The Queen ‘desperately prayed for a baby brother’ when being told she would be monarch following Edward VIII’s abdication, a royal biographer has claimed.
In 1936, Her Majesty, now 94, along with the rest of the British public, discovered she would be next in line to the throne after her uncle gave up the crown to marry his divorcee mistress.
And British historian Robert Lacey, 76, has suggested the then Princess was so worried about the responsibility she would soon have, that she wished for a brother who would ‘jump ahead of her in line of succession’.
Mr Lacey makes the claim in tonight’s Our Queen At War, with the ITV documentary also revealing how the nation’s monarch ‘found her humanity’ during World War II.
Airing at 9pm, the programme also divulges the ‘most exciting night of the royal’s life’ as it recalls the Queen’s antics on VE day in May 1945 – which saw her mingle with the crowds outside Buckingham Palace in her ATS uniform.
The Queen ‘desperately prayed for a baby brother’ when being told she would be monarch following Edward VIII’s abdication, a royal biographer has claimed. Pictured: Princess Elizabeth talking to her father, King George VI whilst he goes through the Royal boxes in a study at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on April 11 1942, left, and right, Princess Elizabeth in her Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform
King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in December 1936 to marry his divorcee mistress, the American socialite Wallis Simpson (pictured together in 1947)
King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in December 1936 to marry his divorcee mistress, the American socialite Wallis Simpson.
The public were informed on the 3rd of December and by the 12th of December Edward’s brother, the Queen’s father, was proclaimed King George VI.
Upon discovering that she was now next in line to the throne, having previously thought she would never be made monarch, the Queen was understandably thought to be concerned.
Speaking on the documentary, Mr Lacey says: ‘When [The Queen] heard what was due to happen to her as a heir to the throne, she started desperately praying for a baby brother.
‘[He] would’ve course in those days jumped ahead of her in succession. A nice little baby boy would’ve taken the load off her shoulders beautifully.’
In 1936, Her Majesty, now 94, along with the rest of the British public, discovered she would be next in line to the throne after her uncle gave up the crown to marry his divorcee mistress. Pictured: Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret making a broadcast to the children of the Empire during World War II in 1940
Princess Elizabeth is pictured among a syringa bush in the grounds of Windsor Castle. A new documentary will chronicle her life during the war tonight
Unlike many of her peers who were evacuated abroad, Elizabeth remained in Britain. She was prepared for the throne by studying the British constitution at Eton College (she is pictured studying at her desk in Windsor Castle on June 22, 1940)
The programme also explores how the Queen – yet to be crowned Britain’s monarch – was shaped by the events of the Second World War.
Royal biographer Jane Dismore said: ‘The war gave Princess Elizabeth a humanity that she might have taken longer to discover.
‘She shared a lot in common with ordinary people in that she saw their suffering, she knew about it. She knew that people looked to her as that new generation, that new generation of hope. ‘
‘War made her, it made her closer to people and it made us closer to her because she’s one of us,’ Ron Batchelor, a wartime evacuee, said on the programme.
The Queen’s relationship with the Armed Forces began when, as Princess Elizabeth, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in 1945, becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member (she is pictured next to an Army ambulance during WWII)
The new documentary explores how the Queen – yet to be crowned Britain’s monarch – was shaped by the events of WWII (she is pictured alongside Margaret speaking to evacuees in October, 1940)
Four royal pantos were staged during the war by the future Queen and her younger sister (pictured Elizabeth and Margaret during Aladdin in 1943)
Royal governess Marion Crawford (‘Crawfie’) accompanies Princesses Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II, centre) and Margaret (left) to the headquarters of the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association), off Tottenham Court Road, London, on May 15, 1939
Unlike many of her peers who were evacuated abroad, Elizabeth remained in Britain and spent her time in Scotland before being moved to Windsor Castle.
She was prepared for the throne by studying the British constitution at Eton College, while putting on fund-raising pantomimes and worrying about the safety of her parents who remained at Buckingham Palace.
By the time she was 16, Princess Elizabeth was inspecting the troops and launching ships while keeping up with developments in the war by watching weekly newsreels.
At the age of 18 the Princess joined the women’s arm of the British Army, the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), and became the first female member of the royal family to serve in the armed forces.
When the end of the War came, on VE day in May 1945, the Queen mingled with the crowds outside Buckingham Palace incognito in her ATS uniform – seven years before taking the throne.
Ingrid Stewart, editor in chief of Majesty magazine, says: ‘She actually described it as the most exciting night of her life.’
Our Queen At War airs tonight on ITV at 9pm.