Queen Elizabeth was on the throne for 70 years (Image: Getty)
A year ago today the world stood still as a period of mourning began to mark the death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history, Queen Elizabeth II.
Her heir King Charles led a series of emotional tributes, as senior members of the Firm took part in walkabouts, greeting saddened wellwishers and appreciating the huge floral offerings left by the public at royal residences such as Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
Across the globe leaders such as President Biden, President Macron and President Xi paid their respects to Her Majesty, while celebrities including Sir Elton John, Sir David Attenborough, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Mo Farah expressed their admiration for the monarch and their sorrow at her loss.
The funeral on September 19 saw the nation fall silent for a day as 2,000 mourners gathered in London and Windsor for the service, some travelling halfway around the world to be there for the solemn occasion.
During her 70 years on the throne Queen Elizabeth created a legacy that will be treasured for decades to come, as Express.co.uk looks back at our most recent extraordinary Elizabethan age.
Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation was held in 1953 (Image: Getty)
The Queen’s funeral was watched by nearly 30 million viewers in the UK (Image: Getty)
When Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21 1926, no one ever thought that she would one day be crowned Queen, let alone that she would become the most iconic British royal of the twentieth century.
At the time her grandfather King George V sat on the throne, with his heir and Elizabeth’s uncle Edward VIII succeeding him in 1936, however he abdicated later that year, leaving his younger brother King George VI to rule in his place.
This left a 10-year-old Elizabeth suddenly heir to the throne, a role she assumed at the tender age of 25 upon the death of her father on February 6 1952.
She was by this time already married to Prince Philip, her devoted husband and companion of over 73 years, and had given birth to her two elder children, then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
They would later be joined by Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, with the Queen having a total of eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren at the time of her death.
Elizabeth’s reign from 1952-2022 saw unprecedented changes in the UK and around the world, as she oversaw the end of rationing, the birth of the Internet, the end of the Cold War and the USSR and humankind making its first forays into space travel.
Elizabeth and Philip with their family (Image: Getty)
Meeting President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963 (Image: Getty)
The Royal Family’s colourful personal life also kept them in the headlines over the years, as the Queen’s three older children married and subsequently divorced their various spouses.
Perhaps the most famous royal wedding of all time was that of Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, on July 29 1981, with Princess Diana later capturing the hearts of the globe before her untimely death in 1997 at the age of 36.
The breakdown of their relationship was heavily documented, with the announcement of their separation in 1992 coinciding with the Queen’s own ‘annus horribilis’, a year which also saw Princess Anne and Prince Andrew end their marriages and a devastating fire at Windsor Castle.
However the monarchy bounced back and returned to full glory in time for many happier royal unions, with the weddings of Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 marking times of great celebration and joy for the royals.
Towards the end of her reign the Queen saw her popularity grow enormously, as her Diamond Jubilee year happened alongside another huge history-making occasion for the country, the 2012 London Olympics.
By the time of her Platinum Jubilee ten years later, Queen Elizabeth II had cemented her status as an icon of our times, known for her tireless sense of duty, her unwavering commitment to serving the people of her realms and her dedication to her family.
Charles and Diana on their wedding day in 1981 (Image: Getty)
Their son Prince William on his own wedding day 30 years later, in 2011 (Image: Getty)
One of the traits that the Queen was best known for was her mantra of ‘never complain, never explain’, as she always presented a stoic facade to the world, never revealing the extent of her emotions.
Even during some of the most painful moments of her rule, from the deaths of her mother and sister in the same year to her sitting alone at the late Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral due to COVID-19 restrictions, she never wavered in her level of grace and composure.
When the nation mourned, for instance after the 1966 Aberfan mining tragedy or the Lockerbie bombing in 1988, she comforted her people with her reassuring presence and kind words.
She was a steadfast figure for many Brits during their whole lives, as Catherine Pepinster writes: “You have to be in your late 70s or older to recall a time when she wasn’t on the throne.”
However this did not mean she lacked a sense of humour – far from it, as she was was the master of British wit and even enjoyed making jokes at the expense of US Presidents.
The Queen was forced to sit alone at Prince Philip’s funeral (Image: Getty)
Queen Elizabeth at Aberfan in 1966 (Image: Getty)
Another quality that Her Majesty will be remembered for particularly fondly is her sense of fashion, as in later life she loved to indulge in wearing bright colours, teamed with her trusty handbag and sensible shoes.
Her dresser and personal adviser Angela Kelly, who became a great friend to the Queen, was even made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in 2012, an honour awarded for extraordinary important or personal services to the monarch.
Ms Kelly emboldened the Queen to wear bright pinks, yellows, greens and blues while undertaking royal duties, and had the job of re-fashioning the royal christening gown when the original became too delicate to use.
In February 2018, at the age of 91, Queen Elizabeth was guest of honour at London Fashion Week, where she presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design.
She was sat between Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, and legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who was introduced to the monarch by Ms Kelly.
She said: “Your Majesty, I know you do not wish to be known as a fashion icon, but from all of us in this room, we have the utmost respect for you and also for your hard work and diligence.”
The Queen stunned in bright colours (Image: Getty)
Sitting front row at London Fashion Week (Image: Getty)
Queen Elizabeth loved her corgis (Image: Getty)
Queen Elizabeth was immortalised in popular culture too through her collaborations with some of Britain’s best loved characters, namely James Bond and Paddington Bear.
In 2012 she appeared alongside 007 actor Daniel Craig in a sketch which was broadcast at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, as she met the iconic spy at Buckingham Palace before seemingly jumping out of a plane at the stadium, although this was in fact a stuntperson dressed in the same outfit.
The move showed the Queen was able to join in the fun and was unashamed to express her pride for a country and her willingness to have a good time while doing so on an international stage.
Just months before her death, in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, she starred in another sketch with the beloved Paddington Bear, voiced by Ben Whishaw, in which the pair enjoyed tea and marmalade sandwiches at the palace, with predictably hilarious results.
Perhaps the animal that best symbolises Queen Elizabeth however, is the corgi, her favourite dog breed, as she owned more than 30 in total throughout her reign.
Her last two dogs Sandy and Muick even came to her funeral in order to say their last goodbyes to their adored mistress.
