Queen Elizabeth II’s parentage was “devoted but” old-fashioned “

Queen Elizabeth II held many titles in her 70 years of sitting on the throne, but this “mother” was often overshadowed by her duty to the crown.

Royal expert Robert Hardman describes the late Queen as the “devoted” – though “old-fashioned” – mother of four of her children, whom she shared with Prince Philip.

“I think some people tend to apply the standards of modern parenting to the way they raised their children,” Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II explained the parental critique on page six. the monarch received for years.

He continued by telling us that although Elizabeth would leave her eldest son Prince Charles and his sister Princess Anne for a long time, her absence was considered normal at the time.

“It was a wartime generation of people who were separated from their families. Not for weeks or months. For six years in many cases, ”he said, adding that in post-war Britain, children with both parents were“ deemed quite happy ”.

“Many children are missing at least one,” he continued.

Charles – who ascended the throne on September 8, when his mother died at the age of 96 – was born on November 14, 1948. By all accounts, Elizabeth was stunned by her newborn.

According to the biography of Sally Bedell Smith, “Queen Elizabeth,” Her Majesty admired Lady Mary Cambridge’s cousin of “beautiful, long fingers” Charles and breastfed him for two months until she contracted measles.

Almost a year later, Philip – then a naval officer – was sent to Malta, and Elizabeth was told that a European island was not suitable for a young prince.

“Elizabeth may have stayed in London with her son, but instead chose to spend as much time as possible with her husband,” wrote Smith. “She was used to long parental absences as a child, so her decision to leave Charles would not have raised an eyebrow.

“She looked after professional nannies, not to mention her own parents, who were willing to keep their grandson company.”

Philip and Elizabeth spent Christmas in Malta while Charles stayed with his grandparents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, at Sandringham Castle in Britain.

She flew back to England in late December but first stopped for a few days in London, with a quick detour to Hurst Park to see one of her horses win the race. After this short horse interlude, she saw Charles again after a five-week hiatus.

Another example of how the Queen’s cool relationship with Charles was praised by the public came shortly after his third birthday.

The young prince welcomed his parents – along with his grandmother and aunt Princess Margaret – at the train station after their return from a visit to the USA. Although she had not seen her son in over a month, Elizabeth hastily kissed her mother, but “she just leaned in and gave [Charles] a peck on the top of the head before turning to kiss Margaret, ”wrote Smith.

“Britain’s supposed heiress puts her duty first,” a newsreel commentator said at the time. “Motherly love must wait in the privacy of Clarence House.”

Charles was 3 years old when 27-year-old Elizabeth suddenly became Queen of Great Britain and other Commonwealth countries in February 1952. Anne, who was born in August 1950, was only 18 months old at the time.

Smith wrote that the children’s lives “spent most of their lives in the six-room nursery complex on the second floor of Buckingham Palace.”

According to Smith, on weekdays, Charles and Anne would come downstairs after breakfast for a short time playing with their parents and would not see them until the end of the day, when they had their “final game.”

The Queen, however, gave up one archaic crown practice that required formal bow from her children as they entered the room she was in.

The monarch also moved her weekly meeting with the prime minister from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm – a change in her father’s schedule – to spend time with the children.

Charles’s friends, who spoke to Jonathan Dimbleby in 1992 about an authorized biography, said the current king had a lonely childhood with emotionally distant parents.

Friends who spoke with Charles’ permission described the Queen as “not so much indifferent as detached.”

By the time Prince Andrew was born in February 1960, the Queen was calmed down and much more confident in her position.

She always dreamed of a large family, but put it off because she wanted to “concentrate on becoming an effective monarch,” wrote Smith.

And with the arrival of Prince Edward four years later, in March 1964, the family was complete.

“The Queen has become a more relaxed and consistently committed mother with a second pair of children,” noted Smith. “Some critics have questioned whether she was indulging Andrew and Edward too much, making up for not spending any more time with her older children.”

While not a demonstrative mother, she showed more of her playful nature with Andrew and Edward.

Royal expert and author of A Royal Life, Hugo Vickers, told Page Six that “she was much closer with the younger two. She was much better at dictating time to herself and spending more time with them. “

Vickers remembered being at school near Windsor Castle and often seeing the Queen holding hands with Prince Edward as they went for a walk.

“There was more time for a bath and that sort of thing,” he noted.

According to Vickers, the queen was an even better grandmother and great-grandmother.

“Everyone loves her,” Vickers told us, adding that she had a particularly close relationship with Edward’s daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, who shares her love for horses.

In recent years, even Charles became aware of the sacrifices his mother made for the monarchy.

During the Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, he thanked his “mum” for “a life of selfless service” and noted that she continued to “make history.”

Charles also spoke in appreciation of the deceased ruler when he made his first public address as king the day after his mother died, what he called “the moment of greatest sorrow.”

“We owe her the most sincere debt any family can owe to their mother for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example,” he said in an emotional speech.

Likewise, Princess Anna brought back fond memories of Her Majesty after her departure.

“[Vacations were] probably the times she liked the most, ”Anne said on a BBC broadcast. “Probably because it contained what she liked … the countryside, horses and just being out.”

And when British Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke with King Charles III the day after the Queen’s death, he made a statement that many understood: “[Her death is] the moment I was scared… but we’re trying to make it work. ”