George Boyle
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, embarked on their honeymoon in November 1947, shortly after their wedding. The couple spent the initial part of their honeymoon at Broadlands, Lord Mountbatten's house in Hampshire, before enjoying a trip to the Balmoral estate. Years later, in 1952, Elizabeth and Philip embarked on a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand, with a stop in Kenya. It was in their Kenyan home that they received news of King George VI's death, making Elizabeth the new monarch.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Queen Elizabeth's honeymoon location | Broadlands, Lord Mountbatten's house in Hampshire, followed by Birkhall on the Balmoral estate |
| Date of honeymoon | 1947 |
| Date of King George VI's death | 6 February 1952 |
| Location of King George VI's death | Sandringham House in Norfolk |
| Queen Elizabeth's location at the time of her father's death | Sagana Lodge in Kenya |
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What You'll Learn
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's honeymoon location
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent the initial part of their honeymoon at Broadlands, the country retreat of Philip's uncle, Earl Mountbatten, near Southampton, Hampshire. The newlyweds were photographed enjoying a stroll through the rural woodland area, with the then-Princess dressed in a pleated skirt, a cinched jacket, and lace-up shoes, while her husband wore a tweed suit.
During their honeymoon, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip had to interrupt their break to reshoot their wedding photos, as the first set was ruined when Elizabeth misplaced her flowers. The couple dressed up again in their wedding clothes, with the royal wedding florist providing another bouquet for the photos.
After their time at Broadlands, the couple travelled to the Balmoral estate, where they enjoyed a spot of stalking in the snow at Birkhall.
Queen Elizabeth became queen in February 1952, while she and Prince Philip were in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour. Upon their return to the Sagana Lodge in Kenya after a night at the Treetops Hotel, the couple received the news of Elizabeth's father's death, which made her the new monarch.
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King George VI's death
King George VI had been in declining health for some time, suffering from lung cancer and undergoing a lung resection in 1951. Despite appearing to recover, the King's health remained fragile, and the delayed trip to Australia and New Zealand was ultimately undertaken by Princess Elizabeth and her husband in his stead.
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip had embarked on their Kenyan leg of the tour just a few days earlier, on January 31, 1952. Unaware of what awaited her, the Princess spent her time in Kenya enjoying the local scenery, partaking in activities such as fishing and riding, and capturing her experiences on her cine camera.
On the morning of February 6, as the royal couple returned to their Kenyan home at Sagana Lodge, they received the devastating news of the King's death. He was found dead in his bed at Sandringham House in Norfolk, at the age of 56. It was later determined that the cause of death was coronary thrombosis.
The death of King George VI marked the end of Princess Elizabeth's private life. As Queen Elizabeth II, she returned to England to assume her new role, leaving behind the carefree days of her honeymoon and early marriage.
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Princess Elizabeth's ascension to the throne
Elizabeth was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark. Their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.
As George VI's health declined during 1951, Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. When she visited Canada and Harry S. Truman in Washington, DC, in October 1951, her private secretary Martin Charteris carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while she was on tour. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of the British colony of Kenya. On 6 February, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after a night spent at Treetops Hotel, when word arrived of the death of Elizabeth's father. Philip broke the news to the new queen. She chose to retain Elizabeth as her regnal name, and was therefore called Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth was proclaimed queen throughout her realms, and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom. She was crowned in 1953 and became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, as well as head of the Commonwealth.
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The couple's royal tour of Kenya
Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and her husband, Prince Philip, embarked on a royal tour of Kenya in 1952. The trip was part of a larger Commonwealth tour that included Australia and New Zealand, which the couple visited on behalf of Princess Elizabeth's father, King George VI, who was too ill to travel.
On February 6, 1952, the royal couple returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after spending a night at Treetops Hotel. It was there that they received the news of King George VI's death. Princess Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, broke the news to the new Queen.
During their time in Kenya, the royal couple engaged in various activities, including fishing and riding. They also spent a night up in a tree to observe wildlife, with Princess Elizabeth capturing footage of the experience on her cine camera. The trip to Kenya was significant not only because of the news of King George VI's passing but also because it marked one of the last times Princess Elizabeth was seen as a non-monarch.
The royal tour of Kenya was part of a larger trip that included visits to Australia and New Zealand. Princess Elizabeth and her husband had been standing in for King George VI, who was experiencing declining health. The couple had previously visited Canada and met with Harry S. Truman in Washington, DC, in October 1951, where her private secretary had carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while they were away.
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The end of Queen Elizabeth's private life
Princess Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, were on a royal tour of Kenya in 1952 when they received news that King George VI, Elizabeth's father, had died. The new queen and her husband had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after a night at Treetops Hotel.
The last time Queen Elizabeth saw her father was on 31 January 1952, when he went to London Airport to see the couple off on their Commonwealth tour. At the time, the King was too ill to travel himself, so his daughter and son-in-law were visiting Australia and New Zealand on his behalf.
Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Prince Philip and one of the couple's bridesmaids, recalled the morning in Kenya when the news of the King's death broke: "When we landed in England and seeing Winston Churchill and others drawn up on the tarmac, there was this sudden realisation that this was the end of her private life".
Indeed, upon her father's death, Elizabeth immediately became Queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, as well as head of the Commonwealth. She chose to retain her birth name as her regnal name, becoming Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth's marriage to Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, had taken place in November 1947, and their honeymoon included a stay at Broadlands, Lord Mountbatten's house in Hampshire, as well as a visit to Birkhall on the Balmoral estate.
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Frequently asked questions
Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Philip Mountbatten, went to Broadlands, Lord Mountbatten’s house in Hampshire, for the initial part of their honeymoon. They then went to Birkhall on the Balmoral estate.
Yes, Queen Elizabeth was on her honeymoon when her father, King George VI, died.
Queen Elizabeth was in Kenya on a Commonwealth tour when she received the news of her father's death. Philip broke the news to the new queen.
Queen Elizabeth and her husband hastily returned to the United Kingdom. She chose to retain Elizabeth as her regnal name, and was therefore called Elizabeth II.
