The Windsors are the most famous and popular royal family in the world. Original house: Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. Currently, Britain is ruled by Catherine II.
The history of the Windsor royal dynasty begins with the reign of Queen Victoria, who married Prince Albert. Her son Edward VII is considered the first representative of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty. He took over in 1901 at the age of 59. He was succeeded by George V. It was he who changed his German surname to English. The name was borrowed from Windsor Castle (the main residence of the British monarch).
Monarchs
In addition to changing the name of the dynasty, the king renounced all personal and family German titles. This was due to the war with Germany. Because of her, a Spartan regime was introduced in the royal court. The king visited hospitals with the wounded, actively worked with the military. The status of the "people's" monarch was consolidated by George V in 1932, when he made a Christmas radio address.
After the death of the king, his son Edward VIII was at the throne for ten months. He was never crowned, relinquished power to marry a divorced Wallis Simpson. After abdication, he will receive the title of Duke of Windsor. He became famous thanks to his personal contacts with the leadership of Nazi Germany. In 1940-1945 he was the governor of the Bahamas.
George VI ascended the throne after his brother's abdication. It went down in history as a symbol of the struggle of the British Empire against Nazi Germany. During his reign, the empire was transformed into the Commonwealth of Nations. George VI became the last emperor of India, the last king of Ireland.
From 1952 to the present day, Britain is ruled by Elizabeth II. She came to the throne after the death of her father George VI, is the longest reigning monarch.
During her reign, many historically important events fall:
- the process of decolonization was completed;
- the entry of Great Britain into the European Union took place;
- the exit from the EU began.
Descendants of Elizabeth II
Prince Charles was born in 1948 and was the first son of the Queen and her husband Philip. He is the first successor to the throne. After the death of the reigning queen, he will become the king of Great Britain. During his life he was married twice.
Another member of the dynasty is Princess Anne. This is the younger sister of Prince Charles. Born in 1950, she is an adherent of Anglicanism. The princess married twice. has two children. Since 1986, for eight years she was the head of the "World Equestrian Federation".
Andrew's second son was born in 1960 at Buckingham Palace. He received the title of duke in 1986 when he married Sarah Ferguson. He has two daughters, but in 1996 the marriage broke up. Since Enryu has no sons, after his death, the title will return to the crown, it can be assigned to another person.
The Queen's fourth child is Edward. He was born in 1964, married to Sophie Rea-Jones, and the couple have two children.
The rest of the heirs to the throne
The eldest son of Charles and the deceased Princess Diana is William. He has earned a reputation as a good family man, very rarely gets into conflict situations. In the Royal Air Force, he served as a rescue helicopter pilot.
"The Little Prince" - this is the title that the first-born of William and Kate Middleton received all over the world. He was one of the first people to appear on Wikipedia before he was born. For 2018, George of Cambridge is 4 years old.
Princess Charlotte of Cambridge is William's second child. It was she who became the reason due to which a new law was introduced, which equalized the rights of male and female heirs. If brothers are born to her, they will stand behind her, not in front of her.
Prince Harry (Henry) of Wales was the third in the list of heirs for several years, but he was ousted by his nephews. The youngest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana often becomes the cause for various discussions in society. In 2018, a grand event took place - the wedding of Prince Henry and Magelan Markle. On the eve of the wedding, Elizabeth II granted her grandson the title of Duke of Sussex, allowed his wife to become a duchess.
Among the heirs are also Princess Beatrice of York, Princess Eugene of York, James (Viscount Severn).
