April 1945: Princess Elizabeth, a 2nd Subaltern in the ATS standing in front of an ambulance.

In Their Own Words “Queen Elizabeth II”


Airing Monday, Mar. 14 at 9 p.m.

Follow the Queen’s remarkable life, from her youth — when few expected she’d ever wear the crown — to her uncle Edward VIII’s stunning abdication, her father’s coronation as King George VI, her experience during World War II, her own sudden ascension to the throne, and her eventful reign of now 70 years.

She has defined the role of a modern monarch, leading the Royal Family and her subjects through the challenges of post-war reconstruction, decolonization, conflicts in South Africa, Northern Ireland, and The Falklands, and the emotionally-charged days after Princess Diana’s death. Among those interviewed are former Prime Minister Sir John Major, actor Sir Ben Kingsley, biographer Sally Bedell Smith, Oscar-winning screenwriter David Seidler (The King’s Speech), director Stephen Frears (The Queen), historian John Julius Cooper, Kamalesh Sharma (Secretary-General of the Commonwealth), and the Queen’s cousins Margaret Rhodes and Lady Elizabeth Anson.

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airs May 25

National Memorial Day Concert 2025

Book cover for We All Live Here with author Jojo Moyes
May 28

Join us for PBS Books Readers Club!

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