i lazy to type...so cut n paste from Wiki:
During World War II, the King and Queen became symbols of the nation's determination to fight fascism.[SUP]
[63][/SUP] Shortly after the declaration of war,
The Queen's Book of the Red Cross was conceived. Fifty authors and artists contributed to the book, which was fronted by
Cecil Beaton's portrait of the Queen and was sold in aid of the
Red Cross.[SUP]
[64][/SUP] Elizabeth publicly refused to leave London or send the children to Canada, even during
the Blitz, when she was advised by
the Cabinet to do so. She said, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave the King. And the King will never leave."[SUP]
[65][/SUP]
She visited troops, hospitals, factories, and parts of Britain that were targeted by the
German Luftwaffe, in particular the
East End, near
London's docks. Her visits initially provoked hostility. Rubbish was thrown at her and the crowds jeered, in part because she dressed in expensive clothing which served to alienate her from those suffering the privations caused by the war.[SUP]
[6][/SUP] She explained that if the public came to see her they would wear their best clothes, so she should reciprocate in kind;
Norman Hartnell dressed her in gentle colours and never black, in order to represent "the rainbow of hope".[SUP]
[66][/SUP] When
Buckingham Palace itself took several hits during the height of the bombing, Elizabeth was able to say, "I'm glad we've been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face."[SUP]
[67][/SUP]
Though the King and Queen spent the working day at Buckingham Palace, partly for security and family reasons they stayed at night at
Windsor Castle about 20 miles (32 km) west of central London with the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The Palace had lost much of its staff to the
army, and most of the rooms were shut.[SUP]
[68][/SUP] The windows were shattered by bomb blasts, and had to be boarded up.[SUP]
[69][/SUP] During the "
Phoney War" the Queen was given revolver training because of fears of imminent invasion.[SUP]
[70][/SUP]
Because of her effect on British morale,
Adolf Hitler is said to have called her "the most dangerous woman in Europe".[SUP]
[5][/SUP] However, prior to the war both she and her husband, like most of
Parliament and the British public, had been supporters of
appeasement and Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain, believing after the experience of the First World War that war had to be avoided at all costs. After the resignation of Chamberlain, the King asked
Winston Churchill to form a government. Although the King was initially reluctant to support Churchill, in due course both the King and Queen came to respect and admire him for what they perceived to be his courage and solidarity.[SUP]
[71][/SUP][SUP]
[72][/SUP] At the end of the war in 1945, Churchill was invited onto the balcony in a similar gesture to that given to Chamberlain.