Kate Williams

Many veterans have been paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth Ii at her lying in state. As sovereign she was head of The Armed forces, but her association with The military began much earlier, in wartime.

Princess Elizabeth was 13 when World War Two broke out. Those Six Years of conflict would see her begin in earnest her public role as The Heir to The Throne .

It would be a defining period in The Life of The Future Queen, and at her death she was The Last surviving head of state to have served in The War .

At The outbreak of war against Germany in 1939, The Royal Family - Parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and sister Princess Margaret - was seen as a potent symbol of The values for which Britain and its allies were fighting. In October 1940, as Britain was suffering The worst of The Blitz , Elizabeth made her first broadcast. It was billed as a message to children who had been sent to North America to escape The bombing of British cities.

" We children At Home are full of cheerfulness and courage, " She Said . " We Are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen. And We Are trying too, to bear Our Own share of The danger and sadness of war. "

The Princess and her sister were some of The Strongest propaganda weapons The government of The Day had, says Prof Kate Williams , author of The biography Young Elizabeth. " It really was The Queen 's first bombshell broadcast, " she says.

The very fact that Elizabeth and Margaret , who died in 2002, remained in The country was a significant morale-booster.

There were suggestions The Royal Family itself should seek safety abroad, specifically in Canada, but The King and Queen would have none of it.

" The Children will not leave unless I do, " declared Queen Elizabeth, later The Queen Mother. " I shall not leave unless their Father does, and The King will not leave The country in any circumstances whatever. "

The furthest The Children were ever moved was to Windsor Castle , about 30 miles from London. " We went for a weekend and stayed five years, " they said.

They were near enough, though, to see The fire-lit skies over London during The Heavy bombing. On one occasion, a bomb landed close to The Castle as they sat in The air-raid shelter. " We all went pink when we heard it, " Princess Margaret later recalled.

The sisters were joined on most evenings and at weekends by their Parents , and lessons continued with their private tutors.

At Christmas , in order to cheer up their Father - who became depressed at The losses being inflicted on his countrymen and Women - The Girls performed pantomimes. It was Cinderella One Year , Aladdin The Next , with The Princesses always in The starring roles.

In 1944, with The King particularly upset at The setback of The Battle of Arnhem, The 18-year-old Elizabeth and 14-year-old Margaret wrote their own pantomime - Little Red Riding Boots - with The Help of their mother. Three Guardsmen on duty at The Castle were drafted in as extras. One of them, Bill Davies, later remembered being measured up and kitted out with scarlet tunics and bearskins.

" The Performance went off splendidly and The Family were in stitches, " he recalled. " It was a Fairy Tale moment. We forgot The War for an hour or two. "

The overriding sense of duty that marked her reign was forged in The drama of these years.

In 1942, Princess Elizabeth carried out her first public engagement, inspecting a parade of The Grenadier Guards , to whom she had become honorary colonel. In The Final year of The War , she donned a uniform herself, joining The Auxiliary Territorial Service - The ATS.

She was registered as number 230873, Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor, and she spent three weeks with a carefully chosen group of other recruits, learning about basic motor mechanics and How To drive a lorry. It was said to have been The First Time a female member of The Royal Family had ever attended a course with " other people".

Now in her late 90s, Gwen Evans trained alongside The Future Queen in The ATS, and remembers Princess Elizabeth receiving much The same treatment as Everyone Else .

" The only difference was when we finished work at five o'clock we went back to our barracks, whereas Elizabeth was picked up and taken to Windsor Castle , " she says.

In May 1945, tens of thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate Victory in Europe Day .

Winston Churchill joined The Royal Family on The Balcony , and later, The two princesses slipped out to join The crowds.

" I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall. All of us just swept along in a tide of happiness and relief, " The Queen recalled 40 Years later. " After crossing Green Park , we stood outside and shouted, 'We want The King . ' I think it was one of The Most memorable nights of My Life . "

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Source of news: bbc.com