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{{Short description|Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022}}
] in ], wearing her Canadian orders)]]
{{Redirect|Elizabeth of the United Kingdom||Elizabeth II (disambiguation)|and|Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (disambiguation)}}
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{{Featured article}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2022}}
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{{Infobox royalty
<!--The current layout of the infobox has been agreed to via consensus. Please do not change it without prior discussion on the talk page.-->
| title = ]
| image = Queen Elizabeth II official portrait for 1959 tour (retouched) (cropped) (3-to-4 aspect ratio).jpg<!--Image has been chosen via consensus. Do not change unless a consensus to do so has been reached on the talk page.-->
| alt = Elizabeth facing right in a half-length portrait photograph
| caption = Formal portrait, 1959<!--Photo taken in 1958, but published in 1959. See talk page for more info.-->
| succession = {{Br separated entries|]|and other ]s}}
| moretext = {{nowrap|(])}}
| reign = 6&nbsp;February 1952{{Sndash}}{{Avoid wrap|8&nbsp;September 2022}}
| cor-type = ]
| coronation = 2&nbsp;June 1953
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ]
| birth_name = Princess Elizabeth of York
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1926|04|21}}
| birth_place = ], London, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|09|08|1926|04|21|df=yes}}
| death_place = ], Aberdeenshire, Scotland
| burial_date = 19&nbsp;September 2022
| burial_place = ], St&nbsp;George's Chapel, Windsor&nbsp;Castle
| spouse = {{Marriage|]|20 November 1947|9 April 2021|reason=d<!--Please do not link; see ]-->}}
| issue-link = #Issue
| issue = {{Plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| full name = Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
| house = ]
| father = ]
| mother = ]
| religion = ]{{Efn|name=religion|As monarch, Elizabeth was ]. She was also a member of the ].}}
| signature = Elizabeth II signature 1952.svg
| signature_alt = Elizabeth's signature in black ink
| module = {{Listen voice
| filename = Elizabeth II Coronation speech.ogg
| description = ]
| name = Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II
| recorded = 2&nbsp;June 1953}}
}}


'''Elizabeth&nbsp;II''' (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21&nbsp;April 1926{{Sndash}}8&nbsp;September 2022) was <!-- please don't add "the" -->] and other ]s from 6&nbsp;February 1952 until ] in 2022. She had been ] of ] during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the ], the ], and the ].
Her Majesty '''Queen Elizabeth II''' (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary), styled '''''HM The Queen''''' (born ], ]) is the ] regnant and ] of the ] and 15 other ]. She is Head of the ] and ] of the ]. She has reigned since ], ]. About 125 million people live in countries of which she is head of state. Prior to her ascention, she held the title of ].


Elizabeth was born in ], London, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, ]. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later ] and ]). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon ] of his brother ], making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the ]. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the ]. In November 1947, ] ], a former ]. Their marriage lasted 73 years until ]. They had four children: ], ], ], and ].
==Constitutional status==
In the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth holds her throne by virtue of the ], being the senior ] descendant of Electress ] who is not married to a Roman Catholic. Although the succession to the throne of the United Kingdom is in normal circumstances hereditary, the ] has had the right to determine who may inherit the throne since at least the ] of ].


When ] in February 1952, Elizabeth, then 25 years old, became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, ], ], and ] (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as ]. Elizabeth reigned as a ] through major political changes such as ] in Northern Ireland, ], the ], and the ] as well as its ]. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms ]. As queen, Elizabeth was served by ] across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included ] to China in 1986, ] in 1994, and ] in 2011, and meetings with five popes and fourteen US presidents.
As well as being Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth is head of state of fifteen other countries of the ], known as the ]. These countries are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].


Significant events included ] in 1953 and the celebrations of her ], ], ], and ] ]s. Although there was occasional ] sentiment and media criticism of her family—particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her '']'' in 1992, and ] in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law ]—support for the monarchy and her personal popularity in the United Kingdom remained consistently high. Elizabeth died aged 96 at ], and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles&nbsp;III.<!--Charles already has a wikilink in the 2nd paragraph of the lead. Please don't link again without checking-->
In these countries, which are fully independent states, she holds the position of head of state by virtue of being designated as such in the Constitutions or laws of each of these countries. Originally, these nations were all either ] of the British Crown or colonies of the United Kingdom. The passage of the ] had the effect of separating the British Crown from those of the Dominions.


== Early life ==
Those former colonies which have chosen to retain the Queen as their head of state have, at the date of their independence, thereby assumed a similar status to the original Dominions in relation to the Crown. The Statute of Westminster suggests that all of these nations should maintain the same common rules of succession. This guideline, however, appears only in the preamble; consequently, it is not legally binding. Each realm may theoretically choose to adopt whichever rules of succession it pleases, but hitherto, no realm has chosen to do so. Furthermore, Elizabeth II is Queen in each such realm by virtue of local laws&mdash;not by virtue of British law.
Elizabeth was born on 21&nbsp;April 1926, the first child of ] (later King George&nbsp;VI), and his wife, ] (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father was the second son of ] and ], and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat ]. She was delivered at 02:40 (])<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33153 |date=21 April 1926 |page=1 |mode=cs2}}</ref> by ] at her maternal grandfather's London home, 17 ] in ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=22|Brandreth|2004|2p=103|Marr|2011|3p=76|Pimlott|2001|4pp=2–3|Lacey|2002|5pp=75–76|Roberts|2000|6p=74}} The ] ], ], ] her in the private chapel of ] on 29&nbsp;May,{{Sfn|ps=none|Hoey|2002|p=40}}{{Efn|name=baptism|Her godparents were: King George&nbsp;V and Queen Mary; Lord Strathmore; ] (her paternal great-granduncle); ] (her paternal aunt); and ] (her maternal aunt).{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=103|Hoey|2002|2p=40}}}} and she was named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after ], who had ]; and Mary after her paternal grandmother.{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|p=103}} She was called "Lilibet" by her close family,{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=12}} based on what she called herself at first.{{Sfn|ps=none|Williamson|1987|p=205}} She was cherished by her grandfather George&nbsp;V, whom she affectionately called "Grandpa England",{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=15}} and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1p=56|Nicolson|1952|2p=433|Pimlott|2001|3pp=14–16}}
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 320
| image1 = Princess Elizabeth on TIME Magazine, April 29, 1929.jpg
| alt1 = Elizabeth as a thoughtful-looking toddler with curly, fair hair
| caption1 = On the ] of ], April 1929
| image2 = Philip de László - Princess Elizabeth of York - 1933.jpg
| alt2 = Elizabeth as a rosy-cheeked young girl with blue eyes and fair hair
| caption2 = Portrait by ], 1933
}}
Elizabeth's only sibling, ], was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their ], ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Crawford|1950|1p=26|Pimlott|2001|2p=20|Shawcross|2002|3p=21}} Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=124|Lacey|2002|2pp=62–63|Pimlott|2001|3pp=24, 69}} Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled '']'' in 1950, much to the dismay of the ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=108–110|Lacey|2002|2pp=159–161|Pimlott|2001|3pp=20, 163}} The book describes Elizabeth's love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, and her attitude of responsibility.{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|pp=108–110}} Others echoed such observations: ] described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant."{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=105|Lacey|2002|2p=81|Shawcross|2002|3pp=21–22}} Her cousin ] described her as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved".{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|pp=105–106}} Elizabeth's early life was spent primarily at the Yorks' residences at ] (their ] in London) and ] in Windsor.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Crawford|1950|1pp=14–34|Heald|2007|2pp=7–8|Warwick|2002|3pp=35–39}}


== Heir presumptive ==
*''See also ]
During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the ], behind her uncle ], and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=8|Lacey|2002|2p=76|Pimlott|2001|3p=3}} When ] in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward&nbsp;VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father. Later that year, ], after his proposed marriage to divorced American socialite ] provoked a ].{{Sfn|ps=none|Lacey|2002|pp=97–98}} Consequently, Elizabeth's father became king, taking the ] George&nbsp;VI. Since Elizabeth had no brothers, she became ]. If her parents had subsequently had a son, he would have been ] and above her in the line of succession, which was determined by the ] in effect at the time.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Marr|2011|1pp=78, 85|Pimlott|2001|2pp=71–73}}


Elizabeth received private tuition in ] from ], ] of ],{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=124|Crawford|1950|2p=85|Lacey|2002|3p=112|Marr|2011|4p=88|Pimlott|2001|5p=51|Shawcross|2002|6p=25}} and learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses.<ref name="Edu">{{Cite web |date=29 December 2015 |title=Her Majesty The Queen: Early life and education |url=https://www.royal.uk/her-majesty-the-queen?ch=5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507231247/https://www.royal.uk/her-majesty-the-queen?ch=5 |archive-date=7 May 2016 |access-date=18 April 2016 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> A ] company, the ], was formed specifically so she could socialise with girls her age.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Marr|2011|1p=84|Pimlott|2001|2p=47}} Later, she was enrolled as a ].<ref name="Edu" />
*''For the Queen's role as ], see ]''


In 1939, Elizabeth's parents ] and the United States. As in 1927, when they had ] and ], Elizabeth remained in Britain since her father thought she was too young to undertake public tours.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=54}} She "looked tearful" as her parents departed.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=55}} They corresponded regularly,{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=55}} and she and her parents made the first royal ] call on 18&nbsp;May.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=54}}
==Early life==
Queen Elizabeth was born at 21 Bruton Street in ], ], the London home of her maternal grandparents, the ] and his wife Lady Cecilia, Countess of Strathmore and Glamis. She was named after her mother, the former ], while her two middle names are those of her paternal great-grandmother (]) and grandmother (]) respectively. Her father, the ] (known to his family as Bertie), was the second son of ], and was not then the heir to the throne.


=== Second World War ===
Elizabeth, then known as HRH Princess Elizabeth of York, was educated at home under the supervision of her mother, the Duchess of York. She studied history with C. H. K. Marten, Provost of Eton, and also learned modern languages. She speaks excellent French, as she showed during her ] state visit to ] on more than one occasion. She was instructed in religion by the ] and has always been a convinced member of the ].
] uniform, April 1945]]
In September 1939, ]. ] suggested that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should be ] to Canada to avoid the frequent ] of London by the '']''.{{Sfn|ps=none|Warwick|2002|page=102}} This was rejected by their mother, who declared, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodey |first=Emma |date=21 December 2015 |title=Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother |url=https://www.royal.uk/queen-elizabeth-queen-mother |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507183311/https://www.royal.uk/queen-elizabeth-queen-mother |archive-date=7 May 2016 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> The princesses stayed at ], Scotland, until Christmas 1939, when they moved to ], Norfolk.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Crawford|1950|1pp=104–114|Pimlott|2001|2pp=56–57}} From February to May 1940, they lived at Royal Lodge, Windsor, until moving to ], where they lived for most of the next five years.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Crawford|1950|1pp=114–119|Pimlott|2001|2p=57}} At Windsor, ] at Christmas in aid of the Queen's Wool Fund, which bought ] to knit into military garments.{{Sfn|ps=none|Crawford|1950|pp=137–141}} In 1940, the 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the ]'s '']'', addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities.<ref name="CH">{{Cite web |date=13 October 1940 |title=Children's Hour: Princess Elizabeth |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/childrens-hour--princess-elizabeth/z7wm92p |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127053143/https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/childrens-hour--princess-elizabeth/z7wm92p |archive-date=27 November 2019 |access-date=22 July 2009 |website=BBC Archive |mode=cs2}}</ref> She stated: "We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well."<ref name="CH" />


In 1943, Elizabeth undertook her first solo public appearance on a visit to the ], of which she had been appointed ] the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early public life |url=https://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Publiclife/EarlyPublicLife/Earlypubliclife.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328170101/https://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/Publiclife/EarlyPublicLife/Earlypubliclife.aspx |archive-date=28 March 2010 |access-date=20 April 2010 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> As she approached her 18th birthday, Parliament changed the law so that she could act as one of five ] in the event of her father's incapacity or absence abroad, such as his visit to Italy in July 1944.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=71}} In February 1945, she was appointed an honorary ] in the Auxiliary Territorial Service with the ] 230873.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36973 |date=6 March 1945 |page=1315 |supp=y |nolink=y |mode=cs2}}</ref> She trained as a driver and mechanic and was given the rank of honorary junior commander (female equivalent of ] at the time) five months later.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Harvnb|Bradford|2012|p=45}}; {{Harvnb|Lacey|2002|pp=136–137}}; {{Harvnb|Marr|2011|p=100}}; {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|p=75}}; | {{London Gazette |issue=37205 |date=31 July 1945 |page=3972 |supp=y |nolink=y |ref=none |mode=cs2}} }}</ref>
When her father became King in ] upon her uncle ]'s abdication, she became heir presumptive and known as HRH The Princess Elizabeth. She was 13 when ] broke out. She and her younger sister ] were evacuated to ] in ]. There was some suggestion that the princesses should be sent to ], but their mother the Queen refused to consider this, saying: "The children won't leave without me, I won't leave without the King, and the King won't leave under any circumstances." In ] Princess Elizabeth made her first broadcast, addressing children who had been evacuated.


]]]
In ] Princess Elizabeth convinced her father that she should be allowed to contribute directly to the war effort. She joined the ] (the ATS) where she was known as No 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor. She was trained as a driver. This training was the first time she had been taught with other students. It is said that she greatly enjoyed this and that this experience lead her to send her own children to school rather than have them educated at home.
At the end of the war in Europe, on ], Elizabeth and Margaret mingled incognito with the celebrating crowds in the streets of London. In 1985, Elizabeth recalled in a rare interview, "...&nbsp;we asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves. I remember we were terrified of being recognised&nbsp;... I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down ], all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief."{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=10|Pimlott|2001|2p=79}}<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite interview |interviewer=] |title=The Queen Remembers VE Day 1945 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t2rAYE7K-o |access-date=4 April 2024 |work=The Way We Were |publisher=] |via=YouTube |date=8 May 1985 |mode=cs2}}; | {{BBC Genome prog|50ae7646017f471ab1dd365d82bc35fa|The Way We Were}} }}</ref>


During the war, plans were drawn to quell ] by affiliating Elizabeth more closely with Wales. Proposals, such as appointing her Constable of ] or a patron of ] (the Welsh League of Youth), were abandoned for several reasons, including fear of associating Elizabeth with ]s in the Urdd at a time when Britain was at war.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2005 |title=Royal plans to beat nationalism |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4329001.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208181209/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4329001.stm |archive-date=8 February 2012 |access-date=15 June 2010 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Welsh politicians suggested she be made ] on her 18th birthday. Home Secretary ] supported the idea, but the King rejected it because he felt such a title belonged solely to the wife of a ] and the Prince of Wales had always been the heir apparent.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=71–73}} In 1946, she was inducted into ] at the ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gorsedd of the Bards |url=https://www.museumwales.ac.uk/911 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518203811/https://www.museumwales.ac.uk/911 |archive-date=18 May 2014 |access-date=17 December 2009 |publisher=National Museum of Wales |mode=cs2}}</ref>
Elizabeth made her first official visit overseas in ], when she accompanied her parents to ]. On her 21st birthday she made a broadcast to the ] and ], pledging to devote her life to the service of the people of the Commonwealth and Empire.


Elizabeth went on her first overseas tour in 1947, accompanying her parents through southern Africa. During the tour, in ] to the ] on her 21st birthday, she made the following pledge:<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Connie |date=20 April 1947 |title=A speech by the Queen on her 21st birthday |url=https://www.royal.uk/21st-birthday-speech-21-april-1947 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103191402/https://www.royal.uk/21st-birthday-speech-21-april-1947 |archive-date=3 January 2017 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref>{{Efn|The oft-quoted speech was written by ], a journalist for '']''.<ref name="Oldie">{{Cite web |last=Utley |first=Charles |date=June 2017 |title=My grandfather wrote the Princess's speech |url=https://www.theoldie.co.uk/article/my-grandfather-wrote-the-princesss-speech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531074419/https://www.theoldie.co.uk/article/my-grandfather-wrote-the-princesss-speech |archive-date=31 May 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |website=The Oldie |mode=cs2}}</ref>}}
Elizabeth married ] on ] ]. Prince Phillip is HM Queen Elizabeth's 3rd cousin; they both share Queen Victoria as a great great grandmother. (Prince Phillip had renounced his claim to the ] throne and was simply referred to as Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten before being created ] before the marriage). This marriage was eminently suitable for a female heir to the throne, since Philip had been trained to royal duties but had no embarrassing foreign connections. It was not, however, an arranged marriage. A genuine love match, it has survived many trials, including Philip's rumoured infidelities.


{{blockquote|I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.}}
After their wedding Philip and Elizabeth took up residence at ], London. They had four children (see below). Though the ] is named ], it was decreed that the descendants of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip should have the ''personal surname'' ]. (The personal surname change came via an Order-in-Council in ].)


=== Marriage ===
King George's health declined during ] and Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. She visited ], ] and ] (where Philip was then stationed) during the year. In October she toured ] and visited ]. In January ] Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of ] and ]. They had reached ] when word arrived of the death of her father, on ], ]. At the exact moment of succession, she was in a tree-top hotel: a unique circumstance for any such event. The treehouse where she went up a princess and came down a queen is now a very popular tourist retreat in Kenya. Elizabeth's coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on ], ].
{{Main|Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten}}
Elizabeth met her future husband, ], in 1934 and again in 1937.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=132–139|Lacey|2002|2pp=124–125|Pimlott|2001|3p=86}} They were ] through ] and third cousins through ]. After meeting for the third time at the ] in ] in July 1939, Elizabeth—though only 13 years old—said she fell in love with Philip, who was 18, and they began to exchange letters.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=10|Brandreth|2004|2pp=132–136, 166–169|Lacey|2002|3pp=119, 126, 135}} She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on 9&nbsp;July 1947.{{Sfn|ps=none|Heald|2007|p=77}}


The engagement attracted some controversy. Philip had no financial standing, was foreign-born (though a ] who had served in the ] throughout the Second World War), and had sisters who had married German noblemen with ] links.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edwards |first=Phil |date=31 October 2000 |title=The Real Prince Philip |url=https://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/R/real_lives/prince_philip_t.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209095416/https://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/R/real_lives/prince_philip_t.html |archive-date=9 February 2010 |access-date=23 September 2009 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Marion Crawford wrote, "Some of the King's advisors did not think him good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some of the papers played long and loud tunes on the string of Philip's foreign origin."{{Sfn|ps=none|Crawford|1950|p=180}} Later biographies reported that Elizabeth's mother had reservations about the union initially and teased Philip as "]".<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=20 April 2006 |title=Philip, the one constant through her life |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1400208/Philip-the-one-constant-through-her-life.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220109050110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1400208/Philip-the-one-constant-through-her-life.html |archive-date=9 January 2022 |access-date=23 September 2009 |work=The Telegraph |location=London |ref=none |mode=cs2}};{{Cbignore}} | {{Harvnb|Brandreth|2004|p=314}}}}</ref> In later life, however, she told the biographer ] that Philip was "an English gentleman".{{Sfn|ps=none|Heald|2007|p=xviii}}
==Life as Queen==
] and holding the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb]]


]
After the Coronation Elizabeth and Philip moved to ] in central London. Like many of her predecessors, however, she dislikes the Palace as a residence and considers ], west of London, to be her home. She also spends time at ] in ].
Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, officially converted from ] to ], and adopted the style ''Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten'', taking ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hoey|2002|1pp=55–56|Pimlott|2001|2pp=101, 137}} Shortly before the wedding, he was created ] and granted the style ''His Royal Highness''.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38128 |date=21 November 1947 |page=5495 |nolink=y |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20&nbsp;November 1947 at ]. They received 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world.<ref name="news1">{{Cite web |date=18 November 2007 |title=60 Diamond Wedding anniversary facts |url=https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Factfiles/60diamondweddinganniversaryfacts.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203033258/https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Factfiles/60diamondweddinganniversaryfacts.aspx |archive-date=3 December 2010 |access-date=20 June 2010 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth required ] to buy the material for ] (which was designed by ]) because Britain had not yet completely recovered from the devastation of the war.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hoey|2002|1p=58|Pimlott|2001|2pp=133–134}} In ], it was not acceptable for Philip's German relations, including his three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hoey|2002|1p=59|Petropoulos|2006|2p=363}} Neither was an invitation extended to the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward&nbsp;VIII.{{Sfn|ps=none|Bradford|2012|p=61}}


Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, ], in November 1948. One month earlier, the King had issued ] allowing her children to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess, to which they otherwise would not have been entitled as their father was no longer a royal prince.<ref>{{Multiref|Letters Patent, 22&nbsp;October 1948; | {{Harvnb|Hoey|2002|pp=69–70}}; {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|pp=155–156}}}}</ref> A second child, ], was born in August 1950.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=163}}
Queen Elizabeth is the most widely travelled head of state in history. In ]-] she and Philip made a six-month round-the-world tour; she became the first reigning monarch to circumnavigate the globe, and the first to visit ], ] and ]. In October ] she made a state visit to the ], and in ] she made a tour of ]. In ] she toured ] and ] for the first time. She has made state visits to most European countries and many outside Europe. She regularly attends Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings.


Following their wedding, the couple leased ], near Windsor Castle, until July 1949,<ref name="news1" /> when they took up residence at ] in London. At various times between 1949 and 1951, Philip was stationed in the British ] as a serving Royal Navy officer. He and Elizabeth lived intermittently in Malta for several months at a time in the ] of ], at ], the rented home of Philip's uncle ]. Their two children remained in Britain.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=226–238|Pimlott|2001|2pp=145, 159–163, 167}}
At the time of Elizabeth's accession there was much talk of a "new Elizabethan age". Elizabeth's role, however, has been to preside over the steady decline of Britain as a world military and economic power, the dissolution of the British Empire and the gradual fading away of its successor, the Commonwealth. She has worked hard to maintain links with former British possessions, and in some cases, such as ], she has played an important role in retaining or restoring good relations.


== Reign ==
Elizabeth is a conservative in matters of religion, moral standards and family matters. She has a strong sense of religious duty and takes seriously her Coronation Oath. This is one reason why it is considered highly unlikely that she will ever abdicate. Like her mother, she never forgave Edward VIII for, as she saw it, abandoning his duty, and forcing her father to become King, which she believed shortened his life by many years. She used the authority of her position to prevent her sister, Princess Margaret, marrying a divorced man, Peter Townsend. For years she refused to acknowledge Prince Charles's relationship with ].


