“It’s a bit of the 20th century that disappears”reacts Thursday, September 8 on franceinfo the historian Fabrice D’Almeida, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. “It may be the last turn of the 20th century, since basically she was from the late 1930s, the crown princess.”
>> Queen Elizabeth II dies aged 96, after 70 years of reign: follow the situation and the statements live
Fabrice d’Almeida recalls that Elizabeth’s father, George VI, “was not to be king. It was Edward VIII, his brother, who was the king. And for a story of love and also of personal pride, he did not want to let things be imposed on him by the British parliamentarians, he abdicated “. George VI, Elizabeth’s father, “becomes king without having wanted to, not prepared for it. And the little one, who had not been prepared for it, becomes in turn crown princess”.
Fabrice d’Almeida recalls that she will “very quickly assume its role from 1940. It is the Second World War. She is going to give her first speech on the radio, a speech aimed at children to encourage them to behave.”. The historian further emphasizes that Elizabeth, in 1944, decided to enlist. She’s going to volunteer for the British services. She will be a territorial auxiliary and will in particular be a nurse, learn to repair a car”.
Fabrice d’Almeida notes that in 1947, Elizabeth “gives a first speech where she insists that she is the princess, not only of England, not only of the United Kingdom, but of the whole Commonwealth”. The Queen “will be traveling extensively in this Commonwealth.”
She is a traveling queen and the key moment, in June 1953, she was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and she was going to have the most publicized event in the world at that time.
Fabrice D’Almeidaat franceinfo
The ceremony will be followed “by at least 300 million people. Then by a billion viewers”recalls the historian.
While the queen has just died, Fabrice d’Almeida wants to notice “all the media preparation that there was before. The British television presenters who dress in black, the acronym which passes in black, while they say that she is not dead yet. We dare not not utter the words”. According to him, “It’s a way of preparing public opinion. And finally, the press release arrives and we realize that she had died in the afternoon”.