Today we join the nation in mourning for our longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Recently we celebrated seven decades of her long reign and looked at the visits and connections she had to the Tees Valley.
Queen Elizabeth visited the Tees Valley several times during her reign, with her first visit in 1956, three years after her coronation. She also toured Hartlepool and Stockton for her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and visited the area again in the 1990s to see some of the new industry that had been created in Wynyard, Stockton.
A selection of photographs from a snapshot book of ‘Our Young Royals’. Images courtesy of Preston Park Museum and Grounds.
Born 21st April 1926, the future Queen was raised with her younger sister Margaret, in London, where this little booklet was produced sharing snapshots of the young royals. On her 21st birthday in 1947 she made a special speech stating her dedication to her country, duty and her subjects all over the Commonwealth.
“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,”.
After the sudden death of her father in February 1952, the 25-year-old princess became the new Queen Elizabeth II. Her reign has seen drastic changes to the modern world; our lives today are very different to what they were in the 1950s. But throughout it all the Queen has remained a distinctive figure in our lives through her dedication and commitment to her duty and her people.
“Grief is the price we pay for love” – Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 – 2022.
You can read more about the Queen’s visits to the Tees Valley and how the people of the area celebrated her Coronation.
