Who was Queen Elizabeth II?
Queen Elizabeth II was the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death in 2022. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch.
Elizabeth was born in London on 21 April 1926. She was not expected to become queen, but her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in 1936, and her father became King George VI.
During World War II, she trained as a mechanic and driver in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
A long reign
Elizabeth became queen on 6 February 1952, at the age of 25, when her father died. She was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953, in the first coronation broadcast on television.
She married Prince Philip in 1947, and they had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Philip died in 2021.
Elizabeth celebrated Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees. She worked with 15 British Prime Ministers, from Winston Churchill to Liz Truss.
She died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on 8 September 2022, aged 96. Her state funeral was watched by millions around the world. She was succeeded by her son, King Charles III.