Queen Elizabeth II - an extraordinary life
manchestereveningnews.co.ukPictured on a lawn dappled with sunlight, Princess Elizabeth looked solemnly at the camera, reading from a speech on the table in front of her.
It was her 21st birthday, it was 1947, and she was making a vow. "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service - and the service of our great imperial family, to which we all belong," she said.
That life, we now know, was a long and eventful one. And, 75 years on from the day she made it, there can be little argument that the Queen, who died peacefully at Balmoral today, aged 96, met that historic pledge.
There has never been, and perhaps never will be again, a British monarch like Queen Elizabeth II. A constant figure in British public life, and on the world stage, until ill health in the last few months forced her, reluctantly, to ease back from her duties, she owed her uniqueness to her longevity on the throne, her character, and the extraordinary connection she made with the tens of thousands she met in her life.
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