The Day Princess Elizabeth Became Queen Elizabeth: How ‘Operation Hyde Park Corner’ Unfolded

It was February 6, 1952, when Prince Philip told his wife, who we now know as Queen Elizabeth, that her father King George VI had died. Although the King had suffered from a prolonged illness, the moment still came as a profound shock to the 25-year-old Princess, who had to mourn her dear ‘Papa’ while facing the realization that she was now Queen.

To make matters more complicated, the royal couple were in Kenya at the time. Just a week earlier, King George VI had bid daughter and…