Day in the Life:
Queen Elizabeth II
Born in 1926 and the heir to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II has ruled the Monarch for over 65 years, making her the longest standing ruler of Britain. April 21st is a special day for Britain, as Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating her 91st birthday this year. On this very special day, the Queen will usually have a private occasion with her family and friends, with gun salutes throughout London in her honor. As for her 90th birthday last year, she did a 4-mile walk through Windsor Castle, greeting well-wishers.
The celebrations continue well over a month as she holds a public birthday extravaganza in June with a parade and lunch with the public. Typically, the parade is on the second Saturday of June as she is joined by the Royal Family in Buckingham Palace. The Queen dedicates this day to the charities and organization she is involved with, and all ticket proceeds to attend the event are donated to said charities and organizations.
Even though the Queen is turning 91 this year, she is nowhere near stopping her hard work and dedication to her country. Sir Michael Oswald notes, “As long as she is able to carry out her duties she will continue.”
How does the Queen do it all at the age of 91? Sources say she has the energy of a 25-year-old.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Daily Routine:
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- 730AM ~ Wake Up
- 730AM-830AM ~ Drink Tea/Watch BBC News
- 830AM ~ Breakfast with Prince Philip
- 930AM ~ Read Correspondence
- 1130AM ~ Meet with Secretary about agenda for the day
- 12PM ~ Lunch
- 1PM ~ Work
- 230PM ~ Walk in Palace Gardens
- 3PM ~ Work
- 5PM ~ Tea Time
- 6PM ~ Work
- 7PM ~ Dinner
- 8PM ~ Relaxation
- 11PM ~ Bedtime
Community Wellness
One of the Queen’s most important elements of her work includes voluntary and public services. She has ties to over 600 charities and organizations, varying from international charities to local organizations. She strives to find togetherness with those she encounters within the organizations. She mentions, “Doing small things with great love,” is the secret to happiness.
“I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighborliness.”
Self-Reflection
Lunch is usually spent alone unless the Queen is hosting friends or guests. Her children will periodically pop-in as well to have lunch with their mother. Living the life the Queen does, constantly hosting events, traveling, and attending at least a couple of hundred engagements per year, she uses her lunch and walks in the Garden as her time for self-reflection.
“It’s nice to hibernate for a bit when one leads such a very movable life”
Connection To The Community
The Queen likes to start off her mornings by reading letters and correspondence from individuals across the globe. She receives hundreds of letters a day and tries to get through as many as she can. “Luckily, I’m a quick reader, so I can get through a lot of reading in a short amount of time.”
“I like to see what people write to me.”
Another important aspect of the Queen and Royal Family’s connection with the public is honoring individuals with MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). The tradition was started by King George V in 1917 and continues on to this day.
Family & Downtime
When Queen Elizabeth II is not out in the public light, she loves to spend time with her family and do what “normal” people would do. Besides her daily walks in the Garden, the Queen uses horse riding as one of her de-stressers. She started riding horses at the age of 4 and continues to do so on weekends as much as she can. She also keeps up with the daily newspaper every morning, and does not forget to check the Racing Post section.
Additionally, in the evenings, she’ll enjoy dinner with Prince Philip and afterward, she’ll get cozy, tune in on the latest British television shows or work on a jigsaw puzzle before she gets ready for her beauty rest.