Queen Elizabeth's mother ‘prayed for a male heir’ to the British throne

Queen Elizabeth has cemented her legacy as Britain’s longest-reining heir, but as a young princess, Elizabeth reportedly ‘prayed’ for a baby brother so that she wouldn’t have to ascend the throne, according to a royal expert.

Express UK quoted royal biographer Ian Lloyd, who in his book The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Elizabeth II claims that the now-96-year-old monarch prayed hard for brother so that there could be a male heir to ascend the throne instead of her.

Not just Elizabeth, but the Queen Mother also reportedly desired for a son.

According to Lloyd: “The Queen Mother really wanted a son, and the young Elizabeth hoped for a brother - then she wouldn’t have to be Queen.”

In his book, the author said: “Margaret Rhodes (first cousin of the Queen) recalled that following the 1936 abdication, which resulted in Elizabeth becoming heiress presumptive, Princess Elizabeth prayed hard for a brother to succeed her in the line of succession. She, of course, never had one.”

Despite that, once Elizabeth ascended to the throne and became the Queen, she refused to compromise on the monarchy and is now the longest-serving British monarch.

Elizabeth was crowned as the Queen at just 25 years of age on June 2, 1953, a year after she succeeded to the throne on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI.