As with many of her subjects, the period of World War II was decisive for the future of Queen Elizabeth II.
She was 13 when the conflict began and the six years of war would mark the beginning of her public role as heir to the British throne.
The royal family – the king, queen and daughters Elizabeth and Margaret – was also a strong symbol of the values ​​for which Britain and its allies fought against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi dictatorship in Germany.
Politicians and advisers recommended that the girls be transferred to Canada, an idea that did not please the Queen Mother.
“The children will not leave unless I leave,” Queen Elizabeth said. “I will not leave unless their father does, and the king will not leave the country under any circumstances.”
In October 1940, when Britain was suffering the worst wave of German bombing, Elizabeth made her first public radio address.
It was a speech addressed to British children who had been sent to North America to escape the terrible bombings, but it served as a message to win the sympathy of the American public in favor of the country’s entry into the war.
“We children are at home, full of joy and courage,” he said.
“We are trying to do everything we can to help our daring sailors, soldiers and airmen. And we are also trying to bear our own share of danger and sorrow for the war,” he said.
The fact that Elizabeth and Margaret remained in the country was considered an important factor in raising the nation’s morale.
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The furthest from the center of the bombings where the King’s daughters were transferred was Windsor Castle. “We went for a weekend and stayed for five years,” they said.
But they were close enough to London to see the skies lit up by the intense bombing of the capital. On one occasion, a bomb dropped near the castle.
The sisters were accompanied by their parents most nights and weekends, and their studies were maintained with private tutors.
In 1942, Princess Elizabeth participated in her first public engagement: she inspected a British Army infantry regiment of which she had become an honorary colonel.
For many, the meaning of serving the country that marked their reign was forged from the dramas of those years of war.
In the final year of the conflict, Elizabeth herself joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service of the Women’s Division of the British Army.
She was registered under number 230873 as second underling Elizabeth Windsor and spent three weeks with other recruits learning basic mechanics and how to drive a truck.
It was the first time that a woman from the royal family had attended a course “with other people”.
A few months later, the war ended. In May 1945, thousands of people gathered outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate Victory Day.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill joined the royal family on the palace balcony and the two princesses were able to party with the crowd in the streets.
Forty years later, the queen would look back on that day.
“After crossing Green Park we shouted, ‘We want the king’. I think it was one of the most memorable nights of my life,” he said.
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