King Charles Shares Throwback Videos of His Mom (and I Was Shocked to Hear Her Voice at Age 14)

Tomorrow, April 21, would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 100th birthday. Though she passed in 2022, the British Royal Family is commemorating her powerful legacy throughout the week. To start, her oldest child and son, King Charles III, shared two touching videos that showcased the highlights of his mother's 70-year reign. This included footage from the Queen's childhood, and a throwback clip of a then 14-year-old Princess delivering a wartime address.

In 1940, heir apparent, together with her sister Princess Margaret (then 10), gave a wartime radio address to Britain's children on BBC's Children's Hour. The black-and-white photos show the girls dressed in smart blazers, sitting at a desk in front of a microphone.

"We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen. And we are trying too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war," the then-Princess said in her speech. Her voice is bright and clear, tinged with youth and yet unwavering despite the somber times. It was an early precursor of the steady, devoted, determined, brave monarch she would become. During the war, Her Majesty marked her first solo public engagement when she attended a military inspection on her 16th birthday. She trained as a driver and mechanic in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and eventually attained the title of honorary junior commander.

In a second video, the Royal Family shared black-and-white clips from early in Queen Elizabeth II's reign. She presided over the opening of Calder Hall, the country's first atomic power station, the inauguration of Gatwick Airport and handed Virginia Wade the Wimbledon trophy. Queen Elizabeth also attended the opening of the English Channel tunnel, rang in the new millennia and hosted England's rugby team after their World Cup victory in 2003, not to mention the iconic 2012 London Olympic Games.

As celebrations ramp up, the Royal Collection Trust has mounted an exhibition of the Queen's wardrobe, titled Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, on view at The King's Gallery in Buckingham Palace. The collection features over 300 items spanning every decade of the Queen's life, including her 1947 wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell. The exhibition opened on April 10 and will run through October 18.