In honor of Elizabeth Windsor’s 95th birthday (it’s her real birthday today), Glossophilia is re-posting this piece about her name. Happy Birthday Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor!
Today marks The Queen’s real birthday. By The Queen, I mean Queen Elizabeth II, Her Majesty the Queen of England. (She was actually born on 21 April, 1926, but her birthday is marked officially in June.) Here are the many names by which she is and has been known, in roughly chronological order.
Elizabeth’s name at birth was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. Her close family called her “Lilibet”
Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth
Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York
Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
On the death of her father in 1952, and until her coronation in 1953, her official style and title in full was Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith
On her coronation in London on June 2, 1953 she was proclaimed as Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith
Queen Elizabeth (The crowd shouted “God save Queen Elizabeth!” at her coronation)
Elizabeth II
Her Majesty The Queen
Queen Elizabeth II
The Queen of England
In the Channel Islands, she’s known as the Duke of Normandy
In the Isle of Man, she’s called Lord of Mann. She’s also named Defender of the Faith and Duke of Lancaster.
When talking in person to the Queen, the practice is to address her as Your Majesty initially and as Ma’am thereafter.
The Queen signs official documents “Elizabeth R.” The R stands for Regina, which means “queen.”
(Originally posted June 2013)
In Lancashire the loyal toast is ‘The Queen, Duke of Lancaster.’
Thanks, Peter. I wonder if she’s known elsewhere in the UK as the Duke of Lancaster – other than in Lancashire and on the Isle of Man?
Can’t believe you (or anyone) actually can’t spell the name of the Isle of Man correctly. It’s not hard. Really it’s not.
Hi John,
I did actually spell the Isle of Man correctly, as well as the Queen’s title there – which is the Lord of Mann (sic). The Lord of Mann was the island’s feudal Lord Proprietor; the Monarch of England was head of state.
Louise