An Unlikely Bond: Fox Nation explores the working relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill
One was a battle-scarred statesman. The other, a newly crowned 25-year-old. The pair couldn’t be more different. But through service and sacrifice, they formed an unlikely bond.
Queen Elizabeth's ascension to the British throne was anything but predictable. Originally meant to serve as a wing of the royal family, the trajectory of her life unexpectedly changed forever.
Fox Nation's new special "An Unlikely Bond: Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill" looks at Queen Elizabeth's unorthodox rise to the throne and her close professional relationship with Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
After King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Queen Elizabeth's father, Prince Albert, was crowned King George VI, immediately placing Elizabeth in line for the crown.
Elizabeth's father, King George VI, ruled through World War II with Winston Churchill serving as his prime minister. During this time, Elizabeth showed her strength and dedication to the people of Britain by joining the women's branch of the British army.
The crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose, acknowledging the cheers of the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on their return from Westminster Abbey. (Getty Images)
She was the first member of the royal family to be a full-time military servicewoman.
"That's something that Winston Churchill would have seen and hugely appreciated, the royal family being such examples to the nation during our darkest hour," said Katherine Carter, curator of Churchill's home at Chartwell
The new Fox Nation special reveals how Churchill got to know Elizabeth during wartime, and the two shared many views as well as a love of horses.
Shortly after the war, Churchill attended Queen Elizabeth's wedding where she married Prince Philip in 1947. Within five years, their marriage became a monarchy.
In 1952, King George VI died after battling health complications while Elizabeth was on a royal visit to Kenya. Elizabeth journeyed to Africa as a princess but returned to London as a queen.
"She was actually in a treehouse in Kenya when the news came," historian Michael Bishop said on the Fox Nation special. "She is probably the only person ever in the world that went up a tree a princess and came down a queen."
With a 25-year-old ascending to the throne, many feared what the future had in store. However, her dedication to duty and love of country paired with the strength and wisdom of Prime Minister Churchill was more than enough to sustain the country.
Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Imperial State Crown and the Duke of Edinburgh in uniform of Admiral of the Fleet wave from the balcony to the onlooking crowds around the gates of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images) (PA Images via Getty Images)
Over the course of Winston Churchill's term as prime minister, the two became close confidants and relied heavily on one another as friends and leaders. They were both devoted to their duty to Britain and wanted to ensure they served the people well.
When Churchill was forced to resign in April 1955, Queen Elizabeth remained close to the legendary World War II leader and gave him and his family the utmost respect.
"I shall always count myself fortunate that you were my prime minister at the beginning of my reign, and that I was able to receive the wise counsel and also friendship, which I know my father valued so much as well," Elizabeth wrote in a letter to Churchill.
Queen Elizabeth remained fond of and grateful to Churchill her whole life, honoring the him with a state funeral when he died in 1965.
"There are very few nonroyals who have ever been given a state funeral. So this unto itself is a big statement about how highly the queen thought of Winston Churchill," Carter said.
"An Unlikely Bond" shows while these two legendary leaders of Britain were from very different eras of history, their shared values and love of country forged a connection no one could have predicted. It was also a connection the country desperately needed.
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