The forgotten story of the Queen's swimming friends - and what they know about her 16 May, 2021 10:05 PM 8 minutes to read The future Queen Elizabeth is pictured with her sister Margaret in 1936, the same year her uncle abdicated the throne. Photo / Getty Images The future Queen Elizabeth is pictured with her sister Margaret in 1936, the same year her uncle abdicated the throne. Photo / Getty Images Daily Telegraph UK By: Eleanor Steafel The morning of December 10, 1936 began much like any other Thursday for the young Princess Elizabeth – with a swimming lesson. After her class at the Bath Club on Dover St, she came home to 145 Piccadilly, the stone-fronted house that looked across to Green Park and beyond to Buckingham Palace, where the Yorks (as they were then) lived.