Evening star., 1952-02-06
Rx the As.eeiutad Prsss


LONDON, Feb. 6.-The death Of
King George vi today brought
Britain its first reigning Queen
since Victoria died 81 years ago.
And the coming to the throne
Of serious gray-eyed Elizabeth
revived q mild superstition-that
Britain wakes fat and prosperous
with q woman's reign.
The belief grew out OF the
founding Of an empire by another
Queen Elizabeth $50 years ago,
and its rich expansion under
Victoria In the 10Th century.
Elizabeth was marked as a fu-
ture reigning Queen when she was
only 10 and her father became
King. 1t changed the whole course
of her upbringing. from that Of a
relatively care-free child to one
laden with the prospective respon-
sibilities of reigning over q world
girdling commonwealth and en-
pire.
Dedicated Life TO Task.
On her 21st birthday she dedi-
Gated her life to looking after the
welfare Of that empire.
In q radio speech from Cape
town, South Africa, where she and
her parents were making another
commonwealth tour, she said:
"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"
Two events had changed her life
from that Of q playful daughter
Of the shy Duke Of York.
One was the decision Of her
uncle, Edward VIII. to quit the
throne so he could marry an
American, Mrs. Wallis Warfleld
Simpson, who was unacceptable
to the Church of England because
she had been married twice pre-
viously. His abdication made her
father King on December II, 1886,
and made her the heiress apparent
to the throne.
The other event had been the
birth Of her sister, Princess Mar
garet, only other child of King
George and his Queen. Had this
child been boy, he would imme-
diately have taken her place in
line Of succession.
Public School Vetoed.
Her mother and father had tried
to bring her up as a normal child,
and even wanted to send her to
schools where she could mingle
with other children her own age.
But a family council, presided
over by King George v, her grand
father-whom she called Grand
pa England firmly vetoed the
idea. Her grandmother, a firm
guardian of Victorian faiths, was
also insistent that Elizabeth, by
being anywhere in the line of sue
cession, needed a special educa-
tion to I'LL her place close to the
throne.
They hired a woman governess,
Miss Marion Crawford, an honor
graduate of Edinburgh University,
as her tutor. Later, one Of Brit
aims leading historians, Clarence
Henry Kenneth Martin, taught
her history.
Her education leaned heavily
toward reminders Of her future
responsibility and stiff training in
the economics of a nation that
lives by trade with a huge empire.
She launched ships. toured fac
tories, dedicated public buildings
and more and more edged into
the public duties of her father.
Made Many Trips.
She had been left at home dur
ing prewar trips by her father and
mother to Australia and to the
United States and Canada.
But in the winter of 1946-47, the
King carried both his daughters
into the stream of empire by
taking them along on a tour Of
South Africa, a land troubled by
racial differences and hints that
1t might prefer to leave the Com
monwealth.
After marriage Elizabeth un-
dertook official trips to France
with her husband and was criti-I
cized by some British Protestant
churches because they went to
races and a party on Sunday,
in accordance with French Gus
tom.
Later she made a visit to Pope
Plus XII and again was criticized.
But following royal custom she
made no answer.
Biggest official tour was the
visit of Elizabeth and Philip to
Canada and the United States
last October and November.
Greeted by CROWDS.
They flew to Montreal October
Z. after canceling plans to go bt
boat because of the serious con-
dition Of the Kings health. The
monarch had been operated on
for removal of a lung only a week
before they were due to SAIL.
Huge crowds greeted the young
couple all across Canada. At one
point they caught the fancy of
the crowd by coming to square
dance in pioneer" clothes-Eliz-
abeth in a printed cotton dirndl,
Philip in Lewis.
The King and Queen had
planned to make this winters
tour of Australia and New Zea-
land. It had been planned two
years before, but another opera
tion on the King to correct a cir
culatory ailment in his legs forced
It's postponement.
On the day the couple left for
Africa, the King announced can