Martin Charteris: Last News

Queen Elizabeth II was the ultimate matriarch whose extended family meant the world to her.The first of her and Prince Philip’s four children, Charles, was born at Buckingham Palace in November 1948 when she was a 22-year-old princess and four years before she became Queen. News of the prince’s birth was broken with a traditional notice pinned to the railings outside the palace, where waiting crowds burst into a rendition of For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow.The water in the Trafalgar Square fountains was dyed blue to celebrate his arrival.The princess appeared to adapt to motherhood quickly, although two weeks after her firstborn came along, she wrote in her diary, “I still find it hard to believe that I really have a baby of my own.” The couple’s daughter Princess Anne was born at Clarence House in August 1950, and Elizabeth wrote in a letter that Charles treated his new baby sister “with great care”.

Prince Philip could not hide his true feelings when told the Queen's father had died 70 years ago. When George VI died on February 6, 1952, his 25-year-old daughter Elizabeth was in Kenya at the beginning of a huge royal tour of the Commonwealth.

The Queen has been seen smiling in a new photo released on Sunday 6 February to mark the day she ascended to the throne 70 years ago. Queen Elizabeth, 95, is wearing a lime green dress for the occasion as she sits in a patterned chair in front of a red briefcase. As she marks becoming the longest reigning monarch with the snap, Her Majesty paid a sweet tribute to her late father King George VI.

Elizabeth became Queen of England on February 6, 1952, after her father, King George VI passed away in the early hours of the morning.The then-Princess was on a Commonwealth tour in Kenya, alongside her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.The royal couple had spent the previous night at the remote Treetops Hotel – accessible via a ladder – in Aberdare Forest, where they watched baboons in the jungle. The 25-year-old Princess climbed up to a look-out point at the top of the tree in order to see the dawn breaking.

Queen’s final moment with her father, King George VI, was spent on the tarmac of London Airport as he wished her well on her trip around the Commonwealth.Prince Philip and the Queen, who was known as Princess Elizabeth, were boarding a flight to tour the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Kenya due to the King not being well enough to travel.King George VI was seen watching on as his oldest daughter boarded the place, but the Queen had no idea that would be the last time they would see each other on January 31 in 1952.The Queen’s parents, including the then-Queen Elizabeth, and Princess Margaret also boarded the plane to say their farewells before returning to the tarmac and watching the take off from a rooftop.His Majesty had been suffering from illness after previously undergoing surgery for lung cancer, but the Royal Family had no idea his health would deteriorate in the days to come.The goodbye to the Queen also marked the last time King George VI would be seen in public.The Queen, who was 25 at the time, left the UK that day to return as Queen Elizabeth II.Philip and the Queen were one of the last people in the world to hear about the death of the King, having been in Kenya at the time.They were staying at a remote treehouse in Aberdare National Park and were unable to be reached with the news immediately.The Queen’s private secretary, Martin Charteris, heard the news first as he was having a drink at a restaurant in a nearby town.A writer approached him regarding the news and saw him return to the lodge.The Duke of Edinburgh was motioned out of the room as they secretly turned on the radio to get confirmation.The quick actions allowed Philip to be the one to break the sad news to his wife as they walked alone in