=== Accession and coronation ===
Politically, her views are less clear-cut &mdash; not that she has ever said or done anything in public to reveal what they might be. She preserves cordial relations with politicians of all parties. It is believed that her favourite Prime Ministers have been ], ] and ]. Her least favourite was undoubtedly ], whom she is said to cordially dislike. She has very good relations with her current Prime Minister, ], who is her first Prime Minister born after her accession to the throne.
{{Main|Coronation of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
], 1953]]
As George&nbsp;VI's health declined during 1951, Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. When she visited Canada and ] in Washington, DC, in October 1951, her private secretary ] carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while she was on tour.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=240–241|Lacey|2002|2p=166|Pimlott|2001|3pp=169–172}} In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of the British colony of ]. On 6&nbsp;February, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, ], after a night spent at ], when word arrived of ] of Elizabeth's father. Philip broke the news to the new queen.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=245–247|Lacey|2002|2p=166|Pimlott|2001|3pp=173–176|Shawcross|2002|4p=16}} She chose to retain Elizabeth as her regnal name,{{Sfnm|ps=none|1a1=Bousfield|1a2=Toffoli|1y=2002|1p=72|Bradford|2002|2p=166|Pimlott|2001|3p=179|Shawcross|2002|4p=17}} and was therefore called Elizabeth&nbsp;II. The numeral offended some Scots, as she was the first Elizabeth to rule in Scotland.{{Sfn|ps=none|Mitchell|2003|page=113}} She was ] throughout her realms, and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=178–179}} Elizabeth and Philip moved into Buckingham Palace.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=186–187}}


With Elizabeth's accession, it seemed possible that the ] would take her husband's name, in line with the custom for married women of the time. Lord Mountbatten advocated for ''House of Mountbatten'', and Philip suggested ''House of Edinburgh'', after his ducal title.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soames |first=Emma |author-link=Emma Soames |date=1 June 2012 |title=Emma Soames: As Churchills we're proud to do our duty |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9305749/Emma-Soames-As-Churchills-were-proud-to-do-our-duty.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602100737/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9305749/Emma-Soames-As-Churchills-were-proud-to-do-our-duty.html |archive-date=2 June 2012 |access-date=12 March 2019 |work=The Telegraph |location=London |mode=cs2}}</ref> The British prime minister, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary favoured the retention of the ]. Elizabeth issued a declaration on 9&nbsp;April 1952 that the royal house would continue to be ''Windsor''. Philip complained, "I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children."{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=80|Brandreth|2004|2pp=253–254|Lacey|2002|3pp=172–173|Pimlott|2001|4pp=183–185}} In 1960, the surname '']'' was adopted for Philip and Elizabeth's male-line descendants who do not carry royal titles.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=297–298}}<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=41948 |date=5 February 1960 |page=1003 |supp=y |nolink=y |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The only public issue on which the Queen makes her views known are those affecting the unity of the United Kingdom. She has spoken in favour of the continued union of England and Scotland, angering some Scottish nationalists. Her statement of praise for the ] ] raised some complaints among some ]s in the ] who opposed the Agreement.


Amid preparations for the coronation, Princess Margaret told her sister she wished to marry ], a divorcé 16 years Margaret's senior with two sons from his previous marriage. Elizabeth asked them to wait for a year; in the words of her ], "the Queen was naturally sympathetic towards the Princess, but I think she thought—she hoped—given time, the affair would peter out."{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|pp=269–271}} Senior politicians were against the match and the ] did not permit ] after divorce. If Margaret had contracted a ], she would have been expected to renounce her ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=269–271|Lacey|2002|2pp=193–194|Pimlott|2001|3pp=201, 236–238}} Margaret decided to abandon her plans with Townsend.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=22|Brandreth|2004|2p=271|Lacey|2002|3p=194|Pimlott|2001|4p=238|Shawcross|2002|5p=146}} In 1960, she married ], who was created ] the following year. They divorced in 1978; Margaret did not remarry.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Princess Margaret: Marriage and family |url=https://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20from%201952/HRHPrincessMargaret/Marriageandfamily.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106225052/https://www.royal.gov.uk/HistoryoftheMonarchy/The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20from%201952/HRHPrincessMargaret/Marriageandfamily.aspx |archive-date=6 November 2011 |access-date=8 September 2011 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref>
], HRH ], HRH ], HRH ], HRH ]]]


Despite ] on 24&nbsp;March 1953, the coronation went ahead as planned on 2&nbsp;June, as Mary had requested.{{Sfn|ps=none|Bradford|2012|p=82}} The coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey was televised for the first time, with the exception of the ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 May 2003 |title=50 facts about The Queen's Coronation |url=https://www.royal.uk/50-facts-about-queens-coronation-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207234935/https://www.royal.uk/50-facts-about-queens-coronation-0 |archive-date=7 February 2021 |access-date=18 April 2016 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref>{{Efn|name=television|Television coverage of the coronation was instrumental in boosting the medium's popularity; the number of ] doubled to 3{{Spaces}}million,{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=207}} and many of the more than 20{{Spaces}}million British viewers watched television for the first time in the homes of their friends or neighbours.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Briggs|1995|1pp=420&nbsp;{{Wikt-lang|en|ff.}}|Pimlott|2001|2p=207|Roberts|2000|3p=82}} In North America, almost 100{{Spaces}}million viewers watched recorded broadcasts.{{Sfn|ps=none|Lacey|2002|p=182}}}} On Elizabeth's instruction, ] was embroidered with the ]s of Commonwealth countries.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1p=190|Pimlott|2001|2pp=247–248}}
Despite a succession of controversies about the rest of the royal family, particularly the marital difficulties of her children throughout the ] and ], Queen Elizabeth remains a remarkably uncontroversial figure and is generally well-respected by the British people. However, her public persona is still formal, though more relaxed than it once was. Her refusal to display emotion in public prevents the growth of deeper feelings for her among the public.


=== Early reign ===
Queen Elizabeth has never become unpopular, certainly not as unpopular as ] was during a long period of her reign. The one exception to this was in ], when she and the other members of the Royal Family did not participate in the public outpouring of grief following the death of ]. This brought sharp criticism from the normally royalist tabloid press and caused many in the public to view the monarchy as cold and unfeeling.
{{Further|Commonwealth realm#From the accession of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
] and their territories and ] at the beginning of her reign in 1952:
{{legend|#ff0000|United Kingdom}}
{{legend|#800000|Colonies, protectorates and mandates}}
{{legend|#ff80c0|Dominions/realms}}]]


From Elizabeth's birth onwards, the ] continued its transformation into the ].{{Sfn|ps=none|Marr|2011|p=272}} By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was already established.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=182}} In 1953, Elizabeth and Philip embarked on a seven-month round-the-world tour, visiting 13 countries and covering more than {{Convert|40000|mi|km}} by land, sea and air.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Commonwealth: Gifts to the Queen |url=https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/gifts-to-the-queen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301123708/https://www.royalcollection.org.uk/exhibitions/gifts-to-the-queen |archive-date=1 March 2016 |access-date=20 February 2016 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> She became the first reigning ] and ] to visit those nations.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite web |date=13 October 2015 |title=Australia: Royal visits |url=https://www.royal.uk/australia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201044226/https://www.royal.uk/australia |archive-date=1 February 2019 |access-date=18 April 2016 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Vallance |first=Adam |date=22 December 2015 |title=New Zealand: Royal visits |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |url=https://www.royal.uk/new-zealand |url-status=live |access-date=18 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322052936/https://www.royal.uk/new-zealand |archive-date=22 March 2019 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Marr|2011|p=126}}}}</ref> During the tour, crowds were immense; three-quarters of the population of Australia were estimated to have seen her.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=278|Marr|2011|2p=126|Pimlott|2001|3p=224|Shawcross|2002|4p=59}} Throughout her reign, she made hundreds of ] to other countries and ]; she was the most widely travelled ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Sophie |date=11 May 2012 |title=Queen's Diamond Jubilee: Sixty years of royal tours |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/Queens-Diamond-Jubilee-sixty-years-of-royal-tours |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/ZsXhc |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=20 February 2016 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref>
It is widely believed that Elizabeth held negative feelings towards Diana and thought that she had done immense damage to the monarchy. Eventually, however, the tide of public opinion was too great to resist and the country was given the sight of the entire Royal Family bowing to Diana's coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace. The Queen also made a rare live television broadcast to address the grief of the public regarding Diana's death. The Queen's change of attitude is believed to have resulted from strong advice from the Queen Mother and Tony Blair.


In 1956, the British and French prime ministers, ] and ], discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth. The proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the ], which established the ], the precursor to the ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Thomson |first=Mike |date=15 January 2007 |title=When Britain and France nearly married |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6261885.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123072141/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6261885.stm |archive-date=23 January 2009 |access-date=14 December 2009 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In November 1956, Britain and France ] in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to capture the ]. Lord Mountbatten said that Elizabeth was opposed to the invasion, though Eden denied it. Eden resigned two months later.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|1p=255|Roberts|2000|2p=84}}
Since ], the Queen has regained her former status as a highly respected head of state. In ], she celebrated her ], marking the 50th year of her accession to the throne. The year included an extensive tour of the four regions of the United Kingdom, state visits to several ], and numerous parades and official concerts. In June, thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace for what was called the "Party at the Palace," a massive concert featuring various famous musical performers from across the ]. The day after this concert, a national service of Thanksgiving was held at St. Paul's Cathedral, to which the Queen and Prince Philip travelled in the centuries-old Gold State Coach. This was followed by massive carnivals and processions in the Mall outside Buckingham Palace, and the evening finished with a flypast by Concorde and the Red Arrows. The Queen and the entire Royal Family watched this from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, before a crowd of one million people. Sadly, however, the jubilee year coincided with the deaths, within a few months, of the Queen's mother and sister.
]]]


The governing ] had no formal mechanism for choosing a leader, meaning that it fell to Elizabeth to decide whom to ] following Eden's resignation. Eden recommended she consult ], the ]. Lord Salisbury and ], the ], consulted the ], Churchill, and the chairman of the backbench ], resulting in Elizabeth appointing their recommended candidate: ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Marr|2011|1pp=175–176|Pimlott|2001|2pp=256–260|Roberts|2000|3p=84}}
Since the death of her mother and sister, her relations with her children, while still somewhat distant, have become much warmer. She is particularly close to her daughter-in-law ]. But while there has been a warming in her relationship with her children, she and the Prince of Wales still see very little of each other. She is known to disapprove of Charles's long-running relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, but in recent years has made several gestures of recognition of the relationship. On the other hand, she is very close to her grandchildren, particularly ] and ] .


The Suez crisis and the choice of Eden's successor led, in 1957, to the first major personal criticism of Elizabeth. In a magazine, which he owned and edited,{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1p=199|Shawcross|2002|2p=75}} ] accused her of being "out of touch".<ref>{{Multiref| Altrincham in '']'', quoted by | {{Harvnb|Brandreth|2004|p=374}}; {{Harvnb|Roberts|2000|p=83}}}}</ref> Altrincham was denounced by public figures and slapped by a member of the public appalled by his comments.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=374|Pimlott|2001|2pp=280–281|Shawcross|2002|3p=76}} Six years later, in 1963, Macmillan resigned and advised Elizabeth to appoint ] as the prime minister, advice she followed.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hardman|2011|1p=22|Pimlott|2001|2pp=324–335|Roberts|2000|3p=84}} Elizabeth again came under criticism for appointing the prime minister on the advice of a small number of ministers or a single minister.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hardman|2011|1p=22|Pimlott|2001|2pp=324–335|Roberts|2000|3p=84}} In 1965, the Conservatives adopted a formal mechanism for electing a leader, thus relieving the Queen of her involvement.{{Sfn|ps=none|Roberts|2000|p=84}}
].]]


], 1957]]
In ] the Queen, who is often described as robustly healthy, underwent three operations. In January she had torn cartilage removed from her right knee as a result of a fall during the ] Christmas holidays. In December ] she underwent a similar operation to remove torn cartilage, this time from her left knee. During this operation she also had several lesions removed from her face prompting rumours that she could have a form of skin cancer. The Palace reported, however, that the lesions were benign, and not cancerous.
In 1957, Elizabeth made a state visit to the United States, where she addressed the ] on behalf of the Commonwealth. On the same tour, she opened the ], becoming the first ] to open a parliamentary session.<ref name="Canada">{{Cite web |title=Queen and Canada: Royal visits |url=https://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Royalvisits.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504150511/https://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Royalvisits.aspx |archive-date=4 May 2010 |access-date=12 February 2012 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> Two years later, solely in her capacity as Queen of Canada, she revisited the United States and toured Canada.<ref name="Canada" />{{Sfn|ps=none|Bradford|2012|p=114}} In 1961, she toured Cyprus, India, Pakistan, ], and ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|1p=303|Shawcross|2002|2p=83}} On a visit to Ghana the same year, she dismissed fears for her safety, even though her host, President ], who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for assassins.{{Sfn|ps=none|Macmillan|1972|pp=466–472}} Harold Macmillan wrote, "The Queen has been absolutely determined all through&nbsp;... She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as&nbsp;... a film star&nbsp;... She has indeed ']'&nbsp;... She loves her duty and means to be a Queen."{{Sfn|ps=none|Macmillan|1972|pp=466–472}} Before her tour through parts of ] in 1964, the press reported that extremists within the ] were plotting Elizabeth's assassination.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dubois |first=Paul |date=12 October 1964 |title=Demonstrations Mar Quebec Events Saturday |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19641012&id=3K4tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YZ8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6599,2340498 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123163032/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19641012&id=3K4tAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YZ8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=6599,2340498 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |access-date=6 March 2010 |work=] |page=1 |mode=cs2}}</ref> No assassination attempt was made, but a riot did break out while she was in ]; her "calmness and courage in the face of the violence" was noted.{{Sfn|ps=none|Bousfield|Toffoli|2002|p=139}}


Elizabeth gave birth to her third child, ], in February 1960; this was the first birth to a reigning British monarch since 1857.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 September 2017 |title=Royal Family tree and line of succession |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-23272491 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311001051/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-23272491 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |access-date=13 May 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her fourth child, ], was born in March 1964.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=43268 |date=11 March 1964 |page=2255 |nolink=y |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The recent surgeries have brought concerns that the Queen is overworked for a woman of 78 and should slow down. As the Queen approaches her 80th birthday, she has made it clear that she has no intention of abdicating. Those who know her best have stated that she intends to reign as Queen until the day she dies. She has, however, agreed to begin handing over some of the public duties to her children. She is also reducing the amount of international travel she normally undertakes (she generally goes on two state visits a year, her first in 2004 being her state vist to France, and her second will be one to Germany in November, and up to two Commonwealth visits a year). But like her mother, she intends to keep working until she is physically unable to.


=== Political reforms and crises ===
In recent years, particularly since the death of the Queen Mother, many have noticed the softening of the Queen's public image. Although she is still reserved in public, she has been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past and to the shock of many she has seen to have shed a few tears during emotional state services such as the memorial service at Westminster Abbey for those killed in the ].
{{Multiple image
| total_width = 400
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| image1 = Elizabeth II in Queensland, Australia, 1970.jpg
| alt1 = Elizabeth waving from a car
| caption1 = In ], Australia, 1970
| image2 = Stevan Kragujevic, Elizabeth II i Josip Broz Tito,1972, u Beogradu.jpg
| alt2 =
| caption2 = With ] of ] in Belgrade, 1972
}}


The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the ] and the Caribbean. More than 20 countries gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, the Rhodesian prime minister, ], in opposition to moves towards ], ] while expressing "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth formally dismissed him, and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, his regime survived for over a decade.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=66|Pimlott|2001|2pp=345–354}} As Britain's ties to its former empire weakened, the British government sought entry to the ], a goal it ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1pp=123, 154, 176|Pimlott|2001|2pp=301, 315–316, 415–417}}
==Political Role==
] of ].]]


In 1966, the Queen was criticised for waiting eight days before visiting the village of ], where ] killed 116 children and 28 adults. Martin Charteris said that the delay, made on his advice, was a mistake that she later regretted.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 September 2022 |title=Aberfan disaster: The Queen's regret after tragedy |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-42101460 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123064943/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-42101460 |archive-date=23 November 2022 |access-date=20 December 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=17 November 2019 |title=How filming the agony of Aberfan for The Crown revealed a village still in trauma |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/17/television-drama-the-crown-portrays-aberfan-disaster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221000005/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/nov/17/television-drama-the-crown-portrays-aberfan-disaster |archive-date=21 December 2022 |access-date=20 December 2022 |website=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref>
In the United Kingdom, the Queen is an essential part of the legislative process. The Queen-in-Parliament (the Queen, acting with the advice and consent of Parliament) constitutes the British legislature; the other two parts of this legislature are the ] and the ]. In practice, however, the Queen's role in the legislative process is entirely ceremonial. The Queen may legally grant or withhold ] to bills, but no British monarch has refused his or her assent to a bill since ]. Furthermore, the Queen makes an annual speech at the ], outlining the legislative agenda for the year, but the speech is written for her by ministers.


Elizabeth toured ] in October 1972, becoming the first British monarch to visit a ].{{Sfn|ps=none|Hoey|2022|page=58}} She was received at the airport by President ], and a crowd of thousands greeted her in ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 October 1972 |title=Big Crowds in Belgrade Greet Queen Elizabeth |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/18/archives/big-crowds-in-belgrade-greet-queen-elizabeth.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/18/archives/big-crowds-in-belgrade-greet-queen-elizabeth.html |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The Queen also has a ceremonial role in executive government. The British government is known as "Her Majesty's Government," and the Queen technically appoints the ministers who serve in it. In practice, however, the Queen does not choose and remove ministers. Normally, the leader of the largest party in the House of Commons is appointed Prime Minister; the Prime Minister then "advises" the Queen as to further ministerial appointments. The Government, moreover, is not in practice accountable to the Queen; rather, it is responsible to the House of Commons, and through it to the people. The Queen is also involved in the nation's judicial affairs. The courts act in her name; prosecutions are brought on her behalf.


In February 1974, British prime minister ] advised Elizabeth to call ] in the middle of her tour of the ]n ], requiring her to fly back to Britain.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=181|Pimlott|2001|2p=418}} The election resulted in a ]; Heath's Conservatives were not the largest party but could stay in office if they formed a coalition with the ]. When discussions on forming a coalition foundered, Heath resigned, and Elizabeth asked the ], ]'s ], to form a government.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=181|Marr|2011|2p=256|Pimlott|2001|3p=419|Shawcross|2002|4pp=109–110}}
The Queen, therefore, may not be brought to trial in the courts in her capacity as head of state. Nor can she be personally sued for any official act carried out by her or in her name (although the Crown as a legal entity can be sued). The Queen is, however a ] under British ], subject to the law like any other person. The question of whether the Queen could be tried for an offence committed in her personal capacity has, however, never been tested. During the ] of the 17th century the Parliament itself tried ] for ], but after the ] of ] these proceedings were deemed to have been unlawful.


A year later, at the height of the ], the Australian prime minister, ], was dismissed from his post by Governor-General ], after the Opposition-controlled ] rejected Whitlam's budget proposals.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=96|Marr|2011|2p=257|Pimlott|2001|3p=427|Shawcross|2002|4p=110}} As Whitlam had a majority in the ], Speaker ] appealed to Elizabeth to reverse Kerr's decision. She declined, saying she would not interfere in decisions reserved by the ] for the ].{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=428–429}} The crisis fuelled ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=96|Marr|2011|2p=257|Pimlott|2001|3p=427|Shawcross|2002|4p=110}}
Prime Ministers take their weekly meetings with the Queen very seriously. One said he took it more seriously than ] in the ], because she would be better briefed and more constructive than anything he would face at the dispatch box. She also has regular meetings with her individual ministers. Even ministers known to have republican views speak highly of her and value these meetings.


], members of the royal family and Elizabeth (centre), London, 1977]]
The Queen also meets frequently with the ]. The royal palace in ], the ], once home to Scottish kings and queens like ], is now regularly used again, with at least one member of the Royal Family, often the ] or Princess Royal frequently in residence. She also receives reports on the ].
In 1977, Elizabeth marked the ] of her accession. Parties and events took place throughout the Commonwealth, many coinciding with ]. The celebrations re-affirmed Elizabeth's popularity, despite virtually coincident negative press coverage of Princess Margaret's separation from her husband, Lord Snowdon.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=449}} In 1978, Elizabeth endured a state visit to the United Kingdom by ]'s communist leader, ], and his wife, ],{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hardman|2011|1p=137|Roberts|2000|2pp=88–89|Shawcross|2002|3p=178}} though privately she thought they had "blood on their hands".<ref>Elizabeth to her staff, quoted in {{Harvnb|Shawcross|2002|p=178}}</ref> The following year brought two blows: the unmasking of ], former ], as a communist spy and the ] by the ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|1pp=336–337, 470–471|Roberts|2000|2pp=88–89}}


According to ], by the end of the 1970s, Elizabeth was worried ] "had little meaning for" ], the Canadian prime minister.<ref name="Post" /> ] said Elizabeth found Trudeau "rather disappointing".<ref name="Post">{{Cite news |last=Heinricks |first=Geoff |date=29 September 2000 |title=Trudeau: A drawer monarchist |work=] |location=Toronto |page=B12 |mode=cs2}}</ref> Trudeau's supposed ] seemed to be confirmed by his antics, such as sliding down banisters at Buckingham Palace and pirouetting behind Elizabeth's back in 1977, and the removal of various ] during his term of office.<ref name="Post" /> In 1980, Canadian politicians sent to London to discuss the ] of the ] found Elizabeth "better informed&nbsp;... than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats".<ref name="Post" /> She was particularly interested after the failure of Bill C-60, which would have affected her role as head of state.<ref name="Post" />
]. To her right, Sir ]; to her left, ] of Australia.]]


=== Perils and dissent ===
Though bound by convention not to intervene directly in politics, her length of service, the fact that she has been a confidante of every prime minister since Churchill, and her knowledge of world leaders, means that when she does express an opinion, however cautiously, her words are taken seriously. In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher offered this description of her weekly meetings with the Queen:
]
During the 1981 ] ceremony, six weeks before the ], six shots were fired at Elizabeth from close range as she rode down ], on her horse, ]. Police later discovered the shots were blanks. The 17-year-old assailant, ], was sentenced to five years in prison and released after three.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 September 1981 |title=Queen's 'fantasy assassin' jailed |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/14/newsid_2516000/2516713.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728131747/https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/14/newsid_2516000/2516713.stm |archive-date=28 July 2011 |access-date=21 June 2010 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth's composure and skill in controlling her mount were widely praised.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1p=281|Pimlott|2001|2pp=476–477|Shawcross|2002|3p=192}} That October, Elizabeth was the subject of another attack while on a visit to ], New Zealand. ], who was 17 years old, fired a shot with a ] from the fifth floor of a building overlooking the parade but missed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McNeilly |first=Hamish |date=1 March 2018 |title=Intelligence documents confirm assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth in New Zealand |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/intelligence-documents-confirm-assassination-attempt-on-queen-elizabeth-in-new-zealand-20180301-p4z282.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626183822/https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/intelligence-documents-confirm-assassination-attempt-on-queen-elizabeth-in-new-zealand-20180301-p4z282.html |archive-date=26 June 2019 |access-date=1 March 2018 |work=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Lewis was arrested, but instead of being charged with ] or ] was sentenced to three years in jail for unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm. Two years into his sentence, he attempted to escape a ] with the intention of assassinating Charles, who was visiting the country with ] and their son ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ainge Roy |first=Eleanor |date=13 January 2018 |title='Damn&nbsp;... I missed': the incredible story of the day the Queen was nearly shot |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/13/queen-elizabeth-assassination-attempt-new-zealand-1981 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301120257/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jan/13/queen-elizabeth-assassination-attempt-new-zealand-1981 |archive-date=1 March 2018 |access-date=1 March 2018 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref>


]
:''"Anyone who imagines that they are a mere formality or confined to social niceties is quite wrong; they are quietly businesslike and Her Majesty brings to bear a formidable grasp of current issues and breadth of experience."''
From April to September 1982, Elizabeth's son Andrew served with British forces in the ], for which she reportedly felt anxiety{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=115|Pimlott|2001|2p=487}} and pride.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|1p=487|Shawcross|2002|2p=127}} On 9&nbsp;July, she awoke in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find an intruder, ], in the room with her. In a serious lapse of security, assistance only arrived after two calls to the Palace police switchboard.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1pp=297–298|Pimlott|2001|2p=491}} After hosting US president ] at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visiting ] in 1983, Elizabeth was angered when ] ordered the ], one of her Caribbean realms, without informing her.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=188|Pimlott|2001|2p=497}}


Intense media interest in the opinions and private lives of the royal family during the 1980s led to a series of sensational stories in the press, pioneered by '']'' tabloid.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=488–490}} As ], editor of ''The Sun'', told his staff: "Give me a Sunday for Monday splash on the Royals. Don't worry if it's not true—so long as there's not too much of a fuss about it afterwards."{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=521}} Newspaper editor ] wrote in '']'' of 21&nbsp;September 1986: "The royal soap opera has now reached such a pitch of public interest that the boundary between fact and fiction has been lost sight of&nbsp;... it is not just that some papers don't check their facts or accept denials: they don't care if the stories are true or not." It was reported, most notably in '']'' of 20&nbsp;July 1986, that Elizabeth was worried that ]'s ] fostered social divisions and was alarmed by high unemployment, ], the violence of ], and Thatcher's refusal to apply sanctions against the ] regime in South Africa. The sources of the rumours included royal aide ] and Commonwealth secretary-general ], but Shea claimed his remarks were taken ] and embellished by speculation.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Harvnb|Hardman|2011|pp=216–217}}; {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|pp=503–515}}; {{Nowrap|see also}} | {{Harvnb|Neil|1996|pp=195–207}}; {{Harvnb|Shawcross|2002|pp=129–132}}}}</ref> Thatcher reputedly said Elizabeth would vote for the ]—Thatcher's political opponents.<ref>{{Multiref|Thatcher to ], quoted in {{Harvnb|Neil|1996|pp=207}}; | Neil quoted in {{Harvnb|Wyatt|1999|loc= diary of 26&nbsp;October 1990}}}}</ref> Thatcher's biographer ] claimed "the report was a piece of journalistic mischief-making".{{Sfn|ps=none|Campbell|2003|p=467}} Reports of acrimony between them were exaggerated,{{Sfn|ps=none|Hardman|2011|pp=167, 171–173}} and Elizabeth gave two honours in her personal gift—membership in the ] and the ]—to Thatcher after her replacement as prime minister by ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Roberts|2000|1p=101|Shawcross|2002|2p=139}} ], Canadian prime minister between 1984 and 1993, said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid.<ref name="Geddes">{{Cite magazine |last=Geddes |first=John |year=2012 |title=The day she descended into the fray |magazine=] |page=72 |edition=Special Commemorative <!-- Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years --> |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="MacQueen">{{Cite magazine |last1=MacQueen |first1=Ken |last2=Treble |first2=Patricia |year=2012 |title=The Jewel in the Crown |magazine=Maclean's |pages=43–44 |edition=Special Commemorative <!-- Edition: The Diamond Jubilee: Celebrating 60 Remarkable years --> |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The Queen has developed friendships with many foreign leaders, including ], ] and ]. On occasion such contacts have proved highly beneficial for Britain. ] as prime minister once had difficulty working with a particular Commonwealth leader. The Queen informed Major that he and the leader shared a mutual interest in sport. Major used that information to establish a personal relationship, which ultimately benefited both countries. Similarly she took the initiative when Irish President ] began visiting Britain, by suggesting that she invite Robinson to visit her at the Palace. The Irish Government enthusiastically supported the idea. The result was the first ever visit by an Irish President to meet the British monarch.


In 1986, Elizabeth paid a six-day state visit to the People's Republic of China, becoming the first British monarch to visit the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 October 1986 |title=Queen fulfills a Royal Goal: To visit China |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/13/world/queen-fulfills-a-royal-goal-to-visit-china.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155118/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/13/world/queen-fulfills-a-royal-goal-to-visit-china.html |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}</ref> The tour included the ], the ], and the ].{{Sfn|ps=none|BBC Books|1991|page=181}} At a ], Elizabeth joked about the first British emissary to China being lost at sea with ]'s letter to the ], and remarked, "fortunately postal services have improved since 1602".{{Sfn|ps=none|Hardman|2019|page=437}} Elizabeth's visit also signified the acceptance of both countries that ] from the United Kingdom to China in 1997.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bogert |first=Carroll R. |date=13 October 1986 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II Arrives In Peking for 6-Day Visit |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/10/13/queen-elizabeth-ii-arrives-in-peking-for-6-day-visit/60fd4c89-992c-4399-ae6a-3e38f15f7aad |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326033204/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/10/13/queen-elizabeth-ii-arrives-in-peking-for-6-day-visit/60fd4c89-992c-4399-ae6a-3e38f15f7aad/ |archive-date=26 March 2023 |access-date=12 October 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |mode=cs2}}</ref>
See also: ]


By the end of the 1980s, Elizabeth had become the target of satire.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1pp=293–294|Pimlott|2001|2p=541}} The involvement of younger members of the royal family in the charity game show '']'' in 1987 was ridiculed.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hardman|2011|1pp=82–83|Lacey|2002|2p=307|Pimlott|2001|3pp=522–526}} In Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically divisive ], prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau.<ref name=Geddes /> The same year, the elected Fijian government was deposed in ]. As ], Elizabeth supported the attempts of Governor-General ] to assert executive power and negotiate a settlement. Coup leader ] deposed Ganilau and declared Fiji a republic.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=515–516}}
==Ancestry==


=== Turbulent years ===
Queen Elizabeth is descended from English kings extending back to the ] in the 7th century. She is also descended from the Scottish royal house, which can be traced back to the 9th century. Through her great-grandmother ], she is descended from the Danish royal house, one of the oldest in Europe. As a result of being a great-great-granddaughter of ], Queen Elizabeth is related to the heads of most of the other European royal houses. She is a cousin of ], ], ] and ], as well as ex-kings ] and ]. She is more distantly related to the ] and to the former royal houses of ] and ]. (See ].)
In the wake of coalition victory in the ], Elizabeth became the first British monarch to address a ] of the ] in May 1991.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=538}}


]
==Titles==
In November 1992, in a speech to mark the ] of her accession, Elizabeth called 1992 her {{Lang|la|]}} (a Latin phrase, meaning "horrible year").<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Connie |date=24 November 1992 |title=Annus horribilis speech |url=https://www.royal.uk/annus-horribilis-speech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103191553/https://www.royal.uk/annus-horribilis-speech |archive-date=3 January 2017 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> ] had risen because of press estimates of Elizabeth's private wealth—contradicted by the Palace{{Efn|name=finances|The '']'' put her number one on the list with a reported wealth of £5.2&nbsp;billion (approximately £{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK-GDP|5200000000|1989|r=-6}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK-GDP}}'s value),{{Inflation-fn|UK-GDP|df=y|mode=cs2}} but it included state assets like the ] that were not hers personally.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2013 |title=Rich List: Changing face of wealth |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22188762 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106171208/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-22188762 |archive-date=6 November 2020 |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In 1993, Buckingham Palace called estimates of £100&nbsp;million "grossly overstated".<ref>{{Multiref|], the ], quoted in | {{Harvnb|Hoey|2002|p=225}}; {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|p=561}}}}</ref> In 1971, ], her former private secretary and a director of her bank, ], estimated her wealth at £2&nbsp;million (equivalent to about £{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK-GDP|2000000|1971|1993|r=-6}}}} in 1993{{Inflation-fn|UK-GDP|df=y|mode=cs2}}).<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=11 June 1971 |title=£2m estimate of the Queen's wealth 'more likely to be accurate' |work=] |page=1 |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|p=401}}}}</ref>}}—and reports of affairs and strained marriages among her extended family.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|pp=519–534}} In March, her second son, Prince Andrew, separated from his wife, ]; her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain ] in April;{{Sfnm|ps=none|Lacey|2002|1p=319|Marr|2011|2p=315|Pimlott|2001|3pp=550–551}} angry demonstrators in ] threw eggs at Elizabeth during a state visit to Germany in October;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stanglin |first=Douglas |date=18 March 2010 |title=German study concludes 25,000 died in Allied bombing of Dresden |url=https://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/official-german-study-concludes-25000-died-in-allied-bombing-of-dresden/1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515131113/https://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/official-german-study-concludes-25000-died-in-allied-bombing-of-dresden/1 |archive-date=15 May 2010 |access-date=19 March 2010 |work=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> and ], one of her ]s, in November. The monarchy came under increased criticism and public scrutiny.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=377|Pimlott|2001|2pp=558–559|Roberts|2000|3p=94|Shawcross|2002|4p=204}} In an unusually personal speech, Elizabeth said that any institution must expect criticism, but suggested it might be done with "a touch of humour, gentleness and understanding".{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|p=377}} Two days later, John Major announced plans to reform the royal finances, drawn up the previous year, including Elizabeth paying ] from 1993 onwards, and a reduction in the ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=229|Lacey|2002|2pp=325–326|Pimlott|2001|3pp=559–561}} In December, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, formally separated.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bradford|2012|1p=226|Hardman|2011|2p=96|Lacey|2002|3p=328|Pimlott|2001|4p=561}} At the end of the year, Elizabeth sued ''The Sun'' newspaper for breach of copyright when it published the text of her ] two days before it was broadcast. The newspaper was forced to pay her legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=562}} Elizabeth's solicitors had taken successful action against ''The Sun'' five years earlier for breach of copyright after it published a photograph of her daughter-in-law the Duchess of York and her granddaughter ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 February 1993 |title=Queen Threatens to Sue Newspaper |url=https://apnews.com/article/5b6c71ab1ca6e966a27db134c49909ec |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407111152/https://apnews.com/article/5b6c71ab1ca6e966a27db134c49909ec |archive-date=7 April 2022 |access-date=27 December 2021 |work=Associated Press News |location=London |mode=cs2}}</ref>
See the article: ]


In January 1994, Elizabeth broke the ] in her left wrist as the horse she was riding at Sandringham tripped and fell.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 January 1994 |title=Queen Breaks Wrist in Riding Accident |url=https://apnews.com/article/cf58eee09036d3885bc872e5662ff027 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220831195506/https://apnews.com/article/cf58eee09036d3885bc872e5662ff027 |archive-date=31 August 2022 |access-date=1 September 2022 |work=Associated Press News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In October 1994, she became the first reigning British monarch to set foot on Russian soil.{{Efn|name=russia|The only previous state visit by a British monarch to Russia was made by ] in 1908. The King never stepped ashore, and met ] on ]s off the Baltic port of what is now ], Estonia.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=15 July 1994 |title=Elizabeth&nbsp;II to visit Russia in October |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97450734/queen-russia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97450734/queen-russia |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=Evansville Press |page=2 |agency=Associated Press |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Tomaszewski|2002|page=22}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sloane |first=Wendy |date=19 October 1994 |title=Not all's forgiven as queen tours a czarless Russia |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1994/1019/19092.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905181532/https://www.csmonitor.com/1994/1019/19092.html |archive-date=5 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Christian Science Monitor |location=Moscow |mode=cs2}}</ref> During the ], which was considered to be one of the most important foreign trips of Elizabeth's reign,<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 October 1994 |title=British queen in Moscow |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/17/British-queen-in-Moscow/3900782366400 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312020810/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/10/17/British-queen-in-Moscow/3900782366400 |archive-date=12 March 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=United Press International |location=Moscow |mode=cs2}}</ref> she and Philip attended events in Moscow and ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=de Waal |first=Thomas |date=15 October 1994 |title=Queen's Visit: Lifting the Clouds of the Past |work=The Moscow Times |mode=cs2}}</ref>}} In October 1995, she was tricked into a ] by Montreal radio host ] impersonating Canadian prime minister ]. Elizabeth, who believed that she was speaking to Chrétien, said she supported Canadian unity and would try to influence ] on proposals to break away from Canada.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=29 October 1995 |title=Allo! Allo! Ici the Queen. Who's This? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/29/world/allo-allo-ici-the-queen-who-s-this.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/29/world/allo-allo-ici-the-queen-who-s-this.html |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |date=28 October 1995 |title=Queen falls victim to radio hoaxer |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/queen-falls-victim-to-radio-hoaxer-1579745.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603193700/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/queen-falls-victim-to-radio-hoaxer-1579745.html |archive-date=3 June 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref>
In the United Kingdom, her official title is '''Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, ]'''.


In the year that followed, public revelations on the state of Charles and Diana's marriage continued.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=356|Pimlott|2001|2pp=572–577|Roberts|2000|3p=94|Shawcross|2002|4p=168}} In consultation with her husband and John Major, as well as the ] (]) and her private secretary (]), Elizabeth wrote to Charles and Diana at the end of December 1995, suggesting that a divorce would be advisable.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=357|Pimlott|2001|2p=577}}
The choice of the title of Elizabeth II caused some controversy in ] where there has never been an Elizabeth I (although there had been no similar controversy at the times of ] and ], whose numbering was also inappropriate to Scotland). In a rare act of sabotage in Scotland new ] post boxes bearing the initials E.R.II were blown up. As a result post boxes in Scotland now bear only a crown and no royal initials. As a result of the controversy, it was announced that British monarchs are to be numbered according to either that of their English or Scottish predecessors, whichever number is higher. Applying this policy retroactively to all post-] monarchs results in no change of numbering.


In August 1997, a year after the divorce, Diana ] in a car crash in Paris. Elizabeth was on holiday with her extended family at Balmoral. Diana's two sons, Princes William and ], wanted to attend church, so Elizabeth and Philip took them that morning.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1p=358|Hardman|2011|2p=101|Pimlott|2001|3p=610}} Afterwards, for five days, the royal couple shielded their grandsons from the intense press interest by keeping them at Balmoral where they could grieve in private,{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Brandreth|2004|2p=358|Marr|2011|3p=338|Pimlott|2001|4p=615}} but the royal family's silence and seclusion, and the failure to fly a flag at ] over Buckingham Palace, caused public dismay.<ref name=MacQueen />{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Brandreth|2004|2p=358|Lacey|2002|3pp=6–7|Pimlott|2001|4p=616|Roberts|2000|5p=98|Shawcross|2002|6p=8}} Pressured by the hostile reaction, Elizabeth agreed to return to London and address the nation in a ] on 5&nbsp;September, the day before ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=358–359|Lacey|2002|2pp=8–9|Pimlott|2001|3pp=621–622}} In the broadcast, she expressed admiration for Diana and her feelings "as a grandmother" for the two princes.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Brandreth|2004|2p=359|Lacey|2002|3pp=13–15|Pimlott|2001|4pp=623–624}} As a result, much of the public hostility evaporated.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Brandreth|2004|2p=359|Lacey|2002|3pp=13–15|Pimlott|2001|4pp=623–624}}
Following a decision by ] ] at the Commonwealth conference of ], Her Majesty uses different styles and titles in each of her realms. In each state she acts as the monarch of that state regardless of her other roles.


In October 1997, Elizabeth and Philip made a state visit to India, which included a controversial visit to the site of the ] to pay her respects. Protesters chanted "Killer Queen, go back",<ref name="goback">{{Cite news |date=14 October 1997 |title=Indian group calls off protest, accepts queen's regrets |url=https://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/14/india.queen |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503202629/https://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9710/14/india.queen |archive-date=3 May 2021 |access-date=3 May 2021 |publisher=CNN |location=Amritsar, India |mode=cs2}}</ref> and there were demands for her to apologise for the action of British troops 78 years earlier.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |last=Burns |first=John F. |date=15 October 1997 |title=In India, Queen Bows Her Head Over a Massacre in 1919 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/15/world/in-india-queen-bows-her-head-over-a-massacre-in-1919.html?smid=pl-share |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517191611/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/15/world/in-india-queen-bows-her-head-over-a-massacre-in-1919.html?smid=pl-share |archive-date=17 May 2013 |access-date=12 February 2013 |work=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}</ref> At the memorial in the park, she and Philip laid a ] and stood for a 30‑second ].<ref name="NYT" /> As a result, much of the fury among the public softened, and the protests were called off.<ref name="goback" /> That November, the royal couple held a reception at ] to mark their golden wedding anniversary.<ref name="G-Wedding-Anniversary">{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Connie |date=20 November 1997 |title=A speech by The Queen on her Golden Wedding Anniversary |url=https://www.royal.uk/golden-wedding-speech |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110073945/https://www.royal.uk/golden-wedding-speech |archive-date=10 January 2019 |access-date=10 February 2017 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth made a speech and praised Philip for his role as consort, referring to him as "my strength and stay".<ref name="G-Wedding-Anniversary" />
In common practice Queen Elizabeth II is referred to simply as "The Queen".


In 1999, as part of the process of ], Elizabeth formally opened newly established legislatures for Wales and Scotland: the ] at ] in May,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Geoffrey |date=27 May 1999 |title=Welsh crown day with a song |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/may/27/wales.devolution1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163608/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/may/27/wales.devolution1 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> and the ] at ] in July.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Engel |first=Matthew |date=2 July 1999 |title=Something for everyone as Scots at last put history behind them |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/jul/02/scotlanddevolution.devolution |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914185759/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/1999/jul/02/scotlanddevolution.devolution |archive-date=14 September 2022 |access-date=14 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref>
Properly styled as "Her Majesty The Queen" (and when the distinction is necessary "Her Britannic Majesty"), her previous styles were:


=== Dawn of the new millennium ===
* Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York (1926-1936)
], John Major]]
* Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth (1936-1947)
On the eve of the new millennium, Elizabeth and Philip boarded a vessel from ], bound for the ]. Before passing under ], she lit the National Millennium Beacon in the ] using a laser torch.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=December 1999 |title=Queen to visit Southwark on Millennium Eve |url=https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/1299/queen.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213021754/https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/1299/queen.html |archive-date=13 February 2022 |access-date=13 February 2022 |work=London SE1 |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |date=31 December 1999 |title=Beacons blaze across UK |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/586264.stm |url-status=live |access-date=13 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213021743/https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/586264.stm |archive-date=13 February 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> Shortly before midnight, she officially opened the Dome.{{Sfn|ps=none|Knappett|2016|page=24}} During the singing of '']'', Elizabeth held hands with Philip and British prime minister ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Shawcross|2002|1p=224|Bedell Smith|2017|2p=423}} Following the ] in the United States, Elizabeth, breaking with tradition, ordered the ] to be played during the ] at Buckingham Palace to express her solidarity with the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelso |first=Paul |date=14 September 2001 |title=US anthem played at changing of the guard |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/sep/14/september11.usa3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208005149/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/sep/14/september11.usa3 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 September 2022 |title=After Sept. 11, Queen Elizabeth Ordered Up 'The Star-Spangled Banner' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/world/sept-11-queen-elizabeth.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214062824/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/world/sept-11-queen-elizabeth.html |archive-date=14 December 2023 |access-date=14 December 2023 |website=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}</ref>
* Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (1947-1952)


In 2002, Elizabeth marked her ], the 50th anniversary of her accession. Her sister and mother died in February and March, respectively, and the media speculated on whether the Jubilee would be a success or a failure.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=156|Bradford|2012|2pp=248–249|Marr|2011|3pp=349–350}} Princess Margaret's death shook Elizabeth; her funeral was one of the rare occasions where Elizabeth openly cried.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDowell |first=Erin |date=6 December 2022 |title=13 photos that show Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret's close sisterly bond |url=https://www.insider.com/photos-of-queen-elizabeth-and-princess-margaret-2022-9 |access-date=8 November 2023 |website=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth again undertook an extensive tour of her realms, beginning in Jamaica in February, where she called the farewell banquet "memorable" after a ] plunged ], the official residence of the ], into darkness.{{Sfn|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|p=31}} As in 1977, there were street parties and commemorative events, and monuments were named to honour the occasion. One million people attended each day of the three-day main Jubilee celebration in London,{{Sfn|ps=none|Bond|2006|pp=166–167}} and the enthusiasm shown for Elizabeth by the public was greater than many journalists had anticipated.{{Sfn|ps=none|Bond|2006|p=157}}
For the Queen's titles in the Commonwealth Realms, see ]


] employees at the ], Maryland, May 2007]]
==Personality and Image==
In 2003, Elizabeth sued the '']'' for ] and obtained an ] which prevented the outlet from publishing information gathered by a reporter who posed as a ] at Buckingham Palace.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Higham |first=Nick |date=14 September 2012 |title=Analysis: The Royal Family's history of legal action |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19599899 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-19599899 |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=31 May 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> The newspaper also paid £25,000 towards her legal costs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Matt |date=24 November 2003 |title=Palace and Mirror settle over fake footman |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/25/pressandpublishing.themonarchy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601015921/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/nov/25/pressandpublishing.themonarchy |archive-date=1 June 2022 |access-date=22 May 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> Though generally healthy throughout her life, in 2003 she had ] on both knees. In October 2006, she missed the opening of the new ] because of a strained back muscle that had been troubling her since the summer.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 October 2006 |title=Queen cancels visit due to injury |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6087724.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217060327/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6087724.stm |archive-date=17 February 2007 |access-date=8 December 2009 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>
] (''circa'' 1970)]]


In May 2007, citing unnamed sources, '']'' reported that Elizabeth was "exasperated and frustrated" by the policies of Tony Blair, that she was concerned the ] were overstretched in Iraq and ], and that she had raised concerns over rural and countryside issues with Blair.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alderson |first=Andrew |date=28 May 2007 |title=Revealed: Queen's dismay at Blair legacy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1552769/Revealed-Queens-dismay-at-Blair-legacy.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/OFaqF |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=31 May 2010 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> She was, however, said to admire Blair's efforts to achieve ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alderson |first=Andrew |date=27 May 2007 |title=Tony and Her Majesty: an uneasy relationship |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1552767/Tony-and-Her-Majesty-an-uneasy-relationship.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/d1rD2 |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=31 May 2010 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> She became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary in November 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 November 2007 |title=Queen celebrates diamond wedding |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7101094.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913162744/https://secure-uk.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/m?rnd=1631550463567&ci=bbc&cg=0&sr=1600x1000&ts=v51.js&cd=24&lg=en-US&je=n&ck=y&tz=0&ct=&hp=&tl=BBC%20NEWS%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20Queen%20celebrates%20diamond%20wedding&si=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2F7101094.stm&rp= |archive-date=13 September 2021 |access-date=10 February 2017 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 20&nbsp;March 2008, at the ] ], Elizabeth attended the first ] held outside England and Wales.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 March 2008 |title=Historic first for Maundy service |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7305675.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412102120/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7305675.stm |archive-date=12 April 2009 |access-date=12 October 2008 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>
The Queen has never given press interviews, and her views on political issues are largely unknown except to those few heads of government who have private conversations with her. She is also regarded as an excellent mimic, whose impressions of people are regarded as first rate. Rather conservative in dress, the Queen is well-known for her solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats. Although she attends many cultural events as part of her public role, in her private life the Queen is said to have little interest in culture or the arts. Her main leisure interests include ], ], and ], especially ]s.


