Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was the longest‑reigning British monarch and the longest‑serving female head of state in history. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the second‑longest of any sovereign state.

Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). She was educated at home alongside her younger sister, Princess Margaret. Her father ascended the throne in 1936 after the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making Elizabeth heir presumptive. During the Second World War she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and made her first public broadcast. In 1947 she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, with whom she had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

Elizabeth became queen at the age of 25 upon the death of her father in February 1952. Her coronation in June 1953 was the first to be televised. As constitutional monarch, she remained politically neutral while carrying out thousands of official engagements, state visits, and weekly audiences with her prime ministers. Her reign witnessed the end of the British Empire, the formation of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Cold War, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the Falklands War, and the United Kingdom’s entry into and exit from the European Union. She was also a central figure in the modernisation of the monarchy, adapting to changing public expectations and media scrutiny.

Elizabeth was widely respected for her sense of duty and stability. She celebrated her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum Jubilees, marking 25, 50, 60, and 70 years on the throne. Her death at Balmoral Castle on 8 September 2022 at the age of 96 prompted an enormous outpouring of tributes. She was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III. The Queen remains one of the most recognisable figures of the 20th and 21st centuries, and her legacy continues to be studied and commemorated.