. They were engaged on July 9, 1947, according to Elizabeth's father's wishes that they would wait until her twenty-first birthday. The two married on November 20, 1947, and their marriage lasted for seventy-three years before Philip's death.

Elizabeth and her Philip were totally dedicated to a life of service. Before he retired at the age of 96, after saying, "I can't stand up much", Prince Philip had established The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, was a patron of more than 780 organizations, had completed 22,219 solo engagements, and gave 5,493 speeches.

Elizabeth wanted to do her part to help with the World War II effort, but her parents objected. It took over a year before she was allowed to sign up with the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945. She was No. 230873 - Elizabeth Windsor. From a small list of choices, she choose to be a mechanic, and went through six weeks of training. Nicknamed Princess Auto Mechanic, she passed a military driving test and made repairs on engines.

The Queen was never required to have a driver's license, however, she drove herself - mainly around her estates - for the rest of her life, even teaching some of the younger family members to drive!

It was a bit later in the decade, however, when she made the promise that is mentioned in the introduction of the quiz - "I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong".

What you may not know about this is that Elizabeth's father, King George VI, was actually the one who was supposed to go on the tour. He was, however, too sick to do so, and Princess Elizabeth and her dashing young husband were sent in his place. They only made it to Kenya, however, before hearing word of her father's death and returning to England. It was not until after the death of her grandmother, Queen Mary, and Elizabeth's coronation that plans for the tour were resumed.

The newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip embarked on a tour of the Commonwealth in 1953-54 that included 13 countries and covered more than 40,000 miles. She became the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand, arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, on December 23, 1953, and broadcasting a Christmas message two days later from the Government House. They stayed for about six weeks, traveling through 46 towns and cities; it has been estimated that about 75% of New Zealanders were able to see her, and one woman claimed to have seen her 30 times!

Then - on to Australia! An estimated one million people, more than half the population of the city at the time, were on hand to view her landing into Sydney Harbor. It has been said that the couple traveled 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road; they visited 57 towns and cities in 58 days. Approximately 75% of the people in Australia were able to view her at least once.

Over her long reign, Elizabeth II became known as the "Million Mile Queen", traveling approximately 1,032,513 miles and visiting 117 different countries, making sure to visit every country in the Commonwealth. Now that's one way to be seen and remain relevant!

The 1960s (and the 1970s too) was a turbulent time for the Queen, as countries previously colonized by the UK pushed for independence; twenty former Commonwealth countries began the transition to self-government during this time.

Rhodesia's Prime Minister Ian Smith, in an attempt to bypass majority rule, declared independence, but also proclaimed Elizabeth II as the Queen of Rhodesia in 1965. This was only relevant in Rhodesia. The rest of the world, including the government of the UK and the United Nations, viewed this as an illegal act. Rhodesia finally became a republic in 1970, and today is known as Zimbabwe. While she did attempt to use the title to commute the death sentence of three men in Rhodesia, the Rhodesian government ignored her pardon and executed the men anyway.

Oh, wow! This was a different ballgame! Although Elizabeth II officially never had an official political opinion, she did hold weekly meetings with the prime minister since becoming Queen. Margaret Thatcher, who served from 1979-1990, was the first female. It has been written that while the Queen found her to be quite vulgar, Thatcher felt the royal family was no longer relevant.

They were from very different backgrounds (royal vs. commoner), and neither had any idea how to relate to the other. And, Margaret Thatcher was not called the Iron Lady for nothing! Described as cold and guarded, she stood her ground and was NOT at all touchy feely. The Queen reportedly did not enjoy their meetings. In addition they were rivals for power, even though they each held a different type of authority. Apparently, however, the Queen grew to have a deep respect for Thatcher. She was awarded the Order of Merit, and the Queen attended both Thatcher's 80th birthday party, as well as her funeral.

Altogether Elizabeth II met with 15 Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom during her long reign, including two more women, Theresa May and Liz Truss.

