ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses Queen Elizabeth II’s early years in the public spotlight and the grand events that have framed that – the royal wedding in 1947, the Coronation in 1953 and the Royal Tour of 1953/1954. In this period, she was helped by a media that was largely respectful and admiring of the photogenic young princess, later queen, her dashing husband Philip and her young family. It is an era that is now gone – and understanding it helps us to place in context the changes that have been wrought since then in the media and society, which have shaped modern-day royal events.