Elizabeth addressed the UN General Assembly for a second time in 2010, again in her capacity as Queen of all Commonwealth realms and ].<ref name="UN">{{Cite news |last=Berry |first=Ciara |date=6 July 2010 |title=A speech by the Queen to the United Nations General Assembly |url=https://www.royal.uk/address-united-nations-general-assembly-6-july-2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114061854/https://www.royal.uk/address-united-nations-general-assembly-6-july-2010 |archive-date=14 November 2018 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> The ], ], introduced her as "an anchor for our age".<ref name="BBCUN">{{Cite news |date=7 July 2010 |title=Queen addresses UN General Assembly in New York |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10518044 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100715050818/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10518044 |archive-date=15 July 2010 |access-date=7 July 2010 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> During her visit to New York, which followed a tour of Canada, she officially opened a memorial garden for British ]<!--Use common name-->.<ref name="BBCUN" /> Elizabeth's 11-day visit to Australia in October 2011 was her 16th visit to the country since 1954.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 October 2011 |title=Royal tour of Australia: The Queen ends visit with traditional 'Aussie barbie' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/8857106/Royal-tour-of-Australia-The-Queen-ends-visit-with-traditional-Aussie-barbie.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030150841/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/8857106/Royal-tour-of-Australia-The-Queen-ends-visit-with-traditional-Aussie-barbie.html |archive-date=30 October 2011 |access-date=30 October 2011 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}</ref> By invitation of the ], ], she made the first ] by a British monarch in May 2011.{{Sfn|ps=none|Bradford|2012|p=253}}
In diplomatic situations the Queen is extremely formal, and ] in dealing with her is very strict. Though some of the strict traditional rules for dealing with the British Monarch have been relaxed during her reign (] is no longer required, for example) other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are still discouraged. In ], the Australian ] ] was dubbed the "]" by the British press for touching the Queen on the back, and in ] the next Prime Minister, ], had to quickly deny that he had also touched the Queen.


=== Diamond Jubilee and milestones ===
Her former prime ministers speak highly of her. Since becoming Queen, she spends an average of three hours every day "doing the boxes" &mdash; reading state papers sent to her from her various departments, embassies, etc. Having done so since ], she has seen more of public affairs from the inside than any other person, and is thus able to offer advice to ] based on things said to her by ], ], ], ] and many other senior leaders she has spoken to. She takes her responsibilities in this regard seriously, once mentioning an "interesting telegram" from the Foreign Office to then Prime Minister Winston Churchill, only to find that her prime minister had not bothered to read it when it came in his box.
] in July 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour]]
The ] marked 60 years since Elizabeth's accession, and celebrations were held throughout her realms, the wider Commonwealth, and beyond. She and Philip undertook an extensive tour of the United Kingdom, while their children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours of other Commonwealth states on her behalf.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=7 March 2012 |title=Prince Harry pays tribute to the Queen in Jamaica |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17281585 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318154923/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17281585 |archive-date=18 March 2012 |access-date=31 May 2012 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite press release |title=Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall to Undertake a Royal Tour of Canada in 2012 |date=14 December 2011 |publisher=] |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2011/12/their-royal-highnesses-prince-wales-duchess-cornwall-undertake-royal-tour-canada-2012.html |ref=none |access-date=31 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180520183506/https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2011/12/their-royal-highnesses-prince-wales-duchess-cornwall-undertake-royal-tour-canada-2012.html |archive-date=20 May 2018 |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> On 4&nbsp;June, Jubilee beacons were lit around the world.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Event News |url=https://www.diamond-jubilee-beacons.buzzsites.co.uk/pages/event_news_162371.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116075010/https://www.diamond-jubilee-beacons.buzzsites.co.uk/pages/event_news_162371.cfm |archive-date=16 November 2018 |access-date=28 April 2016 |publisher=The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Beacons |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 18&nbsp;December, the Queen became the first British ] to attend a peacetime ] since ] in 1781.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 December 2012 |title=UK to name part of Antarctica Queen Elizabeth Land |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20757382 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128080212/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20757382 |archive-date=28 January 2013 |access-date=9 June 2019 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>


Elizabeth, who opened the ] in 1976, also opened the ] and ] in London, making her the first ] two ] in two countries.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 July 2012 |title=Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium Announces Broadcast Details for London 2012 Opening Ceremony, Friday |url=https://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1011615/canada-s-olympic-broadcast-media-consortium-announces-broadcast-details-for-london-2012-opening-ceremony-friday |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092404/https://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1011615/canada-s-olympic-broadcast-media-consortium-announces-broadcast-details-for-london-2012-opening-ceremony-friday |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=22 March 2015 |agency=PR Newswire |mode=cs2}}</ref> For the London Olympics, she portrayed herself in ] as part of ], alongside ] as ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Nicholas |date=27 July 2012 |title=How James Bond whisked the Queen to the Olympics |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419193112/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19018666 |archive-date=19 April 2019 |access-date=27 July 2012 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 4&nbsp;April 2013, she received an honorary ] award for her ] of the film industry and was called "the most memorable ] yet" at a special presentation at Windsor Castle.<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 April 2013 |title=Queen honoured with Bafta award for film and TV support |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22035942 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407054746/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22035942 |archive-date=7 April 2013 |access-date=7 April 2013 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>
== Coat of Arms ==
]]]


] on the day she became the longest-reigning British monarch, 2015. In her speech, she said she had never aspired to achieve that milestone.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berry |first=Ciara |date=9 September 2015 |title=A speech by The Queen at the Borders Railway, Scotland |url=https://www.royal.uk/queens-speech-borders-railway-scotland-9-september-2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.royal.uk/queens-speech-borders-railway-scotland-9-september-2015 |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Royal Family |mode=cs2}}</ref>]]
The Queen bears quarterly, I and IV England, II Scotland, III Ireland (now Northern Ireland), which serves as the ]. This coat of arms has been unchanged since ].


In March 2013, the Queen stayed overnight at ] as a precaution after developing symptoms of ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=4 March 2013 |title=Queen leaves hospital after stomach bug |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21659635 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304151251/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21659635 |archive-date=4 March 2013 |access-date=4 March 2013 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> A week later, she signed the new ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 March 2013 |title=Recovering Queen signs Commonwealth charter |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21737817 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024024324/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21737817 |archive-date=24 October 2016 |access-date=23 October 2016 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> That year, because of her age and the need for her to limit travelling, she chose not to attend the biennial ] for the first time in 40 years. She was represented at the ] by Prince Charles.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 May 2013 |title=Queen to miss Commonwealth meeting |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22431757 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125220445/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22431757 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |access-date=7 May 2013 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 20&nbsp;April 2018, the Commonwealth heads of government announced that Charles would succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth, which the Queen stated as her "sincere wish".<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 April 2018 |title=Charles to be next Commonwealth head |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43840710 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420141358/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43840710 |archive-date=20 April 2018 |access-date=21 April 2018 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> She underwent ] in May 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collier |first=Hatty |date=8 June 2018 |title=The Queen undergoes eye surgery to remove cataract |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/queen-undergoes-eye-surgery-remove-141520545.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308052447/https://uk.news.yahoo.com/queen-undergoes-eye-surgery-remove-141520545.html |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=19 March 2021 |work=] |via=Yahoo! News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In March 2019, she gave up driving on public roads, largely as a consequence of a car accident involving her husband two months earlier.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nikkash |first=Roya |date=31 March 2019 |title=Queen slams brakes on driving in public |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-slams-brakes-on-driving-in-public-5q5k8dchn |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331174928/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/queen-slams-brakes-on-driving-in-public-5q5k8dchn |archive-date=31 March 2019 |access-date=31 March 2019 |work=The Times |mode=cs2}}</ref>
==The Queen's children and grandchildren==
* HRH ] (born ] ]), Prince of Wales, married (] ]) and divorced (] ]) ] (1961-1997)
**HRH ] (born ] ])
**HRH ] (born ], ])
* HRH ] (born ] ]), Princess Royal, married (] ]) and divorced (] ]) ] (born 1948); married (] ]) ]
**] (born 1977)
**] (born ] ])
* HRH ] (born ] ]), Duke of York, married (] ]) and divorced (] ]) ] (born 1959)
**HRH ] (born ] ])
**HRH ] (born ] ])
* HRH ] (born ] ]), Earl of Wessex, married (] ]) ] (born 1965)
**HRH ] (born ] ])


On 21 December 2007, Elizabeth surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-lived British monarch, and she became the ] and ] and female head of state in the world on 9&nbsp;September 2015.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=6 September 2014 |title=Elizabeth Set to Beat Victoria's Record as Longest Reigning Monarch in British History |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/06/elizabeth-set-to-beat-victorias-record-as-longest-reigning-monarch-in-british-history_n_5777134.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926132141/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/09/06/elizabeth-set-to-beat-victorias-record-as-longest-reigning-monarch-in-british-history_n_5777134.html |archive-date=26 September 2014 |access-date=28 September 2014 |work=] |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Modh |first=Shrikant |date=11 September 2015 |title=The Longest Reigning Monarch Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II |work=Philately News |url=https://philatelynews.com/the-longest-reigning-monarch-queen-elizabeth-ii |access-date=20 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201033651/https://philatelynews.com/the-longest-reigning-monarch-queen-elizabeth-ii |archive-date=1 December 2017 |ref=none |mode=cs2}} }}</ref> She became the oldest living monarch after the death of ] on 23&nbsp;January 2015.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=24 January 2015 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II is now world's oldest monarch |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-becomes-worlds-oldest-monarch/article6818895.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102192250/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-becomes-worlds-oldest-monarch/article6818895.ece |archive-date=2 January 2020 |access-date=20 November 2017 |work=The Hindu |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=23 January 2015 |title=Queen becomes world's oldest monarch following death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/11364902/Queen-becomes-worlds-oldest-monarch-following-death-of-King-Abdullah-of-Saudi-Arabia.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=20 November 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/bB0Fi |archive-date=10 January 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}}}</ref> She later became the longest-reigning current monarch and the ] following the ] of Thailand on 13&nbsp;October 2016,<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=13 October 2016 |title=Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at 88 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37643326 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013123050/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37643326 |archive-date=13 October 2016 |access-date=23 April 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Addley |first=Esther |date=13 October 2016 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II is longest-reigning living monarch after Thai king's death |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/13/queen-elizabeth-ii-is-longest-reigning-living-monarch-after-thai-kings-death |url-status=live |access-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423145926/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/13/queen-elizabeth-ii-is-longest-reigning-living-monarch-after-thai-kings-death |archive-date=23 April 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> and the ] on the ] of Zimbabwe on 21&nbsp;November 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 November 2017 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II will be the world's oldest head of state if Robert Mugabe is toppled |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-will-be-the-world-e2-80-99s-oldest-head-of-state-if-robert-mugabe-is-toppled/ar-BBF0dPV |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115195819/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/queen-elizabeth-ii-will-be-the-world-e2-80-99s-oldest-head-of-state-if-robert-mugabe-is-toppled/ar-BBF0dPV |archive-date=15 November 2017 |access-date=20 November 2017 |publisher=MSN |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 6&nbsp;February 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate ],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rayner |first=Gordon |date=29 January 2017 |title=The Blue Sapphire Jubilee: Queen will not celebrate 65th anniversary but instead sit in 'quiet contemplation' remembering father's death |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/28/blue-sapphire-jubilee-queen-will-not-celebrate-65th-anniversary |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/IGX3p |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=3 February 2017 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> and on 20&nbsp;November that year, she was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 2017 |title=Queen and Prince Philip portraits released to mark 70th anniversary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/20/queen-prince-philip-portraits-platinum-wedding-70th-anniversary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120085334/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/20/queen-prince-philip-portraits-platinum-wedding-70th-anniversary |archive-date=20 November 2017 |access-date=20 November 2017 |work=The Guardian |agency=Press Association |mode=cs2}}</ref> Philip had retired from his official duties as the Queen's consort in August 2017.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bilefsky |first=Dan |date=2 August 2017 |title=Prince Philip Makes His Last Solo Appearance, After 65 Years in the Public Eye |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/world/europe/uk-prince-philip-retired-queen-elizabeth.html |access-date=4 August 2017 |work=The New York Times |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref>
Two of the Queen's grandchildren, Peter and Zara Phillips, have no titles &mdash; probably a unique circumstance in British history. This is because British titles are, with rare exceptions, inherited through the male line only. Since Mark Phillips has never accepted a peerage, his children are not entitled to any courtesy titles.


=== Pandemic and widowhood ===
==External link==
On 19&nbsp;March 2020, as the ], Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle and sequestered there as a precaution.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friel |first=Mikhaila |date=16 March 2020 |title=The royal family is canceling events because of the coronavirus, and the Queen may be asked to self-isolate for up to 4 months |url=https://www.insider.com/how-coronavirus-will-impact-queen-elizabeth-royal-schedule-2020-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908185425/https://www.insider.com/how-coronavirus-will-impact-queen-elizabeth-royal-schedule-2020-3 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=Insider |mode=cs2}}</ref> Public engagements were cancelled and Windsor Castle followed a strict sanitary protocol nicknamed "HMS Bubble".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 November 2020 |title=Coronavirus: Queen and Prince Philip return to Windsor Castle for lockdown |url=https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-queen-and-prince-philip-return-to-windsor-for-lockdown-12121882 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621150341/https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-queen-and-prince-philip-return-to-windsor-for-lockdown-12121882 |archive-date=21 June 2021 |access-date=5 July 2021 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref>
*


] with ] during the ], October 2021]]
{| border=2 align="center"
On 5&nbsp;April, in a televised broadcast watched by an estimated 24&nbsp;million viewers in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 April 2020 |title=Coronavirus: The Queen's message seen by 24 million |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52183327 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710073241/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-52183327 |archive-date=10 July 2021 |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth asked people to "take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; ]."<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 April 2020 |title=Coronavirus: The Queen's broadcast in full |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52176208 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825205418/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52176208 |archive-date=25 August 2021 |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 8&nbsp;May, the 75th anniversary of ], in a television broadcast at 9&nbsp;pm—the exact time at which her father had broadcast to the nation on the same day in 1945—she asked people to "never give up, never despair".<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 May 2020 |title=VE Day: UK's streets not empty as filled with love, says Queen |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52590865 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709230720/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52590865 |archive-date=9 July 2021 |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In 2021, she received her first and second ] in January and April respectively.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last=Busby |first=Mattha |date=9 January 2021 |title=The Queen and Prince Philip receive first dose of Covid vaccine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/09/the-queen-and-prince-philip-receive-first-dose-of-covid-vaccine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184958/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/09/the-queen-and-prince-philip-receive-first-dose-of-covid-vaccine |archive-date=9 July 2021 |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=The Guardian |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite web |last=Petit |first=Stephanie |date=1 April 2021 |title=Queen Elizabeth Received Her Second COVID-19 Vaccine Before First Maskless Outing of the Year |url=https://people.com/royals/queen-elizabeth-received-second-covid-vaccine-before-outing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808020126/https://people.com/royals/queen-elizabeth-received-second-covid-vaccine-before-outing |archive-date=8 August 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |website=People |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref>
|width="30%" align="center" |Preceded by:<br/>''']'''

|width="40%" align="center" |''']'''
Prince Philip ], after 73 years of marriage, making Elizabeth the first British monarch to reign as a ] or widower since Queen Victoria.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=9 April 2021 |title=Prince Philip: After over 70 years by her side, the Queen faces a future without her 'strength and stay' |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-04-09/prince-philip-after-over-70-years-by-her-side-the-queen-faces-a-future-without-her-strength-and-stay |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210409125554/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-04-09/prince-philip-after-over-70-years-by-her-side-the-queen-faces-a-future-without-her-strength-and-stay |archive-date=9 April 2021 |access-date=9 April 2021 |work=ITV News |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Elliott |first=Caitlin |date=9 April 2021 |title=Queen will complete her reign in the same sad way as great-great grandmother Queen Victoria |work=GoodtoKnow |url=https://www.goodto.com/royal-news/queen-reign-prince-philip-died-queen-victoria-593479 |url-status=live |access-date=11 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611164919/https://www.goodto.com/royal-news/queen-reign-prince-philip-died-queen-victoria-593479 |archive-date=11 June 2021 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> She was reportedly at her husband's bedside when he died,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tominey |first=Camilla |author-link=Camilla Tominey |date=9 April 2021 |title=Prince Philip's peaceful passing reflects a remarkable life lived in self-effacing dignity |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/04/09/prince-philips-peaceful-passing-reflects-remarkable-life-lived |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410160905/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/04/09/prince-philips-peaceful-passing-reflects-remarkable-life-lived |archive-date=10 April 2021 |access-date=11 May 2021 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}</ref> and remarked in private that his death had "left a huge void".<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 April 2021 |title=Prince Philip: The Queen says his death has 'left a huge void' – Duke of York |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56710086 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908161855/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56710086 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place in England at the time, Elizabeth sat alone at Philip's funeral service, which evoked sympathy from people around the world.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last=Abraham |first=Ellie |date=17 April 2021 |title=Social Media Reacts to 'heartbreaking' Image of Queen Sitting Alone at Prince Philip's Funeral |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/queen-alone-prince-philip-funeral-b1833152.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706220849/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/queen-alone-prince-philip-funeral-b1833152.html |archive-date=6 July 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Independent |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Hassan |first=Jennifer |date=17 April 2021 |title=Image of Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II sitting alone at Philip's funeral breaks hearts around the world |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/17/queen-funeral-alone-chapel-philip |url-status=live |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512191857/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/17/queen-funeral-alone-chapel-philip |archive-date=12 May 2021 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> It was later reported in the press that Elizabeth had rejected a government offer to relax the rules.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Burford |first=Rachael |date=20 January 2022 |title=No10 'offered to ease Covid rules for Prince Philip's funeral but Queen declined because it wouldn't be fair' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/downing-street-covid-rules-prince-philip-funeral-queen-declined-private-eye-b977841.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329152726/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/downing-street-covid-rules-prince-philip-funeral-queen-declined-private-eye-b977841.html |archive-date=29 March 2022 |access-date=29 March 2022 |work=Evening Standard |mode=cs2}}</ref> In her Christmas broadcast that year, which was ultimately her last, she paid a personal tribute to her "beloved Philip", saying, "That mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him."<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=25 December 2021 |title=Queen's Christmas message pays tribute to 'beloved' Philip |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59768736 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220143732/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59768736 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last=Ship |first=Chris |date=25 December 2021 |title=Queen remembers 'mischievous twinkle' of Prince Philip in emotional Christmas message |work=ITV News |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-12-25/queen-remembers-mischievous-twinkle-of-philip-in-emotional-christmas-message |url-status=live |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215133432/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-12-25/queen-remembers-mischievous-twinkle-of-philip-in-emotional-christmas-message |archive-date=15 February 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref>
|width="30%" align="center" |Heir-Apparent:<br/>''']

Despite the pandemic, Elizabeth attended the ] in May,<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 May 2021 |title=Queen's Speech 2021: What can we expect? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56987630 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510025817/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56987630 |archive-date=10 May 2021 |access-date=10 May 2021 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> the ] in June,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mills |first=Rhiannon |date=12 June 2021 |title=G7 summit: Queen charms prime ministers and presidents |url=https://news.sky.com/story/g7-summit-queen-charms-prime-ministers-and-presidents-12330626 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612035541/https://news.sky.com/story/g7-summit-queen-charms-prime-ministers-and-presidents-12330626 |archive-date=12 June 2021 |access-date=12 June 2021 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref> and hosted US president ] at Windsor Castle. Biden was the 14th US president that the Queen had met.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 June 2021 |title=Queen meets Joe Biden at Windsor Castle |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57461257 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617081244/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-57461257 |archive-date=17 June 2021 |access-date=8 September 2023 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In October 2021, Elizabeth cancelled a planned trip to Northern Ireland and stayed overnight at King Edward VII's Hospital for "preliminary investigations".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Harry |date=21 October 2021 |title=The Queen spent night in hospital after cancelling Northern Ireland visit |url=https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/21/the-queen-spent-night-in-hospital-after-cancelling-northern-ireland-visit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207235721/https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/oct/21/the-queen-spent-night-in-hospital-after-cancelling-northern-ireland-visit |archive-date=7 December 2023 |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> On Christmas Day 2021, while she was staying at Windsor Castle, 19-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail broke into the gardens using a rope ladder and carrying a ] with the aim of assassinating Elizabeth in revenge for the ]. Before he could enter any buildings, he was arrested and detained under the ]. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 February 2023 |title=Man admits treason after breaking into grounds of Windsor Castle with crossbow 'to kill Queen' |url=https://news.sky.com/story/man-admits-trying-to-harm-queen-after-being-caught-in-grounds-of-windsor-castle-with-a-crossbow-12802059 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203113557/https://news.sky.com/story/man-admits-trying-to-harm-queen-after-being-caught-in-grounds-of-windsor-castle-with-a-crossbow-12802059 |archive-date=3 February 2023 |access-date=3 February 2023 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref>

