The Renaissance ideal of beauty was fair hair, a pallid complexion, bright eyes and red lips. Elizabeth was tall and striking, with pale skin and light red-gold hair. She exaggerated these features, particularly as she aged, and other women sought to emulate them.
Ordered by doctors to remain in her bed at Hampton Court Palace, it was soon clear that her illness was more than just a fever — she had the dreaded smallpox. Smallpox was a feared, deadly, viral disease that was highly contagious. There was no cure and no treatment.
We can be almost completely certain that her hair was a golden red, her eyes dark brown, her nose ridged or hooked in the middle, her lips rather thin, and her cheek bones pronounced. Her hair was also probably naturally curly or at least wavy.
Queen Elizabeth II is also a successor of Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, who was Queen of England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in 1603. According to RMG, Queen Elizabeth I's last words were, “All my possessions for one moment of time.”
The time of death, just after 3 p.m., is more revealing, coming more than three hours before Buckingham Palace announced it at 6:30 p.m. That indicates none of her family saw the queen just before her death, aside from King Charles III and his sister, Princess Anne, who were both already in Scotland on official duties.
"I was not invited."
Known for her polished, set style, it's rumoured Her Majesty's early years of beautiful brown locks were the colour 'chocolate kiss' until 1990 when she decided to embrace her natural grey strands.
Queen's 'wonderful' blue eyes sparkle in previously-unseen portrait issued before her funeral. An unseen portrait of the Queen smiling with joy has been released by Buckingham Palace on the eve of her funeral.
Royals from around the world have paid tribute to the Queen upon her Platinum Jubilee. Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia said the Queen does not dye her hair because she isn't vain. He added that she wears nice clothes and jewels because this is her uniform.
Minimal makeup
Queen Elizabeth II seldom wore little more than lipstick and a hint of blush for her public appearances, and called upon Clarins Compact Powder for her complexion (the brand made an exclusive lipstick to match her suit for Coronation Day in 1953 to celebrate the Queen's loyalty to them).
Smallpox left many scars and blemishes on her skin. In her youth, Elizabeth used little makeup, but after her battle with smallpox, she began to wear more makeup, creating what we think of today as her iconic look.
But to achieve that perfection, Elizabeth coated her face in lead, which slowly poisoned her body. That wasn't the only dangerous cosmetic Elizabeth used – she also rubbed mercury on her lips and likely used a mercury-based makeup remover that ate away her skin.
READ MORE. As a young Princess, Elizabeth wore her hair down and it was around shoulder length. Her natural hair appeared to be very curly, a hair type that has passed down to her daughter, Princess Anne. Thanks to her hair stylists, the Queen has maintained the structured style throughout the years.
“In her reign of 70 years, the Queen's hair has remained just as steadfast as her ruling, with a few small exceptions over the years," she explains. "The Queen's style allowed her to embrace her natural curls, kept off the shoulder – usually sitting around her jaw length – and always perfectly coiffed."
It is known however that she contracted smallpox in 1562 which left her face scarred. She took to wearing white lead makeup to cover the scars. In later life, she suffered the loss of her hair and her teeth, and in the last few years of her life, she refused to have a mirror in any of her rooms.
Widely known for having the most striking eyes in Hollywood, Taylor had what appeared to be rare, natural purple irises.
Fact: Two blue-eyed parents can have a child with brown eyes, although it's very rare. Likewise, two brown-eyed parents can have a child with blue eyes, although this is also uncommon.
Cataract surgery is a very safe procedure, even for someone aged 90 or older as the Queen has so adeptly proven. Nearly 100 percent of patients experience improved vision and are satisfied with the results. It is not without risk, but it appears as though the Queen's surgery was an unmitigated success.
Don't assume that grey hair makes you look older
Hair naturally loses pigment as we age, but stylist Paul Falltrick points out that the notion that grey hair makes you look older is increasingly becoming a misnomer: "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
Embracing her grey roots, the Queen put an end to dying her hair two decades ago in 1990 and thus began embracing the silver locks we see today.
Royal Inheritance
Representatives told Forbes in 2021 that Harry was not a beneficiary of any of the $100 million left to the royal family by his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother.
A spokesperson for Charles confirmed in June 2021 that while the sovereign set aside “a substantial sum” for his youngest son and his wife at the start of their royal step back, the “funding ceased in the summer of [2020].” The rep told Variety at the time that Harry and Meghan “are now financially independent.”
Now Harry has finally told his side of the story, claiming his relatives set off to see the Queen without him amid his ongoing feud with his family members. At the time, California-based Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, were in the UK for charity work and were staying at their residence in Windsor.
The Monarch favours dresses or skirts for her formal engagements and is known for her love of bright colours with matching hats and coats. When the Queen has decided to wear trousers, it is normally during her private time for leisure activities, sport or on holiday.