As queen, Elizabeth II's family life was far from traditional

As queen, Elizabeth II's family life was far from traditional -- she was often away for long stretches, was frequently occupied by work and had at times complicated relationships with her four children. The young children stayed at home with their nannies and governesses, just as she had done as a child in the late 1920s and 1930s. 'I'm sure she loved her family. But I don't think she was demonstrative in her affection.' When five-year-old Charles saw his parents for the first time in months after they returned from a months-long tour of the Commonwealth, she offered him her hand. In contrast, Elizabeth, known for her love of horses and corgis, was closer to her daughter, Anne, who developed into a skilled horsewoman, allowing the pair to share their passion. 'Charles has always adored his mother and put her on a bit of a pedestal. It's not a mother-son relationship. It's more monarch-subject,' said Junor. Family life provided the biggest shocks during her record-breaking reign. After Diana's death in 1997, the queen initially rejected the idea that Charles would marry his long-term mistress Camilla Parker Bowles. 'I just think it extraordinary that anybody could construe that that might not be true,' she told the BBC. The following year, grandson Harry and his wife Meghan quit royal life and moved to the United States, from where they criticised the family, including accusing some members of racism. Even as she slowed down after a health scare in October 2021, she attended the christening of two of her great-grandchildren at Windsor. 'The queen's kindness and sense of humour, her innate sense of calm and perspective, and her love of family and home are all attributes I experience first-hand,' he wrote.

As queen, Elizabeth II's family life was far from traditional

She was 22 and still a princess when her eldest son and heir apparent, Charles, was born, and 24 when Princess Anne came along.