On February 1, 1947, Princess Elizabeth, her younger sister Margaret, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – who went on to be the Queen Mother – set sail on their two-month tour of South Africa. While travelling, Princess Elizabeth celebrated her 21st birthday and delivered a heartwarming speech to the world in a live broadcast transmission from Cape Town. The future monarch touched the hearts of many as she declared her devotion to fulfilling her role as Head of the Commonwealth.
The most famous line from her speech read: "My whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family."
According to 2014 documentary “The Majestic Life of Queen Elizabeth II”, the speech perfectly described how she felt and even moved her to tears.
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: “Princess Elizabeth became 21 when she was in South Africa and made this extraordinary speech dedicating her life to the services of the Commonwealth and the Empire, I think she said in those days.
“It’s very, very harvest. It fits in with this wish to serve first and I think that’s what she always wanted to do.”
The Queen delivered an extraordinary speech on