=== Platinum Jubilee and beyond ===

], June 2022]]
] began on 6&nbsp;February 2022, marking 70 years since her accession.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Lauren |date=5 February 2022 |title=Queen holds reception to mark Platinum Jubilee |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60272124 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221164719/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-60272124 |archive-date=21 February 2022 |access-date=5 February 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In her ] message, she renewed her commitment to a lifetime of public service, which she had originally made in 1947.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goodey |first=Emma |date=5 February 2022 |title=Accession Day 2022 |url=https://www.royal.uk/accession-day-2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220174327/https://www.royal.uk/accession-day-2022 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=Royal Family |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Later that month, Elizabeth fell ill with COVID-19 along with several family members, but she only exhibited "mild cold-like symptoms" and recovered by the end of the month.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Dulcie |last2=Durbin |first2=Adam |date=20 February 2022 |title=The Queen tests positive for Covid |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60453566 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220115305/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60453566 |archive-date=20 February 2022 |access-date=20 February 2022 |work=BBC News |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Max |last2=Said-Moorhouse |first2=Lauren |date=20 February 2022 |title=Britain's Queen Elizabeth tests positive for Covid-19 |publisher=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/20/uk/queen-elizabeth-coronavirus-intl-gbr/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=8 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527235154/https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/20/uk/queen-elizabeth-coronavirus-intl-gbr/index.html |archive-date=27 May 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hinton |first=Megan |date=28 February 2022 |title=Queen enjoys time with family after recovering from Covid |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/queen-recovers-from-covid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305043126/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/queen-recovers-from-covid |archive-date=5 March 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> She was present at ] at Westminster Abbey on 29&nbsp;March,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lauren |first=Turner |date=29 March 2022 |title=Queen attends Prince Philip memorial service at Westminster Abbey |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60902088 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60902088 |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> but was unable to attend both the annual ] service that month<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Thompson |first=Eliza |date=14 March 2022 |title=Prince Charles Fills in for Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II at Commonwealth Day Service Alongside Prince William |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-misses-2022-commonwealth-day-service |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314202741/https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/queen-elizabeth-ii-misses-2022-commonwealth-day-service |archive-date=14 March 2022 |access-date=14 March 2022 |magazine=Us Weekly |mode=cs2}}</ref> and the ] service in April, because of "episodic mobility problems".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Charley |date=14 April 2022 |title=Prince Charles stands in for Queen at Maundy Service |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61111303 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606155117/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61111303 |archive-date=6 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> In May, she missed the ] for the first time in 59 years. (She did not attend the state openings in 1959 and 1963 as she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively.)<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 May 2022 |title=Queen to miss State Opening of Parliament – Prince of Wales to read speech instead |url=https://news.sky.com/story/queen-wont-be-attending-state-opening-of-parliament-12609353 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611195207/https://news.sky.com/story/queen-wont-be-attending-state-opening-of-parliament-12609353 |archive-date=11 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Elizabeth was largely confined to balcony appearances during the public jubilee celebrations, and she missed the ] on 3&nbsp;June.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Furness |first=Hannah |date=2 June 2022 |title=The Queen to miss service of thanksgiving after suffering discomfort |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/06/02/queen-miss-service-thanksgiving-suffering-discomfort |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627180802/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/06/02/queen-miss-service-thanksgiving-suffering-discomfort |archive-date=27 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 13&nbsp;June, she became the second-longest reigning monarch in history (among those whose exact dates of reign are known), with 70 years and 127 days on the throne—surpassing ] of Thailand.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Lauren |date=13 June 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II becomes second-longest serving monarch |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61774853 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615204423/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61774853 |archive-date=15 June 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 6&nbsp;September, she appointed her 15th British prime minister, ], at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. This was the only occasion on which Elizabeth received a new prime minister at a location other than Buckingham Palace.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Max |last2=Said-Moorhouse |first2=Lauren |date=31 August 2022 |title=Queen won't return to London to appoint new British PM, for first time in her reign |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/uk/queen-elizabeth-prime-minister-balmoral-intl-gbr/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902004500/https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/uk/queen-elizabeth-prime-minister-balmoral-intl-gbr/index.html |archive-date=2 September 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022 |publisher=CNN |mode=cs2}}</ref> No other British monarch appointed as many prime ministers.<ref>{{Cite news |title=10 Little known facts about British Prime Ministers |url=https://www.history.co.uk/articles/10-little-known-facts-about-the-british-prime-minister |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010155323/https://www.history.co.uk/articles/10-little-known-facts-about-the-british-prime-minister |archive-date=10 October 2022 |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=Sky HISTORY |mode=cs2}}</ref> The Queen's last public message was issued on 7&nbsp;September, in which she expressed her sympathy for those affected by the ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=In last public statement, Queen Elizabeth extended condolences following Saskatchewan stabbing rampage |url=https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/in-last-public-statement-queen-elizabeth-extended-condolences-following-saskatchewan-stabbing-rampage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908193354/https://thestarphoenix.com/news/local-news/in-last-public-statement-queen-elizabeth-extended-condolences-following-saskatchewan-stabbing-rampage |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=29 January 2023 |work=] |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Elizabeth did not plan to ],{{Sfnm|ps=none|Brandreth|2004|1pp=370–371|Marr|2011|2p=395}} though she took on fewer public engagements in her later years and Prince Charles performed more of her duties.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last1=Mansey |first1=Kate |last2=Leake |first2=Jonathan |last3=Hellen |first3=Nicholas |date=19 January 2014 |title=Queen and Charles start to 'job-share' |url=https://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/royalwedding/article1365067.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203044636/https://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/royalwedding/article1365067.ece |archive-date=3 February 2014 |access-date=20 January 2014 |work=] |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Marr|2011|p=395}}}}</ref> She told Canadian {{Not a typo|governor-general}} ] in a meeting in 2002 that she would never abdicate, saying, "It is not our tradition. Although, I suppose if I became completely gaga, one would have to do something."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tasker |first=John Paul |date=19 September 2022 |title=Canada is the country it is today because of Queen Elizabeth, Mulroney says at memorial service |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/national-commemorative-ceremony-live-1.6585991 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113010752/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/national-commemorative-ceremony-live-1.6585991 |archive-date=13 January 2023 |access-date=15 October 2022 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> In June 2022, Elizabeth met the Archbishop of Canterbury, ], who "came away thinking there is someone who has no fear of death, has hope in the future, knows the rock on which she stands and that gives her strength."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sherwood |first=Harriet |date=9 September 2022 |title=Queen had no fear of death, says archbishop of Canterbury |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/queen-had-no-fear-of-death-says-archbishop-of-canterbury-justin-welby |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909105236/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/09/queen-had-no-fear-of-death-says-archbishop-of-canterbury-justin-welby |archive-date=9 September 2022 |access-date=9 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref>

== Death ==
{{Main|Death and state funeral of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
]]]
On 8&nbsp;September 2022, Buckingham Palace stated, "Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral."<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen's doctors concerned for her health – palace |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62836057 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908113739/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62836057 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Davies |first=Caroline |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen under medical supervision at Balmoral after doctors' concerns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-under-medical-supervision-at-balmoral-after-doctors-concerns |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908114820/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-under-medical-supervision-at-balmoral-after-doctors-concerns |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her ] rushed to Balmoral.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen under medical supervision as doctors are concerned for her health. Prince Charles, Camilla and Prince William are currently travelling to Balmoral, Clarence House and Kensington Palace said |url=https://news.sky.com/story/queen-under-medical-supervision-as-doctors-are-concerned-for-her-health-12692805 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908113720/https://news.sky.com/story/queen-under-medical-supervision-as-doctors-are-concerned-for-her-health-12692805 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shaw |first=Neil |date=8 September 2022 |title=Duke of York, Princess Anne and Prince Edward all called to Queen's side |url=https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/duke-york-princess-anne-prince-7562410 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908161855/https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/duke-york-princess-anne-prince-7562410 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=Plymouth Live |mode=cs2}}</ref> She died peacefully at 15:10 ] at the age of 96.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Furness |first=Hannah |date=12 January 2024 |title=King found out his mother had died while 'driving back to Balmoral from picking mushrooms' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/12/king-picking-mushrooms-when-told-mother-had-died/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114003842/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/12/king-picking-mushrooms-when-told-mother-had-died/ |archive-date=14 January 2024 |access-date=14 January 2024 |work=The Telegraph |issn=0307-1235 |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="COD">{{Cite news |last=Coughlan |first=Sean |date=29 September 2022 |title=Queen's cause of death given as 'old age' on death certificate |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63078676 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001023647/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63078676 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |access-date=29 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Prynn |first=Jonathan |date=9 September 2022 |title=Queen died 'with Charles and Anne by side as other royals dashed to Balmoral' |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/queen-died-charles-anne-with-her-balmoral-b1024527.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909161357/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/queen-died-charles-anne-with-her-balmoral-b1024527.html |archive-date=9 September 2022 |access-date=17 October 2022 |website=Evening Standard |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her death was announced to the public at 18:30,<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II has died |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61585886 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908173314/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61585886 |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kottasová |first1=Ivana |last2=Picheta |first2=Rob |last3=Foster |first3=Max |last4=Said-Moorhouse |first4=Lauren |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II dies at 96 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/08/uk/queen-health-supervision-gbr-intl/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908200025/https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/08/uk/queen-health-supervision-gbr-intl/index.html |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=CNN |mode=cs2}}</ref> setting in motion ] and, because she died in Scotland, ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Operation Unicorn: what happens after the Queen's death in Scotland? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/operation-unicorn-plans-if-queen-dies-scotland |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908172120/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/operation-unicorn-plans-if-queen-dies-scotland |archive-date=8 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title="Operation Unicorn", Not "London Bridge": The Codename For Queen's Death |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/operation-unicorn-not-london-bridge-the-codename-for-queen-elizabeth-iis-death-in-scotland-3328664 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921144025/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/operation-unicorn-not-london-bridge-the-codename-for-queen-elizabeth-iis-death-in-scotland-3328664 |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=] |agency=Agence France-Presse |mode=cs2}}</ref> Elizabeth was the first monarch to die in Scotland since ] in 1542.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Silver |first=Christopher |date=13 September 2022 |title=Elizabeth, the last Queen of Scots? |url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/elizabeth-the-last-queen-of-scots |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913161115/https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/elizabeth-the-last-queen-of-scots |archive-date=13 September 2022 |access-date=26 September 2022 |work=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her ] recorded her cause of death as "]".<ref name="COD" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth died of 'old age', death certificate says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/29/queen-elizabeth-died-of-old-age-death-certificate-says |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204115424/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/29/queen-elizabeth-died-of-old-age-death-certificate-says |archive-date=4 December 2022 |access-date=8 December 2022 |website=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> According to her former prime minister ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keate |first=Noah |date=2024-09-30 |title=Boris Johnson says Queen Elizabeth II had bone cancer |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-says-queen-elizabeth-ii-had-bone-cancer-uk/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=] |language=en-GB |mode=cs2}}</ref> and the biographer ], she was suffering from a form of ], which Brandreth wrote was ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dawson |first=Bethany |date=2022-11-26 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II was battling bone marrow cancer before she died, claims new book |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-queen-elizabeth-ii-had-cancer-before-she-died-new-book-claims-2022-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302151635/https://www.businessinsider.com/uk-queen-elizabeth-ii-had-cancer-before-she-died-new-book-claims-2022-11 |archive-date=2 March 2024 |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |mode=cs2}}</ref>

On 12&nbsp;September, Elizabeth's coffin was carried up the ] in a procession to ], where the ] was placed on it.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 September 2022 |title=The quiet symbolism of the Queen's farewell to Scotland |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62887703 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923025129/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62887703 |archive-date=23 September 2022 |access-date=22 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her coffin lay at rest at the cathedral for 24 hours, guarded by the ], during which around 33,000 people filed past it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2022 |title=Queen's coffin vigil in Edinburgh witnessed by 33,000 people |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62887444 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913081145/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-62887444 |archive-date=13 September 2022 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 13&nbsp;September, the coffin was flown to ] in west London to be met by Liz Truss, before continuing its journey by road to Buckingham Palace.<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2022 |title=Plane carrying coffin of Queen Elizabeth lands in London |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/plane-carrying-coffin-queen-elizabeth-lands-london-2022-09-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607051309/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/plane-carrying-coffin-queen-elizabeth-lands-london-2022-09-13/ |archive-date=7 June 2023 |access-date=13 September 2022 |website=Reuters |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 14&nbsp;September, her coffin was taken in a military procession to ], where Elizabeth's body ] for four days. The coffin was guarded by members of both the ] and the ]. An estimated 250,000 members of the public filed past the coffin, as did politicians and other public figures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 September 2022 |title=In Photos: World Leaders Join Public to Pay Respects to Queen |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/in-photos-world-leaders-join-public-to-pay-respects-to-queen/6752358.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113010743/https://www.voanews.com/a/in-photos-world-leaders-join-public-to-pay-respects-to-queen/6752358.html |archive-date=13 January 2023 |access-date=18 September 2022 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=At least 250,000 people lined up to see queen's coffin |url=https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-world-news-london-02d46942aed4734261b40f48571103f5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920150200/https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-world-news-london-02d46942aed4734261b40f48571103f5 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |access-date=20 September 2022 |website=AP News |mode=cs2}}</ref> On 16&nbsp;September, Elizabeth's children held ] around her coffin, and the next day her eight grandchildren did the same.<ref name="secondvigil">{{Cite web |last=Therrien |first=Alex |date=16 September 2022 |title=Royals hold sombre watch over Queen's coffin |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62934405 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923001332/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62934405 |archive-date=23 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022 |website=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Bowden |first1=George |last2=Faulkner |first2=Doug |date=16 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II's grandchildren to observe lying-in-state vigil |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62922194 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922122319/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62922194 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |access-date=16 September 2022 |website=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>

], during the procession to ]]]

Elizabeth's ] was held at Westminster Abbey on 19&nbsp;September, which marked the first time a monarch's funeral service was held at the Abbey since ] in 1760.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Royal Burials and Funerals |url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/a-history-of-royal-burials-and-funerals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912200155/https://www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/a-history-of-royal-burials-and-funerals |archive-date=12 September 2022 |access-date=11 September 2022 |publisher=Westminster Abbey |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> More than a million people lined the streets of ],<ref name="SkyN-Crowds">{{Cite news |last=Minelle |first=Bethany |date=19 September 2022 |title=Tens of thousands in London and Windsor as world says goodbye to the Queen at her funeral |url=https://news.sky.com/story/crowds-gather-in-london-and-windsor-as-world-prepares-to-say-goodbye-to-the-queen-at-her-funeral-12701321 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919090242/https://news.sky.com/story/crowds-gather-in-london-and-windsor-as-world-prepares-to-say-goodbye-to-the-queen-at-her-funeral-12701321 |archive-date=19 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |publisher=Sky News |mode=cs2}}</ref> and the day was declared a holiday in several Commonwealth countries. In Windsor, a final procession involving 1,000 military personnel took place, which 97,000 people witnessed.<ref name="BBC News-2022">{{Cite news |date=19 September 2022 |title=Your complete guide to the Queen's funeral |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60617519 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909001318/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60617519 |archive-date=9 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="SkyN-Crowds" /> Elizabeth's ] and two ] stood at the side of the procession.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heald |first=Claire |date=19 September 2022 |title=Queen's corgis and pony wait at Windsor Castle as coffin approaches |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62961120 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924014502/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62961120 |archive-date=24 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |website=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> After a committal service at ], Elizabeth's body was interred with her husband Philip's in the ] later the same day, in a private ceremony attended by her closest family members.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 September 2022 |title=Family say final goodbye as Queen buried next to Philip |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-62892350 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220919001031/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-62892350 |archive-date=19 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref name="BBC News-2022" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunter |first=Sophie |date=19 September 2022 |title=The State Funeral for Her Majesty The Queen |url=https://www.royal.uk/state-funeral-her-majesty-queen-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220925015510/https://www.royal.uk/state-funeral-her-majesty-queen-0 |archive-date=25 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |work=The Royal Family |mode=cs2}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=State Funeral for Her Majesty The Queen |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN2vT_jpW1o |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220918203110/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=TN2vT_jpW1o |archive-date=18 September 2022 |access-date=19 September 2022 |publisher=The Royal Family |via=YouTube |mode=cs2}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
{{Main|Personality and image of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}

=== Beliefs, activities, and interests ===
]

Elizabeth rarely gave interviews, and little was known of her political opinions, which she did not express explicitly in public. It is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views. When ''Times'' journalist ] asked her about the ] during a royal tour of the newspaper's offices, she replied that it was "all about one man" (a reference to ]),<ref name="BBCRoutledge1999">{{Cite news |last=Walton |first=John |date=16 January 1999 |title=The author of political scandal |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/255159.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221218235624/https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/255159.stm |archive-date=18 December 2022 |access-date=19 November 2022 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> with which Routledge disagreed.{{Sfn|ps=none|Routledge|1994|page=xiii}} Routledge was widely criticised in the media for asking the question and claimed that he was unaware of the protocols.{{Sfn|ps=none|Routledge|1994|page=xiii}} After the ], Prime Minister ] was overheard saying that Elizabeth was pleased with the outcome.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dominiczak |first=Peter |date=24 September 2014 |title=David Cameron: I'm extremely sorry for saying Queen 'purred' over Scottish Independence vote |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/11120146/David-Cameron-Im-extremely-sorry-for-saying-Queen-purred-over-Scottish-Independence-vote.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220109050127/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/11120146/David-Cameron-Im-extremely-sorry-for-saying-Queen-purred-over-Scottish-Independence-vote.html |archive-date=9 January 2022 |access-date=8 October 2018 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref> She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quinn |first=Ben |date=19 September 2019 |title=David Cameron sought intervention from Queen on Scottish independence |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/19/david-cameron-sought-intervention-from-queen-on-scottish-independence |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107212310/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/19/david-cameron-sought-intervention-from-queen-on-scottish-independence |archive-date=7 November 2021 |access-date=16 October 2022 |website=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Elizabeth had a deep sense of religious and ], and took her ] seriously.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |date=19 April 2006 |title=Queen 'will do her job for life' |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4921120.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208145900/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4921120.stm |archive-date=8 December 2008 |access-date=4 February 2007 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Shawcross|2002|pp=194–195}}}}</ref> Aside from her ] as ] of the ] Church of England, she worshipped with that church and with the national ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 2010 |title=Our structure |url=https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-structure |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125192732/https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about-us/our-structure |archive-date=25 January 2020 |access-date=23 April 2022 |publisher=Church of Scotland |mode=cs2}}</ref> She demonstrated support for ] relations and met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes: ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 April 2014 |title=Queen meets Pope Francis at the Vatican |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26867032 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528055839/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26867032 |archive-date=28 May 2017 |access-date=28 March 2017 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref> A personal note about her faith often featured in her annual ] broadcast to the Commonwealth. In 2000, she said:<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Connie |date=25 December 2000 |title=Christmas Broadcast 2000 |url=https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-2000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507175203/https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-2000 |archive-date=7 May 2016 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Harvnb|Shawcross|2002|pp=236–237}}}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.}}

Elizabeth was ] of more than 600 organisations and charities.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 September 2014 |title=About The Patron's Lunch |url=https://www.thepatronslunch.com/about-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317233039/https://www.thepatronslunch.com/about-2 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |access-date=28 April 2016 |publisher=The Patron's Lunch |mode=cs2}}</ref> The ] estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4&nbsp;billion for her patronages during her reign.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hodge |first=Kate |date=11 June 2012 |title=The Queen has done more for charity than any other monarch in history |url=https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/jun/11/queen-charitable-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222170933/https://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2012/jun/11/queen-charitable-support |archive-date=22 February 2021 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her main leisure interests included ] and dogs, especially her ]s.<ref>{{Cite news |title=80 facts about The Queen |url=https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Factfiles/80factsaboutTheQueen.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321215851/https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Factfiles/80factsaboutTheQueen.aspx |archive-date=21 March 2009 |access-date=20 June 2010 |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her lifelong love of corgis began in 1933 with ], the first of many ]s.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Harvnb|Bush|2007|page=115}}; | {{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Andrew |date=1 October 2007 |title=Hug for Queen Elizabeth's first corgi |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1564705/Hug-for-Queen-Elizabeths-first-corgi.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/dzjXo |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=21 September 2012 |work=The Telegraph |ref=none |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}}}</ref> Scenes of a relaxed, informal home life were occasionally witnessed; she and her family, from time to time, prepared a meal together and washed the dishes afterwards.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Delacourt |first=Susan |date=25 May 2012 |title=When the Queen is your boss |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/royals/2012/05/25/when_the_queen_is_your_boss.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307084753/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/royals/2012/05/25/when_the_queen_is_your_boss.html |archive-date=7 March 2013 |access-date=27 May 2012 |work=] |mode=cs2}}</ref>

=== Media depiction and public opinion ===
In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen".{{Sfn|ps=none|Bond|2006|p=22}} After the trauma of the Second World War, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a "new ]".{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=35|Pimlott|2001|2p=180|Roberts|2000|3p=82|Shawcross|2002|4p=50}} Lord Altrincham's accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a "]gish schoolgirl" was an extremely rare criticism.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=35|Pimlott|2001|2p=280|Shawcross|2002|3p=76}} In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of the monarchy were made in the television documentary '']'' and by televising ].{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1pp=66–67, 84, 87–89|Bradford|2012|2pp=160–163|Hardman|2011|3pp=22, 210–213|Lacey|2002|4pp=222–226|Marr|2011|5p=237|Pimlott|2001|6pp=378–392|Roberts|2000|7pp=84–86}} Elizabeth also instituted other new practices; her first royal walkabout, meeting ordinary members of the public, took place during a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970.{{Sfn|ps=none|Hardman|2011|pp=213–214}} Her wardrobe developed a recognisable, signature style driven more by function than fashion.{{Sfn|ps=none|Hardman|2011|p=41}} In public, she took to wearing mostly solid-colour ]s and decorative hats, allowing her to be seen easily in a crowd.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cartner-Morley |first=Jess |date=10 May 2007 |title=Elizabeth&nbsp;II, belated follower of fashion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/10/monarchy.jesscartnermorleyonfashion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107225041/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/10/monarchy.jesscartnermorleyonfashion |archive-date=7 November 2021 |access-date=5 September 2011 |work=The Guardian |mode=cs2}}</ref> By the end of her reign, nearly one third of Britons had seen or met Elizabeth in person.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Matthew |date=17 May 2018 |title=Almost a third of the country has seen or met the Queen in real life |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2018/05/17/almost-third-country-has-seen-or-met-queen-real-li |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418013300/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2018/05/17/almost-third-country-has-seen-or-met-queen-real-li |archive-date=18 April 2021 |access-date=11 August 2023 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref>

At Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic;{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=97|Bradford|2012|2p=189|Pimlott|2001|3pp=449–450|Roberts|2000|4p=87|Shawcross|2002|5pp=1114–117}} but, in the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=117|Roberts|2000|2p=91}} Her popularity sank to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace was opened to the public.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Pimlott|2001|2pp=556–561, 570}} Although support for ] seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republican ideology was still a minority viewpoint, and Elizabeth herself had high approval ratings.<ref>{{Multiref|MORI poll for '']'' newspaper, March 1996, quoted in | {{Harvnb|Pimlott|2001|p=578}}; | {{Cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Jack |date=5 March 1996 |title=Watch out, the Roundheads are back |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/watch-out-the-roundheads-are-back-1340396.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212013603/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/watch-out-the-roundheads-are-back-1340396.html |archive-date=12 December 2012 |access-date=17 September 2011 |work=The Independent |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself, and the conduct of Elizabeth's wider family, rather than her own behaviour and actions.{{Sfn|ps=none|Pimlott|2001|p=578}} Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity—as well as general support for the monarchy—rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days after Diana's death.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Bond|2006|1p=134|Pimlott|2001|2pp=624–625}}

], Australia, 1982]]
In November 1999, ] on the future of the ] favoured its retention in preference to an indirectly elected head of state.{{Sfnm|ps=none|Hardman|2011|1p=310|Lacey|2002|2p=387|Roberts|2000|3p=101|Shawcross|2002|4p=218}} Many republicans credited Elizabeth's personal popularity with the survival of the monarchy in Australia. In 2010, Prime Minister ] noted that there was a "deep affection" for Elizabeth in Australia and that another referendum on the monarchy should wait until after her reign.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 August 2010 |title=Australia's PM says Elizabeth&nbsp;II should be country's last British monarch |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/17/australia-leader-queen-last-monarch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027023347/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/aug/17/australia-leader-queen-last-monarch |archive-date=27 October 2022 |access-date=16 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |location=Canberra |agency=Associated Press |mode=cs2}}</ref> Gillard's successor, ], who led the republican campaign in 1999, similarly believed that Australians would not vote to become a republic in her lifetime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ireland |first=Judith |date=15 July 2017 |title=We're all Elizabethans now: When Malcolm Turnbull met the monarch |url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/were-all-elizabethans-now-when-malcolm-turnbull-met-the-monarch-20170713-gxa796.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701064241/https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/were-all-elizabethans-now-when-malcolm-turnbull-met-the-monarch-20170713-gxa796.html |archive-date=1 July 2021 |access-date=16 October 2022 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |mode=cs2}}</ref> "She's been an extraordinary head of state", Turnbull said in 2021, "and I think frankly, in Australia, there are more Elizabethans than there are monarchists."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lagan |first=Bernard |date=9 March 2021 |title=Australians in new push to break royal links after Meghan and Harry interview |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sussexes-interview-leads-to-renewed-push-in-australia-to-break-royal-links-p3cbhdc7k |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202052213/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sussexes-interview-leads-to-renewed-push-in-australia-to-break-royal-links-p3cbhdc7k |archive-date=2 December 2021 |access-date=16 October 2022 |website=The Times |mode=cs2 |location=Sydney}}</ref> Similarly, referendums in both ] and ] saw voters reject proposals to become republics.<ref>{{Cite news |date=26 November 2009 |title=Vincies vote 'No' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/11/091126_nib.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010073408/https://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/11/091126_nib.shtml |archive-date=10 October 2021 |access-date=26 November 2009 |work=BBC News |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Polls in Britain in 2006 and 2007 revealed strong support for the monarchy,<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite web |date=April 2006 |title=Monarchy poll |url=https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/378/Monarchy-Poll-April-2006.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123163103/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/monarchy-poll-april-2006 |archive-date=23 January 2021 |access-date=22 March 2015 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite web |date=16 December 2007 |title=Monarchy Survey |url=https://populuslimited.com/uploads/download_pdf-160108-The-Discovery-Channel-Monarchy-Survey.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511201056/https://populuslimited.com/uploads/download_pdf-160108-The-Discovery-Channel-Monarchy-Survey.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2011 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=] |page=9 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |date=28 December 2007 |title=Poll respondents back UK monarchy |work=BBC News |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7162649.stm |url-status=live |access-date=17 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208182109/https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7162649.stm |archive-date=8 February 2012 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> and in 2012, Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee year, her approval ratings hit 90 per cent.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 May 2016 |title=Monarchy/Royal Family Trends&nbsp;– Satisfaction with the Queen |url=https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/monarchyroyal-family-trends-satisfaction-queen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123163208/https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/monarchyroyal-family-trends-satisfaction-queen |archive-date=23 January 2021 |access-date=19 September 2017 |publisher=Ipsos MORI |mode=cs2}}</ref> Her family came under scrutiny again in the last few years of her life due to her son Andrew's association with convicted sex offenders ] and ], ] with ] amidst accusations of sexual impropriety, and her grandson Harry and his wife ]'s ] and subsequent move to the United States.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite news |last=Mills |first=Rhiannon |date=7 September 2019 |title=Epstein, Andrew and private jets: The royals have had a tumultuous summer |url=https://news.sky.com/story/epstein-andrew-and-private-jets-the-royals-have-had-a-tumultuous-summer-11803972 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923210841/https://news.sky.com/story/epstein-andrew-and-private-jets-the-royals-have-had-a-tumultuous-summer-11803972 |archive-date=23 September 2021 |access-date=26 September 2021 |publisher=Sky News |ref=none |mode=cs2}}; | {{Cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Sophie |last2=Hall |first2=Harriet |date=19 May 2021 |title=How the couple who were supposed to 'modernise the monarchy' turned their backs on it |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/harry-meghan-megxit-royal-family-b1849947.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927133622/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/harry-meghan-megxit-royal-family-b1849947.html |archive-date=27 September 2021 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> Polling in Great Britain during the Platinum Jubilee, however, showed support for maintaining the monarchy<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite web |last1=Skinner |first1=Giden |last2=Garrett |first2=Cameron |date=11 January 2022 |title=Three in five favour Britain remaining a monarchy, although support falls from 2012 peak as more become uncertain |url=https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/three-five-favour-britain-remaining-monarchy-although-support-falls-2012-peak-more-become-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220712192545/https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/three-five-favour-britain-remaining-monarchy-although-support-falls-2012-peak-more-become-0 |archive-date=12 July 2022 |access-date=26 July 2022 |publisher=] |ref=none |mode=cs2}};|{{Cite web |title=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/Queen_Elizabeth_II |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914104959/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/explore/public_figure/Queen_Elizabeth_II |archive-date=14 September 2022 |access-date=26 July 2022 |publisher=YouGov |ref=none |mode=cs2}};|{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Isabelle |date=1 June 2022 |title=Platinum Jubilee: where does public opinion stand on the monarchy? |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2022/06/01/platinum-jubilee-where-does-public-opinion-stand-m |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602071842/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2022/06/01/platinum-jubilee-where-does-public-opinion-stand-m |archive-date=2 June 2022 |access-date=26 July 2022 |publisher=YouGov |ref=none |mode=cs2}};|{{Cite news |last=Ship |first=Chris |date=2 June 2022 |title=Poll: Dramatic decline in support for monarchy in decade since Diamond Jubilee |work=ITV News |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2022-06-01/poll-dramatic-decline-in-support-for-monarchy-in-decade-since-diamond-jubilee |url-status=live |access-date=26 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722205309/https://www.itv.com/news/2022-06-01/poll-dramatic-decline-in-support-for-monarchy-in-decade-since-diamond-jubilee |archive-date=22 July 2022 |ref=none |mode=cs2}};|{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Matthew |date=13 September 2022 |title=How have Britons reacted to Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II's death? |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/13/how-have-britons-reacted-queen-elizabeth-iis-death |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011172024/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/13/how-have-britons-reacted-queen-elizabeth-iis-death |archive-date=11 October 2022 |access-date=12 October 2022 |publisher=YouGov |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> and Elizabeth's personal popularity remained strong.<ref>{{Multiref|{{Cite web |last1=Beaver |first1=Kelly |last2=Skinner |first2=Gideon |last3=Garrett |first3=Cameron |date=30 May 2022 |title=The Queen remains the nations' favourite royal as the public associate her with tradition and a positive symbol of Britain at home and abroad |url=https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/queen-remains-nations-favourite-royal-public-associate-her-tradition-and-positive-symbol-britain |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170513/https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/queen-remains-nations-favourite-royal-public-associate-her-tradition-and-positive-symbol-britain |archive-date=20 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=Ipsos |ref=none |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |last=Kirk |first=Isabelle |date=1 June 2022 |title=Platinum Jubilee: where does public opinion stand on the monarchy? |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/06/01/platinum-jubilee-where-does-public-opinion-stand-m |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004013402/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/society/articles-reports/2022/06/01/platinum-jubilee-where-does-public-opinion-stand-m |archive-date=4 October 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=YouGov |ref=none |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |last=Ibbetson |first=Connor |date=31 May 2022 |title=Platinum Jubilee: how popular are the royals? |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/05/31/platinum-jubilee-how-popular-are-royals |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002063147/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/05/31/platinum-jubilee-how-popular-are-royals |archive-date=2 October 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=YouGov |ref=none |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |date=March 2022 |title=IPSOS Attitudes to the Royal Family |url=https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2022-04/Ipsos_Attitudes_to_the_Royals_poll_040422_PUBLIC.pdf |publisher=Ipsos |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516095425/https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2022-04/Ipsos_Attitudes_to_the_Royals_poll_040422_PUBLIC.pdf |archive-date=16 May 2022 |access-date=20 May 2022 |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |last=Merrick |first=Jane |date=2 June 2022 |title=Half of Britons won't be celebrating Platinum Jubilee and think Royal Family is out of touch |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/platinum-jubilee-queen-half-britons-wont-celebrate-royal-family-out-of-touch-poll-1665587 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929062055/https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/platinum-jubilee-queen-half-britons-wont-celebrate-royal-family-out-of-touch-poll-1665587 |archive-date=29 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |website=] |ref=none |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |date=30 May 2022 |title=Sky high public approval for the Queen ahead of Platinum Jubilee |url=https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/sky-high-public-approval-for-the-queen-ahead-of-platinum-jubilee |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909081309/https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/sky-high-public-approval-for-the-queen-ahead-of-platinum-jubilee |archive-date=9 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=Ipsos |mode=cs2}};
|{{Cite web |title=Has the Queen done a good job during her time on the throne? |url=https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/has-the-queen-done-a-good-job-during-her-time-on-the-throne |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924045039/https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/has-the-queen-done-a-good-job-during-her-time-on-the-throne |archive-date=24 September 2022 |access-date=4 October 2022 |publisher=YouGov |mode=cs2}}}}</ref> As of 2021 she remained the third ] in the world according to the annual ], her 52 appearances on the list meaning she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Matthew |date=14 December 2021 |title=World's most admired 2021 |url=https://today.yougov.com/topics/international/articles-reports/2021/12/13/worlds-most-admired-2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418180803/https://today.yougov.com/topics/international/articles-reports/2021/12/13/worlds-most-admired-2021 |archive-date=18 April 2022 |access-date=14 December 2021 |website=YouGov America |mode=cs2}}</ref>

Elizabeth was portrayed in a variety of media by many notable artists, including painters ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Riley |first=Ben |date=12 February 2016 |title=Revealed: Damien Hirst's only portrait of the Queen found in government archives |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/12155026/Revealed-Damien-Hirsts-only-portrait-of-the-Queen-found-in-government-archives.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/hcSiV |archive-date=10 January 2022 |access-date=10 September 2016 |work=The Telegraph |mode=cs2}}{{Cbignore}}</ref><ref name="NPG1">{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth&nbsp;II |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?sort=dateAsc&LinkID=mp01454&displayNo=60&displayStyle=thumb&wPage=0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203023806/https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person.php?sort=dateAsc&LinkID=mp01454&displayNo=60&displayStyle=thumb&wPage=0 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |access-date=22 June 2013 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Notable photographers of Elizabeth included ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. The first official ] of Elizabeth was taken by ] in 1926.<ref name="NPG">{{Cite web |title=Marcus Adams |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp04999/marcus-adams?role=art |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115011943/https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp04999/marcus-adams?role=art |archive-date=15 January 2013 |access-date=20 April 2013 |publisher=National Portrait Gallery |mode=cs2}}</ref>

== Titles, styles, honours, and arms ==
{{Main|List of titles and honours of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
{{Multiple image
| width = 150
| perrow = 1/1
| image1 = Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.svg
| caption1 = ] of Elizabeth&nbsp;II, surmounted by ]
| image2 = Personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II.svg
| caption2 = Personal flag of Elizabeth&nbsp;II
}}

=== Titles and styles <span class="anchor" id="Royal cypher"></span> ===
Elizabeth held many titles and honorary military positions throughout ], was sovereign of many orders in her own countries and received honours and awards from around the world. In each of her realms, she had a distinct title that follows a similar formula: ''Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories'' in ], ''Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories'' in Australia, etc. She was also styled '']''.

=== Arms ===
{{See also|Flags of Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
From 21&nbsp;April 1944 until her accession, Elizabeth's arms consisted of a ] bearing the ] differenced with a ] of three points ], the centre point bearing a ] and the first and third a ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coat of Arms: Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth |url=https://ltgov.bc.ca/lg/honours-awards/heraldry/shields/PrincessElizabeth1951.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106035558/https://ltgov.bc.ca/lg/honours-awards/heraldry/shields/PrincessElizabeth1951.htm |archive-date=6 November 2013 |access-date=6 April 2013 |publisher=] |mode=cs2}}</ref> Upon her accession, she inherited the various arms her father held as sovereign, with a subsequently modified representation of the crown. Elizabeth also possessed ] and personal flags for use ], ], ], ], ], and elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berry |first=Ciara |date=15 January 2016 |title=Personal flags |url=https://www.royal.uk/personal-flags |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507180249/https://www.royal.uk/personal-flags |archive-date=7 May 2016 |access-date=18 April 2016 |work=The Royal Family |publisher=Royal Household |mode=cs2}}</ref>

{{image frame|align=center|border=no|caption=|content=
<gallery class="thumbcaption" mode="packed" style="display:flex; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:0; padding-bottom:0; padding-left:0; text-align:left;">
Coat of Arms of Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (1947-1952).svg|Coat of arms as ] (1947–1952)
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (St Edward's Crown).svg|]
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom in Scotland.svg|]
Royal Coat of Arms of Canada.svg|]
</gallery>
|mode=scrollable|max-width=700
}}

== Issue ==
{{Clear}}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Name
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Birth
! colspan="2" scope="col" | Marriage
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Children
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Grandchildren
|-
! scope="col" | Date
! scope="col" | Spouse
|-
! rowspan="3" scope="row" | ]
| rowspan="3" | {{Birth date and age|1948|11|14|df=yes}}
| rowspan="2" | 29&nbsp;July 1981 {{smalldiv|Divorced 28&nbsp;August 1996}}
| rowspan="2" | ]
| ]
| {{Ubli|]|]|]}}
|-
| ]
| {{Ubli|]|]}}
|-
| 9&nbsp;April 2005
| ]
| colspan="2" {{N/A|None}}
|-
! rowspan="3" scope="row" | ]
| rowspan="3" | {{Birth date and age|1950|8|15|df=yes}}
| rowspan="2" | 14&nbsp;November 1973 {{smalldiv|Divorced 23&nbsp;April 1992}}
| rowspan="2" | ]
| ]
| {{Ubli|Savannah Phillips|Isla Phillips}}
|-
| ]
| {{Ubli|Mia Tindall|Lena Tindall|Lucas Tindall}}
|-
| 12&nbsp;December 1992
| ]
| colspan="2" {{N/A|None}}
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | ]
| rowspan="2" | {{Birth date and age|1960|2|19|df=yes}}
| rowspan="2" | 23&nbsp;July 1986 {{smalldiv|Divorced 30&nbsp;May 1996}}
| rowspan="2" | ]
| ]
| Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
|-
| ]
| {{Ubli|August Brooksbank|Ernest Brooksbank}}
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" | ]
| rowspan="2" | {{Birth date and age|1964|03|10|df=yes}}
| rowspan="2" | 19&nbsp;June 1999
| rowspan="2" | ]
| ]
| {{N/A|None}}
|-
| ]
| {{N/A|None}}
|} |}


== Ancestry ==
]
{{See also|Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian&nbsp;IX}}

{{Ahnentafel
|align=center
|collapsed=yes
|ref=<ref>{{Multiref|{{Harvnb|Louda|Maclagan|1999|page=34}}; | {{Harvnb|Montgomery-Massingberd|1973|pages=252, 293, 307}}; | {{Cite journal |last=Wagner |first=A. R. |author-link=Anthony Wagner |year=1940 |title=Some of the Sixty-four Ancestors of Her Majesty the Queen |journal=Genealogist's Magazine |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=7–13 |ref=none |mode=cs2}}}}</ref>
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Elizabeth&nbsp;II of the United Kingdom'''
|2= 2. ]
|3= 3. ]
|4= 4. ]
|5= 5. ]
|6= 6. ]
|7= 7. ]
|8= 8. ]
|9= 9. ]
|10= 10. ]
|11= 11. ]
|12= 12. ]
|13= 13. ]
|14= 14. ]
|15= 15. ]
}}

== See also ==
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ], ], ], ]

==Notes==
{{Notelist|30em}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=John |author-link=John Campbell (biographer) |title=Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady |date=2003 |publisher=Jonathan Cape |isbn=0-2240-6156-9 |mode=cs2}}
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* {{Cite book |last=Hardman |first=Robert |title=Queen of the World |publisher=Penguin Random House |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-7808-9818-6 |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Heald |first=Tim |author-link=Tim Heald |url=https://archive.org/details/princessmargaret0000heal_n5q7 |title=Princess Margaret: A Life Unravelled |date=2007 |publisher=Weidenfeld & Nicolson |isbn=978-0-2978-4820-2 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hoey |first=Brian |url=https://archive.org/details/hermajestyfiftyr0000hoey_y9q3 |title=Her Majesty: Fifty Regal Years |date=2002 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-0065-3136-9 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hoey |first=Brian |title=Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II: Platinum Jubilee Celebration: 70 Years: 1952–2022 |publisher=Rizzoli |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-8416-5939-8 |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Knappett |first=Gill |title=The Queen at 90: A Royal Birthday Souvenir |date=2016 |publisher=Pitkin |isbn=978-0-7509-7031-0 |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lacey |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Lacey |title=Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II |date=2002 |publisher=Little, Brown |isbn=0-3168-5940-0 |mode=cs2}}<!-- Two instances of this book are now on the Internet Archive, but take your pick. -->
* {{Cite book |last1=Louda |first1=Jiří |author-link=Jiří Louda |title=Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe |last2=Maclagan |first2=Michael |author-link2=Michael Maclagan |publisher=Little, Brown |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-3168-4820-6 |edition=2nd |location=London |mode=cs2 |orig-year=1981}}
* {{Cite book |last=Macmillan |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Macmillan |url=https://archive.org/details/pointingway1959100macm |title=Pointing the Way 1959–1961 |date=1972 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0-3331-2411-1 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Marr |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Marr |title=The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth&nbsp;II and Her People |date=2011 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-2307-4852-1 |mode=cs2}} <!-- Three instances of this book are now in the Internet Archive, but take your pick. -->
* {{Cite book |last=Mitchell |first=James |title=Britain Since 1945 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-6312-0967-6 |editor-last=Hollowell |editor-first=Jonathan |pages=109–125 |chapter=Scotland: Cultural Base and Economic Catalysts |doi=10.1002/9780470758328.ch5 |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |title=Burke's Guide to the Royal Family |publisher=Burke's Peerage |year=1973 |isbn=0-2206-6222-3 |editor-last=Montgomery-Massingberd |editor-first=Hugh |editor-link=Hugh Massingberd |location=London |chapter=The Royal Lineage |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Neil |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Neil |url=https://archive.org/details/fulldisclosure0000neil |title=Full Disclosure |date=1996 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0-3336-4682-7 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Nicolson |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Nicolson |title=King George the Fifth: His Life and Reign |date=1952 |publisher=Constable & Co. |mode=cs2}} <!-- This book is now in the Internet Archive, but I see three iterations of it, and I'm not sure which version is suitable for this, so take your pick. -->
* {{Cite book |last=Petropoulos |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Petropoulos |url=https://archive.org/details/royalsreichprinc0000petr |title=Royals and the Reich: The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-1951-6133-5 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pimlott |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Pimlott |title=The Queen: Elizabeth&nbsp;II and the Monarchy |date=2001 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=0-0025-5494-1 |mode=cs2}} <!-- Two instances of this book are now on the Internet Archive, but take your pick. -->
* {{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Roberts (historian) |url=https://archive.org/details/houseofwindsor0000unse |title=The House of Windsor |date=2000 |publisher=Cassell & Co. |isbn=0-3043-5406-6 |editor-last=Fraser |editor-first=Antonia |editor-link=Antonia Fraser |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Routledge |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Routledge |title=Scargill: The Unauthorized Biography |publisher=Harper Collins |year=1994 |isbn=0-0063-8077-8 |location=London |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shawcross |first=William |author-link=William Shawcross |url=https://archive.org/details/queencountry0000shaw |title=Queen and Country |date=2002 |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |isbn=0-7710-8056-5 |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Tomaszewski |first=Fiona K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORBUeMM3guAC&pg=PA22 |title=A Great Russia: Russia and the Triple Entente, 1905–1914 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-2759-7366-7 |mode=cs2 |access-date=5 October 2022 |url-access=limited |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113010743/https://books.google.com/books?id=ORBUeMM3guAC&pg=PA22 |archive-date=13 January 2023 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite book |last=Warwick |first=Christopher |title=Princess Margaret: A Life of Contrasts |publisher=Carlton Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-2330-5106-2 |location=London |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Williamson |first=David |title=Debrett's Kings and Queens of Britain |date=1987 |publisher=Webb & Bower |isbn=0--86350-101-X |mode=cs2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wyatt |first=Woodrow |author-link=Woodrow Wyatt |url=https://archive.org/details/journalsofwoodro0002wyat |title=The Journals of Woodrow Wyatt |date=1999 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0-3337-7405-1 |editor-last=Curtis |editor-first=Sarah |volume=II |mode=cs2 |url-access=registration}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Misplaced Pages|En-Elizabeth II-article-20230422.ogg|date=22 April 2023}}
* at the Royal Family website
* at the website of the ]
* at the website of the ]
* at ]
* {{NPG name|name=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
* {{IMDb name|name=Queen Elizabeth&nbsp;II}}
* {{C-SPAN}}

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Latest revision as of 08:01, 25 December 2024

Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022 "Elizabeth of the United Kingdom" redirects here. For other uses, see Elizabeth II (disambiguation) and Elizabeth of the United Kingdom (disambiguation).

