On her 21st birthday, the then-Princess Elizabeth famously declared that whether her life was long or short, it would be lived in service of her people.
No one – least of all the bright-eyed young royal making her earnest declaration in a radio broadcast from Government House in South Africa’s Cape Town – could have known just how long and glorious that service would be.
Just four years later, in 1952, she was propelled onto the throne after the sudden death of her father, King George VI – an historic event that would eventually see her become the world’s second longest-reigning monarch.
On her death on 8 September 2022, Elizabeth, 96, had served for 70 years as the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth realms – a reign that has spanned four generations, and earned tributes from world leaders and celebrities around the globe.
But no one alive knew her better than her eldest child, the now-King Charles III, who issued a touching statement in honour of his late mother.
“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty the Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” began the King’s statement. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss
