Please Enjoy These Super-Rare Photos of Queen Elizabeth as a Young Woman
Queen Elizabeth passed away in September 2022 after holding the throne for more than 70 years. But long before Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton were the resident cool girls of the royal family, Her Majesty was out here serving lewks. Here’s a glimpse at what her life was like as a young princess—and please note motifs of fur, pearls, and, um, workwear (…!).
1926
Little bb Lizzie! The future queen was only a few months old when this pic was taken, and she looks like the cutest cherub there ever was.
1927
Look at that smile! Those curls! Those pearls! Adorable and regal already.
1928
If you squint really hard, you can kinda make out the shape of 2-year-old Elizabeth’s overexposed hand, but it’s more fun to imagine she’s flipping off a paparazzo for raising his voice or doing something she deemed unacceptable.
1929
Shirley Temple WHO?!?! Three-year-old Elizabeth knew how to work the camera.
1929
Pearls make another appearance. Side note: This ruffled dress…does it come in adult sizes?
1930
Elizabeth’s dad (King George VI) took this photo of his daughter frolicking through a field of flowers, and honestly, it’s just so pure and wonderful.
1931
Apparently, Lizzie made her bridesmaid debut at…age 5?! Here she is looking posh in a hooded fur cape to watch Lady May Cambridge tie the knot.
1933
IDK what 7-year-old Elizabeth was carrying in her purse here, but if I had to guess, I would say a tube of watermelon-flavored Lip Smacker, a piece of Juicy Fruit gum, and a crumpled dandelion she ripped out of the ground. JK, it’s obviously something way more chic.
1935
Really living for the caption of this photo: “Every inch a princess.”
1935
Elizabeth’s parents definitely made her wear this outfit for what I can only assume must be the royal equivalent to an awkward yearbook photo. All that’s missing is a backdrop featuring a stock photo of an autumnal scene.
1936
Here’s 10-year-old Elizabeth bonding with her pony. Little did she know back then that (a) she’d replace that poor pony with a fleet of posh and possibly inbred corgis and (b) she’d go on to almost exclusively wear massive hats and headscarves.
1936
Speaking of corgis, here she is cradling one like a baby. Head support, Elizabeth, head support!
1936
Okay, sorry, one more dog pic because LOOK AT HOW HAPPY THAT PUPPER IS. The love runs deep between Elizabeth and her corgis.
1936
Okay, I lied. This is actually the last pic with dogs because look how wholesome this photo is. Also, seems like 1936 was a good dog year!
1937
Queen Elizabeth really outshone her own father at his own coronation with that royal wave. Iconic.
1937
Here, Queen Elizabeth is pictured alongside her sister Princess Margaret and a seriously stunning floral arrangement. I co-sign.
1937
The matching sister 'fits?! If I could add to cart, I would ngl.
1938
Oh, just Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret enjoying a pony show. Looks like live footage of me and my sis at this age too, TBH.
1939
Yep, Elizabeth was forced to take swimming lessons as a kid just like the rest of us, only she got to wear this awesome onesie with medals all over it because she’s royal and, well, we’re not.
1939
Tell me what you were doing at 12 so I can tell you it doesn’t matter because Queen Elizabeth was legitimately in Queen Training?? at that same age.
1940
While some of us spent age 14 trolling around Limited Too and Hot Topic at the mall, Elizabeth whiled away her time atop a friendly horse.
1940
But honestly, had a Hot Topic been around in 1940s England, Queen Elizabeth would have gone because she was clearly deeply emo. Just look at how angsty she seems reading this book in the corner! You can basically hear the Elliott Smith playing in the background.
1940
Just two girls and their garden (and a corgi in a wheelbarrow!).
1941
Oh, you didn’t think Queen Elizabeth would miss out on those awkward adolescent theater productions, did you? She played Prince Charming in Cinderella at Windsor Castle along with her sister, Margaret, who played Cinderella—which is a little weird if you think about it. Moving along!
1941
Once upon a time, 15-year-old Elizabeth was minding her own business in Windsor Castle when someone with a camera was like, “You know what? Go stand in that bush.” And then she did.
1942
OMFG, Queen Elizabeth was a GIRL SCOUT. Okay, technically they’re called Girl Guides in England, but it’s essentially the same thing. And if the Queen knocked on my door with a wagon full of cookies, I would buy them all, TBH.
1942
The chicest bike ride you ever did see!
1942
“Alexa, play Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ on repeat.” —Princess Elizabeth, age 16
1943
Why, yes, that is Queen Elizabeth dressed as Aladdin for another theater production. And yes, that’s Margaret playing the princess. Again, not weird at all!
1944
Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth followed in the footsteps of many emo kids and took to journaling her feels. D-i-t-t-o.
1944
Sometimes HRH and her friends put on plays and got extremely turnt/happy in the process. This is something called Old Mother Riding Boots! Like, who wouldn’t want to come out of an angst fog and act in that?!
1945
In case you’re wondering the exact age Elizabeth started wearing headscarves, that would be around 19.
1945
FASHUN INTERMISSION bc the Queen JOINED THE ARMY in the last year of WWII as a truck mechanic and driver. @ Carhartt, what do we think—is she the original workwear influencer?
1946
Elizabeth and her sister, Margaret, turned it out for their debutante. This picture is so lovely, I can’t even come up with a quip.
1946
…And then they got back to their royal-but-emo roots with some *slightly* uncomf staged nature shots.
1946
At age 20, Elizabeth was yet again part of a bridesmaid squad. Unfortunately, there’s no historical documentation of whether they went to Las Vegas and/or decorated their bachelorette party with penis-themed accessories.
1946
“Hello, it me, just arranging these flowers in a totally natural way!”
1947
By the age of 21, Elizabeth was an engaged woman, and she looked downright THRILLED about it. This is her beaming in the state apartments at Buckingham Palace during her engagement to Prince Philip. Highly adorable.
1947
These newlyweds look pretty smitten on their honeymoon. But if you’ve seen The Crown, you’re probably like, “Ugh, PHILIP.”
1947
*Zooms in to look at that massive, three-diamond ring.*
1947
Fur, pearls, and a hat! The then-princess did not come to play at her benefit event at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children in East London.
1947
Legend has it that this photo was snapped in the final days before Elizabeth’s wedding. Totally casual, nothing to see here, just practicing “Für Elise” as I prepare to be wed…!
1950
Here we have a 24-year-old Elizabeth square-dancing at something called a “cowboy dress party” in Canada. I’m...speechless.
1954
It's giving the original pap shots and I'm obsessed.
1961
The only acceptable caption for this is “icons only.” Srry, I don't make the rules!
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