Elizabeth II
Head of the Commonwealth
Elizabeth facing right in a half-length portrait photographFormal portrait, 1959
Queen of the United Kingdom
and other Commonwealth realms (full list)
Reign6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Coronation2 June 1953
PredecessorGeorge VI
SuccessorCharles III
BornPrincess Elizabeth of York
(1926-04-21)21 April 1926
Mayfair, London, England
Died8 September 2022(2022-09-08) (aged 96)
Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Burial19 September 2022
King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
Spouse Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh ​ ​(m. 1947; died 2021)
Issue
Detail
Names
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary
HouseWindsor
FatherGeorge VI
MotherElizabeth Bowes-Lyon
ReligionProtestant
SignatureElizabeth's signature in black ink
Queen Elizabeth II's voice Coronation speech
Recorded 2 June 1953

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She had been queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history.

Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VIII, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark. Their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth, then 25 years old, became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities as well as its subsequent withdrawal. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. As queen, Elizabeth was served by more than 170 prime ministers across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included state visits to China in 1986, to Russia in 1994, and to the Republic of Ireland in 2011, and meetings with five popes and fourteen US presidents.

Significant events included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees. Although there was occasional republican sentiment and media criticism of her family—particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana—support for the monarchy and her personal popularity in the United Kingdom remained consistently high. Elizabeth died aged 96 at Balmoral Castle, and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles III.

Early life

Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926, the first child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (later King George VI), and his wife, Elizabeth, Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother). Her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary, and her mother was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. She was delivered at 02:40 (GMT) by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London home, 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair. The Anglican Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang, baptised her in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on 29 May, and she was named Elizabeth after her mother; Alexandra after her paternal great-grandmother, who had died six months earlier; and Mary after her paternal grandmother. She was called "Lilibet" by her close family, based on what she called herself at first. She was cherished by her grandfather George V, whom she affectionately called "Grandpa England", and her regular visits during his serious illness in 1929 were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery.

Elizabeth as a thoughtful-looking toddler with curly, fair hairOn the cover of Time, April 1929Elizabeth as a rosy-cheeked young girl with blue eyes and fair hairPortrait by Philip de László, 1933

Elizabeth's only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeth's love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, and her attitude of responsibility. Others echoed such observations: Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as "a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant." Her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as "a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved". Elizabeth's early life was spent primarily at the Yorks' residences at 145 Piccadilly (their town house in London) and Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Heir presumptive

During her grandfather's reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the British throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, as Edward was still young and likely to marry and have children of his own, who would precede Elizabeth in the line of succession. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second in line to the throne, after her father. Later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeth's father became king, taking the regnal name George VI. Since Elizabeth had no brothers, she became heir presumptive. If her parents had subsequently had a son, he would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession, which was determined by the male-preference primogeniture in effect at the time.

Elizabeth received private tuition in constitutional history from Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton College, and learned French from a succession of native-speaking governesses. A Girl Guides company, the 1st Buckingham Palace Company, was formed specifically so she could socialise with girls her age. Later, she was enrolled as a Sea Ranger.

In 1939, Elizabeth's parents toured Canada and the United States. As in 1927, when they had toured Australia and New Zealand, Elizabeth remained in Britain since her father thought she was too young to undertake public tours. She "looked tearful" as her parents departed. They corresponded regularly, and she and her parents made the first royal transatlantic telephone call on 18 May.

Second World War

In Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform, April 1945

In September 1939, Britain entered the Second World War. Lord Hailsham suggested that Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret should be evacuated to Canada to avoid the frequent aerial bombings of London by the Luftwaffe. This was rejected by their mother, who declared, "The children won't go without me. I won't leave without the King. And the King will never leave." The princesses stayed at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, until Christmas 1939, when they moved to Sandringham House, Norfolk. From February to May 1940, they lived at Royal Lodge, Windsor, until moving to Windsor Castle, where they lived for most of the next five years. At Windsor, the princesses staged pantomimes at Christmas in aid of the Queen's Wool Fund, which bought yarn to knit into military garments. In 1940, the 14-year-old Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour, addressing other children who had been evacuated from the cities. She stated: "We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well."

In 1943, Elizabeth undertook her first solo public appearance on a visit to the Grenadier Guards, of which she had been appointed colonel the previous year. As she approached her 18th birthday, Parliament changed the law so that she could act as one of five counsellors of state in the event of her father's incapacity or absence abroad, such as his visit to Italy in July 1944. In February 1945, she was appointed an honorary second subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service with the service number 230873. She trained as a driver and mechanic and was given the rank of honorary junior commander (female equivalent of captain at the time) five months later.

Elizabeth (far left) on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her family and Winston Churchill, 8 May 1945

At the end of the war in Europe, on Victory in Europe Day, Elizabeth and Margaret mingled incognito with the celebrating crowds in the streets of London. In 1985, Elizabeth recalled in a rare interview, "... we asked my parents if we could go out and see for ourselves. I remember we were terrified of being recognised ... I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief."

During the war, plans were drawn to quell Welsh nationalism by affiliating Elizabeth more closely with Wales. Proposals, such as appointing her Constable of Caernarfon Castle or a patron of Urdd Gobaith Cymru (the Welsh League of Youth), were abandoned for several reasons, including fear of associating Elizabeth with conscientious objectors in the Urdd at a time when Britain was at war. Welsh politicians suggested she be made Princess of Wales on her 18th birthday. Home Secretary Herbert Morrison supported the idea, but the King rejected it because he felt such a title belonged solely to the wife of a Prince of Wales and the Prince of Wales had always been the heir apparent. In 1946, she was inducted into the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

Elizabeth went on her first overseas tour in 1947, accompanying her parents through southern Africa. During the tour, in a broadcast to the British Commonwealth on her 21st birthday, she made the following pledge:

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.

Marriage

Main article: Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten

Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and again in 1937. They were second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through Queen Victoria. After meeting for the third time at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in July 1939, Elizabeth—though only 13 years old—said she fell in love with Philip, who was 18, and they began to exchange letters. She was 21 when their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.

The engagement attracted some controversy. Philip had no financial standing, was foreign-born (though a British subject who had served in the Royal Navy throughout the Second World War), and had sisters who had married German noblemen with Nazi links. Marion Crawford wrote, "Some of the King's advisors did not think him good enough for her. He was a prince without a home or kingdom. Some of the papers played long and loud tunes on the string of Philip's foreign origin." Later biographies reported that Elizabeth's mother had reservations about the union initially and teased Philip as "the Hun". In later life, however, she told the biographer Tim Heald that Philip was "an English gentleman".

At Buckingham Palace with Philip after their wedding, 1947

Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, officially converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and adopted the style Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, taking the surname of his mother's British family. Shortly before the wedding, he was created Duke of Edinburgh and granted the style His Royal Highness. Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They received 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world. Elizabeth required ration coupons to buy the material for her gown (which was designed by Norman Hartnell) because Britain had not yet completely recovered from the devastation of the war. In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for Philip's German relations, including his three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding. Neither was an invitation extended to the Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII.

Elizabeth gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, in November 1948. One month earlier, the King had issued letters patent allowing her children to use the style and title of a royal prince or princess, to which they otherwise would not have been entitled as their father was no longer a royal prince. A second child, Princess Anne, was born in August 1950.

Following their wedding, the couple leased Windlesham Moor, near Windsor Castle, until July 1949, when they took up residence at Clarence House in London. At various times between 1949 and 1951, Philip was stationed in the British Crown Colony of Malta as a serving Royal Navy officer. He and Elizabeth lived intermittently in Malta for several months at a time in the hamlet of Gwardamanġa, at Villa Guardamangia, the rented home of Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten. Their two children remained in Britain.

Reign

Accession and coronation

Main article: Coronation of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth is seated and holds an orb and sceptre.
Coronation portrait by Cecil Beaton, 1953

As George VI's health declined during 1951, Elizabeth frequently stood in for him at public events. When she visited Canada and Harry S. Truman in Washington, DC, in October 1951, her private secretary Martin Charteris carried a draft accession declaration in case the King died while she was on tour. In early 1952, Elizabeth and Philip set out for a tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of the British colony of Kenya. On 6 February, they had just returned to their Kenyan home, Sagana Lodge, after a night spent at Treetops Hotel, when word arrived of the death of Elizabeth's father. Philip broke the news to the new queen. She chose to retain Elizabeth as her regnal name, and was therefore called Elizabeth II. The numeral offended some Scots, as she was the first Elizabeth to rule in Scotland. She was proclaimed queen throughout her realms, and the royal party hastily returned to the United Kingdom. Elizabeth and Philip moved into Buckingham Palace.

With Elizabeth's accession, it seemed possible that the royal house would take her husband's name, in line with the custom for married women of the time. Lord Mountbatten advocated for House of Mountbatten, and Philip suggested House of Edinburgh, after his ducal title. The British prime minister, Winston Churchill, and Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary favoured the retention of the House of Windsor. Elizabeth issued a declaration on 9 April 1952 that the royal house would continue to be Windsor. Philip complained, "I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children." In 1960, the surname Mountbatten-Windsor was adopted for Philip and Elizabeth's male-line descendants who do not carry royal titles.

Amid preparations for the coronation, Princess Margaret told her sister she wished to marry Peter Townsend, a divorcé 16 years Margaret's senior with two sons from his previous marriage. Elizabeth asked them to wait for a year; in the words of her private secretary, "the Queen was naturally sympathetic towards the Princess, but I think she thought—she hoped—given time, the affair would peter out." Senior politicians were against the match and the Church of England did not permit remarriage after divorce. If Margaret had contracted a civil marriage, she would have been expected to renounce her right of succession. Margaret decided to abandon her plans with Townsend. In 1960, she married Antony Armstrong-Jones, who was created Earl of Snowdon the following year. They divorced in 1978; Margaret did not remarry.

Despite Queen Mary's death on 24 March 1953, the coronation went ahead as planned on 2 June, as Mary had requested. The coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey was televised for the first time, with the exception of the anointing and communion. On Elizabeth's instruction, her coronation gown was embroidered with the floral emblems of Commonwealth countries.

Early reign

Further information: Commonwealth realm § From the accession of Elizabeth II
Elizabeth's realms and their territories and protectorates at the beginning of her reign in 1952:   United Kingdom   Colonies, protectorates and mandates   Dominions/realms

From Elizabeth's birth onwards, the British Empire continued its transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. By the time of her accession in 1952, her role as head of multiple independent states was already established. In 1953, Elizabeth and Philip embarked on a seven-month round-the-world tour, visiting 13 countries and covering more than 40,000 miles (64,000 km) by land, sea and air. She became the first reigning monarch of Australia and New Zealand to visit those nations. During the tour, crowds were immense; three-quarters of the population of Australia were estimated to have seen her. Throughout her reign, she made hundreds of state visits to other countries and tours of the Commonwealth; she was the most widely travelled head of state.

In 1956, the British and French prime ministers, Sir Anthony Eden and Guy Mollet, discussed the possibility of France joining the Commonwealth. The proposal was never accepted, and the following year France signed the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, the precursor to the European Union. In November 1956, Britain and France invaded Egypt in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to capture the Suez Canal. Lord Mountbatten said that Elizabeth was opposed to the invasion, though Eden denied it. Eden resigned two months later.

A formal group of Elizabeth in tiara and evening dress with eleven politicians in evening dress or national costume
With Commonwealth leaders, at the 1960 Commonwealth Conference

The governing Conservative Party had no formal mechanism for choosing a leader, meaning that it fell to Elizabeth to decide whom to commission to form a government following Eden's resignation. Eden recommended she consult Lord Salisbury, the lord president of the council. Lord Salisbury and Lord Kilmuir, the lord chancellor, consulted the British Cabinet, Churchill, and the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, resulting in Elizabeth appointing their recommended candidate: Harold Macmillan.

The Suez crisis and the choice of Eden's successor led, in 1957, to the first major personal criticism of Elizabeth. In a magazine, which he owned and edited, Lord Altrincham accused her of being "out of touch". Altrincham was denounced by public figures and slapped by a member of the public appalled by his comments. Six years later, in 1963, Macmillan resigned and advised Elizabeth to appoint Alec Douglas-Home as the prime minister, advice she followed. Elizabeth again came under criticism for appointing the prime minister on the advice of a small number of ministers or a single minister. In 1965, the Conservatives adopted a formal mechanism for electing a leader, thus relieving the Queen of her involvement.

With Philip, seated on thrones at the Canadian parliament, 1957

In 1957, Elizabeth made a state visit to the United States, where she addressed the United Nations General Assembly on behalf of the Commonwealth. On the same tour, she opened the 23rd Canadian Parliament, becoming the first monarch of Canada to open a parliamentary session. Two years later, solely in her capacity as Queen of Canada, she revisited the United States and toured Canada. In 1961, she toured Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran. On a visit to Ghana the same year, she dismissed fears for her safety, even though her host, President Kwame Nkrumah, who had replaced her as head of state, was a target for assassins. Harold Macmillan wrote, "The Queen has been absolutely determined all through ... She is impatient of the attitude towards her to treat her as ... a film star ... She has indeed 'the heart and stomach of a man' ... She loves her duty and means to be a Queen." Before her tour through parts of Quebec in 1964, the press reported that extremists within the Quebec separatist movement were plotting Elizabeth's assassination. No assassination attempt was made, but a riot did break out while she was in Montreal; her "calmness and courage in the face of the violence" was noted.

Elizabeth gave birth to her third child, Prince Andrew, in February 1960; this was the first birth to a reigning British monarch since 1857. Her fourth child, Prince Edward, was born in March 1964.

Political reforms and crises

Elizabeth waving from a carIn Queensland, Australia, 1970With President Tito of Yugoslavia in Belgrade, 1972

The 1960s and 1970s saw an acceleration in the decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean. More than 20 countries gained independence from Britain as part of a planned transition to self-government. In 1965, however, the Rhodesian prime minister, Ian Smith, in opposition to moves towards majority rule, unilaterally declared independence while expressing "loyalty and devotion" to Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth formally dismissed him, and the international community applied sanctions against Rhodesia, his regime survived for over a decade. As Britain's ties to its former empire weakened, the British government sought entry to the European Community, a goal it achieved in 1973.

In 1966, the Queen was criticised for waiting eight days before visiting the village of Aberfan, where a mining disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults. Martin Charteris said that the delay, made on his advice, was a mistake that she later regretted.

Elizabeth toured Yugoslavia in October 1972, becoming the first British monarch to visit a communist country. She was received at the airport by President Josip Broz Tito, and a crowd of thousands greeted her in Belgrade.

In February 1974, British prime minister Edward Heath advised Elizabeth to call a general election in the middle of her tour of the Austronesian Pacific Rim, requiring her to fly back to Britain. The election resulted in a hung parliament; Heath's Conservatives were not the largest party but could stay in office if they formed a coalition with the Liberals. When discussions on forming a coalition foundered, Heath resigned, and Elizabeth asked the Leader of the Opposition, Labour's Harold Wilson, to form a government.

A year later, at the height of the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis, the Australian prime minister, Gough Whitlam, was dismissed from his post by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, after the Opposition-controlled Senate rejected Whitlam's budget proposals. As Whitlam had a majority in the House of Representatives, Speaker Gordon Scholes appealed to Elizabeth to reverse Kerr's decision. She declined, saying she would not interfere in decisions reserved by the Constitution of Australia for the governor-general. The crisis fuelled Australian republicanism.

Leaders of the G7 states, members of the royal family and Elizabeth (centre), London, 1977

In 1977, Elizabeth marked the Silver Jubilee of her accession. Parties and events took place throughout the Commonwealth, many coinciding with her associated national and Commonwealth tours. The celebrations re-affirmed Elizabeth's popularity, despite virtually coincident negative press coverage of Princess Margaret's separation from her husband, Lord Snowdon. In 1978, Elizabeth endured a state visit to the United Kingdom by Romania's communist leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, and his wife, Elena, though privately she thought they had "blood on their hands". The following year brought two blows: the unmasking of Anthony Blunt, former Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, as a communist spy and the assassination of Lord Mountbatten by the Provisional Irish Republican Army.

According to Paul Martin Sr., by the end of the 1970s, Elizabeth was worried the Crown "had little meaning for" Pierre Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister. Tony Benn said Elizabeth found Trudeau "rather disappointing". Trudeau's supposed republicanism seemed to be confirmed by his antics, such as sliding down banisters at Buckingham Palace and pirouetting behind Elizabeth's back in 1977, and the removal of various Canadian royal symbols during his term of office. In 1980, Canadian politicians sent to London to discuss the patriation of the Canadian constitution found Elizabeth "better informed ... than any of the British politicians or bureaucrats". She was particularly interested after the failure of Bill C-60, which would have affected her role as head of state.

Perils and dissent

Elizabeth in red uniform on a black horse
Riding Burmese at the 1986 Trooping the Colour ceremony

During the 1981 Trooping the Colour ceremony, six weeks before the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, six shots were fired at Elizabeth from close range as she rode down The Mall, London, on her horse, Burmese. Police later discovered the shots were blanks. The 17-year-old assailant, Marcus Sarjeant, was sentenced to five years in prison and released after three. Elizabeth's composure and skill in controlling her mount were widely praised. That October, Elizabeth was the subject of another attack while on a visit to Dunedin, New Zealand. Christopher John Lewis, who was 17 years old, fired a shot with a .22 rifle from the fifth floor of a building overlooking the parade but missed. Lewis was arrested, but instead of being charged with attempted murder or treason was sentenced to three years in jail for unlawful possession and discharge of a firearm. Two years into his sentence, he attempted to escape a psychiatric hospital with the intention of assassinating Charles, who was visiting the country with Diana and their son Prince William.

Elizabeth and Ronald Reagan on black horses. He bare-headed; she in a headscarf; both in tweeds, jodhpurs and riding boots.
Riding at Windsor with President Reagan, June 1982

From April to September 1982, Elizabeth's son Andrew served with British forces in the Falklands War, for which she reportedly felt anxiety and pride. On 9 July, she awoke in her bedroom at Buckingham Palace to find an intruder, Michael Fagan, in the room with her. In a serious lapse of security, assistance only arrived after two calls to the Palace police switchboard. After hosting US president Ronald Reagan at Windsor Castle in 1982 and visiting his California ranch in 1983, Elizabeth was angered when his administration ordered the invasion of Grenada, one of her Caribbean realms, without informing her.

Intense media interest in the opinions and private lives of the royal family during the 1980s led to a series of sensational stories in the press, pioneered by The Sun tabloid. As Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun, told his staff: "Give me a Sunday for Monday splash on the Royals. Don't worry if it's not true—so long as there's not too much of a fuss about it afterwards." Newspaper editor Donald Trelford wrote in The Observer of 21 September 1986: "The royal soap opera has now reached such a pitch of public interest that the boundary between fact and fiction has been lost sight of ... it is not just that some papers don't check their facts or accept denials: they don't care if the stories are true or not." It was reported, most notably in The Sunday Times of 20 July 1986, that Elizabeth was worried that Margaret Thatcher's economic policies fostered social divisions and was alarmed by high unemployment, a series of riots, the violence of a miners' strike, and Thatcher's refusal to apply sanctions against the apartheid regime in South Africa. The sources of the rumours included royal aide Michael Shea and Commonwealth secretary-general Shridath Ramphal, but Shea claimed his remarks were taken out of context and embellished by speculation. Thatcher reputedly said Elizabeth would vote for the Social Democratic Party—Thatcher's political opponents. Thatcher's biographer John Campbell claimed "the report was a piece of journalistic mischief-making". Reports of acrimony between them were exaggerated, and Elizabeth gave two honours in her personal gift—membership in the Order of Merit and the Order of the Garter—to Thatcher after her replacement as prime minister by John Major. Brian Mulroney, Canadian prime minister between 1984 and 1993, said Elizabeth was a "behind the scenes force" in ending apartheid.

In 1986, Elizabeth paid a six-day state visit to the People's Republic of China, becoming the first British monarch to visit the country. The tour included the Forbidden City, the Great Wall of China, and the Terracotta Warriors. At a state banquet, Elizabeth joked about the first British emissary to China being lost at sea with Queen Elizabeth I's letter to the Wanli Emperor, and remarked, "fortunately postal services have improved since 1602". Elizabeth's visit also signified the acceptance of both countries that sovereignty over Hong Kong would be transferred from the United Kingdom to China in 1997.

By the end of the 1980s, Elizabeth had become the target of satire. The involvement of younger members of the royal family in the charity game show It's a Royal Knockout in 1987 was ridiculed. In Canada, Elizabeth publicly supported politically divisive constitutional amendments, prompting criticism from opponents of the proposed changes, including Pierre Trudeau. The same year, the elected Fijian government was deposed in a military coup. As monarch of Fiji, Elizabeth supported the attempts of Governor-General Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau to assert executive power and negotiate a settlement. Coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka deposed Ganilau and declared Fiji a republic.

Turbulent years

In the wake of coalition victory in the Gulf War, Elizabeth became the first British monarch to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress in May 1991.

Elizabeth, in formal dress, holds a pair of spectacles to her mouth in a thoughtful pose
With Philip in Germany, October 1992

In November 1992, in a speech to mark the Ruby Jubilee of her accession, Elizabeth called 1992 her annus horribilis (a Latin phrase, meaning "horrible year"). Republican feeling in Britain had risen because of press estimates of Elizabeth's private wealth—contradicted by the Palace—and reports of affairs and strained marriages among her extended family. In March, her second son, Prince Andrew, separated from his wife, Sarah; her daughter, Princess Anne, divorced Captain Mark Phillips in April; angry demonstrators in Dresden threw eggs at Elizabeth during a state visit to Germany in October; and a large fire broke out at Windsor Castle, one of her official residences, in November. The monarchy came under increased criticism and public scrutiny. In an unusually personal speech, Elizabeth said that any institution must expect criticism, but suggested it might be done with "a touch of humour, gentleness and understanding". Two days later, John Major announced plans to reform the royal finances, drawn up the previous year, including Elizabeth paying income tax from 1993 onwards, and a reduction in the civil list. In December, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, formally separated. At the end of the year, Elizabeth sued The Sun newspaper for breach of copyright when it published the text of her annual Christmas message two days before it was broadcast. The newspaper was forced to pay her legal fees and donated £200,000 to charity. Elizabeth's solicitors had taken successful action against The Sun five years earlier for breach of copyright after it published a photograph of her daughter-in-law the Duchess of York and her granddaughter Princess Beatrice.

In January 1994, Elizabeth broke the scaphoid bone in her left wrist as the horse she was riding at Sandringham tripped and fell. In October 1994, she became the first reigning British monarch to set foot on Russian soil. In October 1995, she was tricked into a hoax call by Montreal radio host Pierre Brassard impersonating Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien. Elizabeth, who believed that she was speaking to Chrétien, said she supported Canadian unity and would try to influence Quebec's referendum on proposals to break away from Canada.

In the year that followed, public revelations on the state of Charles and Diana's marriage continued. In consultation with her husband and John Major, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury (George Carey) and her private secretary (Robert Fellowes), Elizabeth wrote to Charles and Diana at the end of December 1995, suggesting that a divorce would be advisable.

