Ninety-six years at the registry office, of which seventy spent reigning over England – and over our hearts, of course. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, who has been on the throne since 1952, is not only among the longest-lived rulers in history, she is also an icon of royalty, composure and style.
A handbag must-have without which the queen never leaves the palace? It’s the lipstick. Her Majesty famously loves her colors (just look at her brightly colored wardrobe to get an idea), and this extends to her makeup as well. She is a fan of colorful lips and has donned bright coral and pink tones for her many public engagements.
Lipstick as a rebellion against etiquette
Despite the strict Royal label, which greatly limits the freedom in dressing and appearing in general, Lilibeth has been able to create an image that is anything but obvious: from eccentric hats, to colorful suits, to lively lipstick, of course, everyone would recognize The Queen kilometers.
That inevitable bright lipstick it is the detail that the queen often touches up, even in public, is that it seems to be a manifesto of her strong personality, almost a small rebellion against the strict royal rules, and an affirmation of her character. Fuchsia, pink, bright red… soft colors are not for Elisabetta.
The umpteenth confirmation came yesterday, when, looking out from the balcony of Buckingham Palace to close the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of her 70 years on the throne, the queen wore a cherry-colored lipstick.
So, while London dismantles the flags Union Jack and the cardboard silhouettes of the queen, and leaving behind four days of parades and events for the Platinum Jubilee, we retrace the most iconic beauty looks of Her Majesty.
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1936
Crown Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain, later Queen Elizabeth II, with her pony, at age 10.
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1944
(Original Caption) 1944-London, England: Portrait of Princess Elizabeth wearing her Sea Rangers uniform.
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1947
While on board the HMS Vanguard, Crown Princess Elizabeth plays tag with midshipmen.
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1969
(Original Caption) Christmas at Windsor Castle is shown here with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip shown putting finishing touches to Christmas tree, in a photo made recently during the filming of the joint ITV-BBC film documentary, The Royal Family.
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1951
Queen Elizabeth II of England
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1952
Queen Elizabeth II of England at Balmoral Castle with one of her Corgis, 28th September 1952. UPI color slide.
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1952
(Original Caption) 11/5/1952-London, England: Queen Elizabeth II, 26 years young, is radiantly happy here as she waves and smiles in acknowledgment of the cheers of the crowd as she drove in the state coach to the House of Lords yesterday. History was made as the young queen appeared in the House of Lords to open the First Parliament of her reign di lei. Her address di lei, prepared by the government, indicated that Britain will swing back to Capitalism in 1953 by denationalizing the steel and trucking industries.
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Fox Photos / Getty Images8/27
1954
Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Government House, Melbourne, during her tour of Australia, March 1954. (Photo by Fox Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
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Serge Lemoine / Getty Images9/27
1975
Queen Elizabeth II in a crown and jeweled necklace, 1975. (Photo by Serge Lemoine / Getty Images)
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Tim Graham / Getty Images10/27
1977
Queen Elizabeth II applies her lipstick at a function during a visit to Fiji with Prince Philip (right), February 1977. (Photo by Tim Graham / Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
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Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images11/27
1982
The Princess of Wales and the Queen attend the Opening of Parliament in London, November 1982. Diana is wearing a white fur coat and the Spencer tiara. (Photo by Terry Fincher / Princess Diana Archive / Getty Images)
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David Levenson / Getty Images12/27
1985
WINDSOR – MAY 11: Queen Elizabeth II puts on lipstick in the Royal Box at the Windsor Horse Show on May 11, 1985. Prince Phillip was about to enter the dressage ring with his horse team. (Photo by David Levenson / Getty Images)
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Tim Graham / Getty Images13/27
1997
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 18: The Queen – Not Amused! – At The Royal Windsor Horse Show In Her ‘back Garden’ At Windsor Castle. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
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Julian Finney / Getty Images14/27
2005
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 14: A happy HRH Queen Elizabeth II after Balmoral Jingle comes first in the Ridden Mountain and Moorland event in the Frogmore Ring during the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park, Windsor Castle on May 14, 2005 in Windsor, England . (Photo by Julian Finney / Getty Images)
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Chris Jackson / Getty Images15/27
2008
BRATISLAVA, SLOVAK REPUBLIC – OCTOBER 23: HRH Queen Elizabeth II attends a State Banquet at the Philharmonic Hall on the first day of a tour of Slovakia on October 23, 2008 in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Queen and the Duke are on a two day tour of Slovakia at the invitation of President Ivan Gasparovic. (Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
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Dan Kitwood / Getty Images16/27
2010
Windsor, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 26: Queen Elizabeth II arrives to greet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani to her Windsor residence on October 26, 2010 in Windsor, England. The Sheikh is on a two day State visit to the UK, the first since 1985, which is seen as important in strengthening already strongly established business links with one of the Gulf States most financially powerful nations. (Photo by Dan Kitwood – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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WPA Pool / Getty Images17/27
2010
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 18: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wear 3 D glasses to watch a display and pilot a JCB digger, during a visit to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research center, on November 18, 2010 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by John Giles – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images18/27
2011
EPSOM, ENGLAND – JUNE 04: Queen Elizabeth II reacts after her horse Carlton House comes in third in the Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs racecourse on June 4, 2011 in Epsom, England. Carlton Hall had been the Bookmakers favorite to win the Derby, but lost out to Pour Moi. (Photo by Matthew Lloyd / Getty Images)
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Chris Jackson / Getty Images19/27
2012
STEVENAGE, ENGLAND – JUNE 14: Queen Elizabeth II visits a new maternity ward at the Lister Hospital on June 14, 2012 in Stevenage, England. The Queen is on a two day tour of the East Midlands as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour of the country. (Photo by Chris Jackson – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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WPA Pool / Getty Images20/27
2013
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 18: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry attend at the annual Chelsea Flower show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 18, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Simmonds – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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2019
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND – JULY 09: Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the NIAB, (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) on July 09, 2019 in Cambridge, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
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Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images22/27
2022
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 13: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Queen Elizabeth II watches, whilst sitting in her chauffeur driven Range Rover car, her horse ‘Balmoral Leia’ compete in, and win , the Highland class on day 2 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show at Home Park, Windsor Castle on May 13, 2022 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images)
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Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images23/27
2011
BRAEMAR, UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 03: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Queen Elizabeth II applies her lipstick as she attends the annual Braemar Gathering and Highland Games at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park on September 3, 2011 in Braemar, Scotland. (Photo by Indigo / Getty Images)
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Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images24/27
2021
WINDSOR, UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 02: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Queen Elizabeth II seen driving her Range Rover car as she attends day 2 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park, Windsor Castle on July 2, 2021 in Windsor, England. (Photo by Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images)
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WPA Pool / Getty Images25/27
2022
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 17: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Elizabeth line’s official opening at Paddington Station on May 17, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Andrew Matthews – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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2022
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 07: Queen Elizabeth II during the Baton Relay for Birmingham 2022, the XXII Commonwealth Games at Buckingham Palace on October 07, 2021 in London, England. The Queen and The Earl of Wessex are Patron and Vice-Patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation respectively. (Photo by Samir Hussein / WireImage)
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2022
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 05: Queen Elizabeth II waves from the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant on June 05, 2022 in London, England. The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II is being celebrated from June 2 to June 5, 2022, in the UK and Commonwealth to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. (Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images)
Source: Vanity Fair
