A Brief recap of Queen Elizabeth II's spectacular monarchy

Eagle's Flight Came to an End

Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, had become Queen on February 6, 1952; she famously remained oblivious of her metamorphosis for several hours. While his eldest daughter Elizabeth was on safari in Kenya, more than 4,000 miles away, King George VI passed away peacefully in his sleep at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. In his journal, Harold Nicolson, a diplomat, and politician claimed that Elizabeth II became queen "when perched in a branch in Africa, watching the rhinoceros come down to the pool to drink." Later, a member of the royal party recalled a fortunate event: an eagle had flown over Queen Elizabeth's head about the time the King died.