In August 1997, a year after the divorce, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. Elizabeth was on holiday with her extended family at Balmoral. Diana's two sons, Princes William and Harry, wanted to attend church, so Elizabeth and Philip took them that morning. Afterwards, for five days, the royal couple shielded their grandsons from the intense press interest by keeping them at Balmoral where they could grieve in private, but the royal family's silence and seclusion, and the failure to fly a flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace, caused public dismay. Pressured by the hostile reaction, Elizabeth agreed to return to London and address the nation in a live television broadcast on 5 September, the day before Diana's funeral. In the broadcast, she expressed admiration for Diana and her feelings "as a grandmother" for the two princes. As a result, much of the public hostility evaporated.

In October 1997, Elizabeth and Philip made a state visit to India, which included a controversial visit to the site of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to pay her respects. Protesters chanted "Killer Queen, go back", and there were demands for her to apologise for the action of British troops 78 years earlier. At the memorial in the park, she and Philip laid a wreath and stood for a 30‑second moment of silence. As a result, much of the fury among the public softened, and the protests were called off. That November, the royal couple held a reception at Banqueting House to mark their golden wedding anniversary. Elizabeth made a speech and praised Philip for his role as consort, referring to him as "my strength and stay".

In 1999, as part of the process of devolution in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth formally opened newly established legislatures for Wales and Scotland: the National Assembly for Wales at Cardiff in May, and the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh in July.

Dawn of the new millennium

Golden Jubilee dinner with living British prime ministers, 2002: (left to right) Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, Edward Heath, Elizabeth, James Callaghan, John Major

On the eve of the new millennium, Elizabeth and Philip boarded a vessel from Southwark, bound for the Millennium Dome. Before passing under Tower Bridge, she lit the National Millennium Beacon in the Pool of London using a laser torch. Shortly before midnight, she officially opened the Dome. During the singing of Auld Lang Syne, Elizabeth held hands with Philip and British prime minister Tony Blair. Following the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Elizabeth, breaking with tradition, ordered the American national anthem to be played during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace to express her solidarity with the country.

In 2002, Elizabeth marked her Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of her accession. Her sister and mother died in February and March, respectively, and the media speculated on whether the Jubilee would be a success or a failure. Princess Margaret's death shook Elizabeth; her funeral was one of the rare occasions where Elizabeth openly cried. Elizabeth again undertook an extensive tour of her realms, beginning in Jamaica in February, where she called the farewell banquet "memorable" after a power cut plunged King's House, the official residence of the governor-general, into darkness. As in 1977, there were street parties and commemorative events, and monuments were named to honour the occasion. One million people attended each day of the three-day main Jubilee celebration in London, and the enthusiasm shown for Elizabeth by the public was greater than many journalists had anticipated.

Greeting NASA employees at the Goddard Space Flight Center, Maryland, May 2007

In 2003, Elizabeth sued the Daily Mirror for breach of confidence and obtained an injunction which prevented the outlet from publishing information gathered by a reporter who posed as a footman at Buckingham Palace. The newspaper also paid £25,000 towards her legal costs. Though generally healthy throughout her life, in 2003 she had keyhole surgery on both knees. In October 2006, she missed the opening of the new Emirates Stadium because of a strained back muscle that had been troubling her since the summer.

In May 2007, citing unnamed sources, The Daily Telegraph reported that Elizabeth was "exasperated and frustrated" by the policies of Tony Blair, that she was concerned the British Armed Forces were overstretched in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that she had raised concerns over rural and countryside issues with Blair. She was, however, said to admire Blair's efforts to achieve peace in Northern Ireland. She became the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary in November 2007. On 20 March 2008, at the Church of Ireland St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh, Elizabeth attended the first Maundy service held outside England and Wales.

Elizabeth addressed the UN General Assembly for a second time in 2010, again in her capacity as Queen of all Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth. The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, introduced her as "an anchor for our age". During her visit to New York, which followed a tour of Canada, she officially opened a memorial garden for British victims of the 9/11 attacks. Elizabeth's 11-day visit to Australia in October 2011 was her 16th visit to the country since 1954. By invitation of the Irish president, Mary McAleese, she made the first state visit to the Republic of Ireland by a British monarch in May 2011.

Diamond Jubilee and milestones

Visiting Birmingham in July 2012 as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour

The 2012 Diamond Jubilee marked 60 years since Elizabeth's accession, and celebrations were held throughout her realms, the wider Commonwealth, and beyond. She and Philip undertook an extensive tour of the United Kingdom, while their children and grandchildren embarked on royal tours of other Commonwealth states on her behalf. On 4 June, Jubilee beacons were lit around the world. On 18 December, the Queen became the first British sovereign to attend a peacetime Cabinet meeting since George III in 1781.

Elizabeth, who opened the Montreal Summer Olympics in 1976, also opened the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, making her the first head of state to open two Olympic Games in two countries. For the London Olympics, she portrayed herself in a short film as part of the opening ceremony, alongside Daniel Craig as James Bond. On 4 April 2013, she received an honorary BAFTA award for her patronage of the film industry and was called "the most memorable Bond girl yet" at a special presentation at Windsor Castle.

Opening the Borders Railway on the day she became the longest-reigning British monarch, 2015. In her speech, she said she had never aspired to achieve that milestone.

In March 2013, the Queen stayed overnight at King Edward VII's Hospital as a precaution after developing symptoms of gastroenteritis. A week later, she signed the new Charter of the Commonwealth. That year, because of her age and the need for her to limit travelling, she chose not to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting for the first time in 40 years. She was represented at the summit in Sri Lanka by Prince Charles. On 20 April 2018, the Commonwealth heads of government announced that Charles would succeed her as Head of the Commonwealth, which the Queen stated as her "sincere wish". She underwent cataract surgery in May 2018. In March 2019, she gave up driving on public roads, largely as a consequence of a car accident involving her husband two months earlier.

On 21 December 2007, Elizabeth surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-lived British monarch, and she became the longest-reigning British monarch and longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state in the world on 9 September 2015. She became the oldest living monarch after the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on 23 January 2015. She later became the longest-reigning current monarch and the longest-serving current head of state following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand on 13 October 2016, and the oldest current head of state on the resignation of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on 21 November 2017. On 6 February 2017, she became the first British monarch to commemorate a sapphire jubilee, and on 20 November that year, she was the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary. Philip had retired from his official duties as the Queen's consort in August 2017.

Pandemic and widowhood

On 19 March 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United Kingdom, Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle and sequestered there as a precaution. Public engagements were cancelled and Windsor Castle followed a strict sanitary protocol nicknamed "HMS Bubble".

Virtual meeting with Cindy Kiro during the COVID-19 pandemic, October 2021

On 5 April, in a televised broadcast watched by an estimated 24 million viewers in the United Kingdom, Elizabeth asked people to "take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again." On 8 May, the 75th anniversary of VE Day, in a television broadcast at 9 pm—the exact time at which her father had broadcast to the nation on the same day in 1945—she asked people to "never give up, never despair". In 2021, she received her first and second COVID-19 vaccinations in January and April respectively.

Prince Philip died on 9 April 2021, after 73 years of marriage, making Elizabeth the first British monarch to reign as a widow or widower since Queen Victoria. She was reportedly at her husband's bedside when he died, and remarked in private that his death had "left a huge void". Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place in England at the time, Elizabeth sat alone at Philip's funeral service, which evoked sympathy from people around the world. It was later reported in the press that Elizabeth had rejected a government offer to relax the rules. In her Christmas broadcast that year, which was ultimately her last, she paid a personal tribute to her "beloved Philip", saying, "That mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him."

Despite the pandemic, Elizabeth attended the 2021 State Opening of Parliament in May, the 47th G7 summit in June, and hosted US president Joe Biden at Windsor Castle. Biden was the 14th US president that the Queen had met. In October 2021, Elizabeth cancelled a planned trip to Northern Ireland and stayed overnight at King Edward VII's Hospital for "preliminary investigations". On Christmas Day 2021, while she was staying at Windsor Castle, 19-year-old Jaswant Singh Chail broke into the gardens using a rope ladder and carrying a crossbow with the aim of assassinating Elizabeth in revenge for the Amritsar massacre. Before he could enter any buildings, he was arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to attempting to injure or alarm the sovereign.

Platinum Jubilee and beyond

With the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, June 2022

Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations began on 6 February 2022, marking 70 years since her accession. In her accession day message, she renewed her commitment to a lifetime of public service, which she had originally made in 1947.

Later that month, Elizabeth fell ill with COVID-19 along with several family members, but she only exhibited "mild cold-like symptoms" and recovered by the end of the month. She was present at the service of thanksgiving for her husband at Westminster Abbey on 29 March, but was unable to attend both the annual Commonwealth Day service that month and the Royal Maundy service in April, because of "episodic mobility problems". In May, she missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years. (She did not attend the state openings in 1959 and 1963 as she was pregnant with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, respectively.)

Elizabeth was largely confined to balcony appearances during the public jubilee celebrations, and she missed the National Service of Thanksgiving on 3 June. On 13 June, she became the second-longest reigning monarch in history (among those whose exact dates of reign are known), with 70 years and 127 days on the throne—surpassing King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. On 6 September, she appointed her 15th British prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. This was the only occasion on which Elizabeth received a new prime minister at a location other than Buckingham Palace. No other British monarch appointed as many prime ministers. The Queen's last public message was issued on 7 September, in which she expressed her sympathy for those affected by the Saskatchewan stabbings.

Elizabeth did not plan to abdicate, though she took on fewer public engagements in her later years and Prince Charles performed more of her duties. She told Canadian governor-general Adrienne Clarkson in a meeting in 2002 that she would never abdicate, saying, "It is not our tradition. Although, I suppose if I became completely gaga, one would have to do something." In June 2022, Elizabeth met the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who "came away thinking there is someone who has no fear of death, has hope in the future, knows the rock on which she stands and that gives her strength."

Death

Main article: Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II
Tributes left in The Mall, London

On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace stated, "Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral." Her immediate family rushed to Balmoral. She died peacefully at 15:10 BST at the age of 96. Her death was announced to the public at 18:30, setting in motion Operation London Bridge and, because she died in Scotland, Operation Unicorn. Elizabeth was the first monarch to die in Scotland since James V in 1542. Her death certificate recorded her cause of death as "old age". According to her former prime minister Boris Johnson and the biographer Gyles Brandreth, she was suffering from a form of bone marrow cancer, which Brandreth wrote was multiple myeloma.

On 12 September, Elizabeth's coffin was carried up the Royal Mile in a procession to St Giles' Cathedral, where the Crown of Scotland was placed on it. Her coffin lay at rest at the cathedral for 24 hours, guarded by the Royal Company of Archers, during which around 33,000 people filed past it. On 13 September, the coffin was flown to RAF Northolt in west London to be met by Liz Truss, before continuing its journey by road to Buckingham Palace. On 14 September, her coffin was taken in a military procession to Westminster Hall, where Elizabeth's body lay in state for four days. The coffin was guarded by members of both the Sovereign's Bodyguard and the Household Division. An estimated 250,000 members of the public filed past the coffin, as did politicians and other public figures. On 16 September, Elizabeth's children held a vigil around her coffin, and the next day her eight grandchildren did the same.

Elizabeth's coffin on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, during the procession to Wellington Arch

Elizabeth's state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on 19 September, which marked the first time a monarch's funeral service was held at the Abbey since George II in 1760. More than a million people lined the streets of central London, and the day was declared a holiday in several Commonwealth countries. In Windsor, a final procession involving 1,000 military personnel took place, which 97,000 people witnessed. Elizabeth's fell pony and two royal corgis stood at the side of the procession. After a committal service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Elizabeth's body was interred with her husband Philip's in the King George VI Memorial Chapel later the same day, in a private ceremony attended by her closest family members.

Legacy

Main article: Personality and image of Elizabeth II

Beliefs, activities, and interests

Patting a dog in New Zealand, 1974

Elizabeth rarely gave interviews, and little was known of her political opinions, which she did not express explicitly in public. It is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views. When Times journalist Paul Routledge asked her about the miners' strike of 1984–85 during a royal tour of the newspaper's offices, she replied that it was "all about one man" (a reference to Arthur Scargill), with which Routledge disagreed. Routledge was widely criticised in the media for asking the question and claimed that he was unaware of the protocols. After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron was overheard saying that Elizabeth was pleased with the outcome. She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.

Elizabeth had a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and took her Coronation Oath seriously. Aside from her official religious role as supreme governor of the established Church of England, she worshipped with that church and with the national Church of Scotland. She demonstrated support for inter-faith relations and met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes: Pius XII, John XXIII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. A personal note about her faith often featured in her annual Christmas Message broadcast to the Commonwealth. In 2000, she said:

To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.

Elizabeth was patron of more than 600 organisations and charities. The Charities Aid Foundation estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4 billion for her patronages during her reign. Her main leisure interests included equestrianism and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Her lifelong love of corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first of many royal corgis. Scenes of a relaxed, informal home life were occasionally witnessed; she and her family, from time to time, prepared a meal together and washed the dishes afterwards.

Media depiction and public opinion

In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen". After the trauma of the Second World War, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a "new Elizabethan age". Lord Altrincham's accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a "priggish schoolgirl" was an extremely rare criticism. In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of the monarchy were made in the television documentary Royal Family and by televising Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. Elizabeth also instituted other new practices; her first royal walkabout, meeting ordinary members of the public, took place during a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1970. Her wardrobe developed a recognisable, signature style driven more by function than fashion. In public, she took to wearing mostly solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, allowing her to be seen easily in a crowd. By the end of her reign, nearly one third of Britons had seen or met Elizabeth in person.

At Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic; but, in the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny. Her popularity sank to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace was opened to the public. Although support for republicanism in Britain seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republican ideology was still a minority viewpoint, and Elizabeth herself had high approval ratings. Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself, and the conduct of Elizabeth's wider family, rather than her own behaviour and actions. Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity—as well as general support for the monarchy—rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days after Diana's death.

In Brisbane, Australia, 1982

In November 1999, a referendum in Australia on the future of the Australian monarchy favoured its retention in preference to an indirectly elected head of state. Many republicans credited Elizabeth's personal popularity with the survival of the monarchy in Australia. In 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard noted that there was a "deep affection" for Elizabeth in Australia and that another referendum on the monarchy should wait until after her reign. Gillard's successor, Malcolm Turnbull, who led the republican campaign in 1999, similarly believed that Australians would not vote to become a republic in her lifetime. "She's been an extraordinary head of state", Turnbull said in 2021, "and I think frankly, in Australia, there are more Elizabethans than there are monarchists." Similarly, referendums in both Tuvalu in 2008 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009 saw voters reject proposals to become republics.

Polls in Britain in 2006 and 2007 revealed strong support for the monarchy, and in 2012, Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee year, her approval ratings hit 90 per cent. Her family came under scrutiny again in the last few years of her life due to her son Andrew's association with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre amidst accusations of sexual impropriety, and her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan's exit from the working royal family and subsequent move to the United States. Polling in Great Britain during the Platinum Jubilee, however, showed support for maintaining the monarchy and Elizabeth's personal popularity remained strong. As of 2021 she remained the third most admired woman in the world according to the annual Gallup poll, her 52 appearances on the list meaning she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.

Elizabeth was portrayed in a variety of media by many notable artists, including painters Pietro Annigoni, Peter Blake, Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, Terence Cuneo, Lucian Freud, Rolf Harris, Damien Hirst, Juliet Pannett and Tai-Shan Schierenberg. Notable photographers of Elizabeth included Cecil Beaton, Yousuf Karsh, Anwar Hussein, Annie Leibovitz, Lord Lichfield, Terry O'Neill, John Swannell and Dorothy Wilding. The first official portrait photograph of Elizabeth was taken by Marcus Adams in 1926.

Titles, styles, honours, and arms

Main article: List of titles and honours of Elizabeth II Royal cypher of Elizabeth II, surmounted by St Edward's CrownPersonal flag of Elizabeth II

Titles and styles

Elizabeth held many titles and honorary military positions throughout the Commonwealth, was sovereign of many orders in her own countries and received honours and awards from around the world. In each of her realms, she had a distinct title that follows a similar formula: Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories in Saint Lucia, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories in Australia, etc. She was also styled Defender of the Faith.

Arms

See also: Flags of Elizabeth II

From 21 April 1944 until her accession, Elizabeth's arms consisted of a lozenge bearing the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a label of three points argent, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose and the first and third a cross of Saint George. Upon her accession, she inherited the various arms her father held as sovereign, with a subsequently modified representation of the crown. Elizabeth also possessed royal standards and personal flags for use in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and elsewhere.

Issue

Name Birth Marriage Children Grandchildren
Date Spouse
Charles III (1948-11-14) 14 November 1948 (age 76) 29 July 1981 Divorced 28 August 1996 Lady Diana Spencer William, Prince of Wales
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
9 April 2005 Camilla Parker Bowles None
Anne, Princess Royal (1950-08-15) 15 August 1950 (age 74) 14 November 1973 Divorced 23 April 1992 Mark Phillips Peter Phillips
  • Savannah Phillips
  • Isla Phillips
Zara Tindall
  • Mia Tindall
  • Lena Tindall
  • Lucas Tindall
12 December 1992 Timothy Laurence None
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (1960-02-19) 19 February 1960 (age 64) 23 July 1986 Divorced 30 May 1996 Sarah Ferguson Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi Sienna Mapelli Mozzi
Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank
  • August Brooksbank
  • Ernest Brooksbank
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (1964-03-10) 10 March 1964 (age 60) 19 June 1999 Sophie Rhys-Jones Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor None
James Mountbatten-Windsor, Earl of Wessex None

Ancestry

See also: Royal descendants of Queen Victoria and of King Christian IX
Ancestors of Elizabeth II
8. Edward VII of the United Kingdom
4. George V of the United Kingdom
9. Princess Alexandra of Denmark
2. George VI of the United Kingdom
10. Francis, Duke of Teck
5. Princess Mary of Teck
11. Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge
1. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
12. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
6. Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
13. Frances Smith
3. Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
14. Charles Cavendish-Bentinck
7. Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck
15. Louisa Burnaby

See also

Notes

  1. As monarch, Elizabeth was Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She was also a member of the Church of Scotland.
  2. Her godparents were: King George V and Queen Mary; Lord Strathmore; Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (her paternal great-granduncle); Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles (her paternal aunt); and Lady Elphinstone (her maternal aunt).
  3. The oft-quoted speech was written by Dermot Morrah, a journalist for The Times.
  4. Television coverage of the coronation was instrumental in boosting the medium's popularity; the number of television licences in the United Kingdom doubled to 3 million, and many of the more than 20 million British viewers watched television for the first time in the homes of their friends or neighbours. In North America, almost 100 million viewers watched recorded broadcasts.
  5. The Sunday Times Rich List 1989 put her number one on the list with a reported wealth of £5.2 billion (approximately £12.6 billion in 2023's value), but it included state assets like the Royal Collection that were not hers personally. In 1993, Buckingham Palace called estimates of £100 million "grossly overstated". In 1971, Jock Colville, her former private secretary and a director of her bank, Coutts, estimated her wealth at £2 million (equivalent to about £15 million in 1993).
  6. The only previous state visit by a British monarch to Russia was made by King Edward VII in 1908. The King never stepped ashore, and met Nicholas II on royal yachts off the Baltic port of what is now Tallinn, Estonia. During the four-day visit, which was considered to be one of the most important foreign trips of Elizabeth's reign, she and Philip attended events in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

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Bibliography

External links

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Spoken Misplaced Pages iconThis audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 22 April 2023 (2023-04-22), and does not reflect subsequent edits.(Audio help · More spoken articles) Titles and succession
Elizabeth II House of WindsorBorn: 21 April 1926 Died: 8 September 2022
Regnal titles
Preceded byGeorge VI Queen of the United Kingdom
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Succeeded byCharles III
Queen of Australia
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Canada
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Queen of New Zealand
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Ceylon
6 February 1952 – 22 May 1972
Republics established
Queen of Pakistan
6 February 1952 – 23 March 1956
Queen of South Africa
6 February 1952 – 31 May 1961
New title
Independence from the United Kingdom
Queen of Ghana
6 March 1957 – 1 July 1960
Queen of Nigeria
1 October 1960 – 1 October 1963
Queen of Sierra Leone
27 April 1961 – 19 April 1971
Queen of Tanganyika
9 December 1961 – 9 December 1962
Queen of Trinidad and Tobago
31 August 1962 – 1 August 1976
Queen of Uganda
9 October 1962 – 9 October 1963
Queen of Kenya
12 December 1963 – 12 December 1964
Queen of Malawi
6 July 1964 – 6 July 1966
Queen of Malta
21 September 1964 – 13 December 1974
Queen of the Gambia
18 February 1965 – 24 April 1970
Queen of Guyana
26 May 1966 – 23 February 1970
Queen of Barbados
30 November 1966 – 30 November 2021
Queen of Mauritius
12 March 1968 – 12 March 1992
Queen of Fiji
10 October 1970 – 6 October 1987
Queen of Jamaica
6 August 1962 – 8 September 2022
Succeeded byCharles III
Queen of the Bahamas
10 July 1973 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Grenada
7 February 1974 – 8 September 2022
New title
Independence from Australia
Queen of Papua New Guinea
16 September 1975 – 8 September 2022
New title
Independence from the United Kingdom
Queen of the Solomon Islands
7 July 1978 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Tuvalu
1 October 1978 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Saint Lucia
22 February 1979 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
27 October 1979 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Belize
21 September 1981 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Antigua and Barbuda
1 November 1981 – 8 September 2022
Queen of Saint Kitts and Nevis
19 September 1983 – 8 September 2022
Honorary titles
Preceded byGeorge VI Head of the Commonwealth
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022
Succeeded byCharles III
Military offices
Preceded byThe Earl Jellicoeas First Lord of the Admiralty Lord High Admiral
1 April 1964 – 10 June 2011
Succeeded byThe Duke of Edinburgh
Preceded byThe Duke of Edinburgh Lord High Admiral
9 April 2021 – 8 September 2022
Succeeded byCharles III
Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (1952–2022)
Realms
Titles and
honours
Family
Accession and
coronation
Reign
Jubilees
Silver Jubilee
Ruby Jubilee
Golden Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
Sapphire JubileeSapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch
Platinum Jubilee
  • Medal
  • Beacons
  • Platinum Party at the Palace
  • Pageant
  • Platinum Jubilee Celebration: A Gallop Through History
  • Trooping the Colour
  • National Service of Thanksgiving
  • Platinum Pudding
  • The Queen's Green Canopy
  • Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours
  • The Bahamas Platinum Jubilee Sailing Regatta
  • The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Concert
  • Big Jubilee Read
  • "Queenhood"
  • Queen's Platinum Jubilee Gardens
  • Death
    Commonwealth
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