Trooping the Color has been an event in the UK since the reign of Charles II; in 1760 during the reign of George III it became an annual event. It is the official celebration of the monarch's birthday, although it is typically held in May or June because the weather is hopefully better during those months. The event is reminiscent of the medieval practice of using colors on the battle field to rally soldiers. One of the Foot Guards regiments of the Household Division is chosen each year to carry out the tradition.

Queen Elizabeth believed that in order to be relevant to her people, she needed to be seen. This is why she famously wore bright colors. It is also why she choose to wear her military uniform and ride her beloved Burmese in the parade from 1969-1986. In 1981 a young man in the crowd pointed a pistol as the Queen and fired six blank cartridges. In typical "Keep Calm and Carry On" fashion, the Queen controlled her horse, and the parade continued.

A few months later there was a similar event while the Queen was on tour in New Zealand. A young man fired a shot at her with a .22 rifle, and missed. In 1982 another security breach occurred when Elizabeth II awoke to find a man in her bedroom; the reason for the intrusion is unclear.

The 1990s was a time of great challenge for the Queen, as she herself famously admitted. In her Christmas address of 1992 she called it an "annus horribilis", which saw the dissolution of three of her children's' marriages and a fire at Windsor Castle. She did, however, form a new friendship during the 1990s. Elizabeth II met Nelson Mandela in 1991 when the new President of the African National Congress showed up uninvited at the Queen's Banquet for Heads of Government. The Queen asked that an extra place near her be set for him.

In 1995, a year after Mandela became President of South Africa, the Queen and her husband were invited to Cape Town for a visit. Although their security detail advised against it, the couple visited many different townships and were welcomed with open arms wherever they went. Unfortunately their trip coincided with the rainiest weather that had been in South Africa in the last ten years. She was named Motlalepula, or Rain Queen.

Of course, that first successful English colony was Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607. Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamestown in 2007, but it was not the first time she had been there. In 1957 she arrived to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the town's founding.

Why? This may seen a bit odd, considering what happened during the American Revolution and all, but she obviously felt important ties to Virginia, as she visited four times during her reign. Was it because Virginia was named after another Elizabeth - Elizabeth I? Or maybe it was because she appreciated the historical value of the area, both then and now. She did mention in one speech that American forefathers were her countrymen, and that she admired their experiment in freedom and self-government.

Who could ever forget Queen Elizabeth II's daring appearance at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London?! She was shown being escorted to the Olympics by James Bond (Daniel Craig), who picked her up at her Buckingham Palace! When she said "Good evening, Mr. Bond", I must admit that I lost it! And then there were her dogs who acted like they had practiced and played their roles exactly right!

That was enough for me! But they got into a helicopter, took a quick tour of London, and appeared to parachute into Olympic Stadium with Union Jack parachutes! And finally, she was shown inside near Prince Philip and calmly giving the speech that opened the games. The entrance was kept a secret from most of her family, and the looks on their faces were priceless.

This was the second time the Queen had opened the Olympic Games, with the first being in Montreal in 1976. She was the first woman to open the Games twice. I see this sketch as kind of a prelude to the Paddington Bear sketch at her Platinum Jubilee in 2022. What a sense of humor she had!

The Covid pandemic forced many people in the world into a period of isolation, and although the isolation was difficult for everyone, I think it especially hurt the elderly, as it cut them off from their family and friends. But what else was there to do? Special consideration had to be taken for both the Queen and Prince Philip as they were getting on in years.

After Prince Philip retired, he had been living at Sandringham, and the two didn't see each other every day. It was decided that they should sequester together, and the Queen was moved from her official residence at Buckingham Palace to be with her husband at Windsor Castle. They spent two lockdowns there together in what was called the HMS Bubble, with a limited staff of about 20 people, and very little contact with other people. During that time they celebrated their 73rd anniversary.

The savvy Queen, however, found other ways to be seen. She rode her horse around the grounds quite often. She also learned how to use technology, video chatting, conferencing, and making virtual appearances. She gave televised speeches to try and boost morale, stating that people should "...take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return...." And she was seen being vaccinated.

When Prince Philip passed away, she continued to observe the Covid restrictions that were still in place, sitting alone at his funeral rather than seeking the comfort of close contact with her family. One must lead by example.