It was so huge that there was always daylight in one of the territories. Historians estimated the empire once ruled more than 400 million people and had 25 percent of the earth’s landmass. (AP Photo, File)Ī Spaniard reportedly told King Charles I that “the sun never sets” on the British Empire. An estimated 750 million people around the world watched the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana on July 29, 1981.įILE - Queen Elizabeth II sits on throne in Westminister Abbey, London, Jafter her coronation. “At least for a few minutes, I welcome you to the peace of my own home,” she said at the time.įrom weddings to funerals, the ceremonies became must-see television. Elizabeth then made her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, saying she hoped the new medium would make her message “more personal and direct.” The broadcast brought the British royal family into people’s living rooms. On June 2, 1953, Elizabeth’s coronation was the first event seen on live television by millions around the world. The Soviet Union has collapsed, and Britain's own empire has disappeared. Since then, prime ministers, popes, and presidents have come and gone. She took over a country that survived the damages of World War II with Winston Churchill as prime minister. The 25-year-old Elizabeth became queen on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI. Britain will mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule on Sunday.
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