The women who ruled in our life time : Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II

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Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms

For other uses, see Elizabeth II (disambiguation).

Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms [show] Canada 1952–present Australia 1952–present New Zealand 1952–present Jamaica 1962–present Barbados 1966–present The Bahamas 1973–present Grenada 1974–present Papua New Guinea 1975–present Solomon Islands 1978–present Tuvalu 1978–present St. Lucia 1979–present St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1979–present Belize 1981–present Antigua and Barbuda 1981–present St. Kitts and Nevis 1983–present Pakistan 1952–1956 South Africa 1952–1961 Ceylon 1952–1972 Ghana 1957–1960 Nigeria 1960–1963 Sierra Leone 1961–1971 Tanganyika 1961–1962 Trinidad and Tobago 1962–1976 Uganda 1962–1963 Kenya 1963–1964 Malawi 1964–1966 Malta 1964–1974 The Gambia 1965–1970 Guyana 1966–1970 Mauritius 1968–1992 Fiji 1970–1987
Reign	6 February 1952 – present
Coronation	2 June 1953
Predecessor	George VI
Heir apparent	Charles, Prince of Wales
Prime Ministers	See list
Born	(1926-04-21) 21 April 1926 (age 92) 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom
Spouse	Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (m. 1947)
Issue Detail	Charles, Prince of Wales Anne, Princess Royal Prince Andrew, Duke of York Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Full name Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor[1]
House	Windsor
Father	George VI
Mother	Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Signature

showRoyal family of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms
HM The Queen HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Prince of Wales HRH The Duchess of Cornwall HRH The Duke of Cambridge HRH The Duchess of Cambridge HRH Prince George of Cambridge HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge HRH Prince Louis of Cambridge HRH The Duke of Sussex HRH The Duchess of Sussex HRH The Princess Royal HRH The Duke of York HRH Princess Beatrice of York HRH Princess Eugenie of York HRH The Earl of Wessex HRH The Countess of Wessex HRH The Duke of Gloucester HRH The Duchess of Gloucester HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duchess of Kent HRH Princess Alexandra HRH Prince Michael of Kent HRH Princess Michael of Kent
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Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926)^[a] is Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms.
Elizabeth was born in London as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and she was educated privately at home. Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she has four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Andrew, Duke of York; and Edward, Earl of Wessex.
When her father died in February 1952, she became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. She has reigned through major constitutional changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation, and the decolonisation of Africa. Between 1956 and 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence and realms, including South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka), became republics. Her many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and visits to or from five popes. Significant events have included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees in 1977, 2002, and 2012 respectively. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee. She is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch as well as the world's longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state, the oldest and longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state.
Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the royal family, in particular after the breakdown of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales. However, support for the monarchy remains high, as does her personal popularity.