Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth II</span>

Elizabeth II

<p><b>Elizabeth II</b> (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was <a href="/en/Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Queen of the United Kingdom" class="mw-redirect wl">Queen of the United Kingdom</a> and other <a href="/en/Commonwealth_realm" title="Commonwealth realm" class="wl">Commonwealth realms</a> from 6 February 1952 until <a href="/en/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II" class="wl">her death</a> in 2022. She was <a href="/en/Queen_regnant" title="Queen regnant" class="wl">queen regnant</a> of <a href="/en/List_of_sovereign_states_headed_by_Elizabeth_II" title="List of sovereign states headed by Elizabeth II" class="wl">32 sovereign states</a> during her lifetime and was <a href="/en/Head_of_state" title="Head of state" class="wl">head of state</a> of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the <a href="/en/List_of_monarchs_in_Britain_by_length_of_reign" title="List of monarchs in Britain by length of reign" class="wl">longest of any British monarch</a> and the <a href="/en/List_of_longest-reigning_monarchs" title="List of longest-reigning monarchs" class="wl">longest verified reign of any female monarch in history</a>.</p>

<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt1">Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 to 2022</div>
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</span><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1066479718" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-header,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-subheader,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-above,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-title,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-image,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data,body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .infobox-below{text-align:center}</style><div class='mobile-collapse'><header class="mobile-collapse-header mobile-collapse-btn"><b>Quick facts: Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and...</b> <span class='arrow'>▼</span></header> <table class="infobox vcard mobile-collapse-element"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above fn notheme" style="background-color: #cbe; font-size: 125%">Elizabeth II</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-subheader"><i><a href="/en/Head_of_the_Commonwealth" title="Head of the Commonwealth" class="wl">Head of the Commonwealth</a></i></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image photo"><span class="mw-default-size"><a href="/en/File:Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_(retouched)_(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_(retouched)_(cropped)_(3-to-4_aspect_ratio).jpg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Elizabeth facing right in a half-length portrait photograph" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg/220px-Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="739" data-file-height="985" data-file-type="bitmap" height="293" width="220" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg/330px-Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg/440px-Queen_Elizabeth_II_official_portrait_for_1959_tour_%28retouched%29_%28cropped%29_%283-to-4_aspect_ratio%29.jpg 2x"></a></span><div class="infobox-caption" style="line-height:normal;padding-bottom:0.2em;padding-top:0.2em;">Formal portrait, 1959</div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #e4dcf6;line-height:normal;padding:0.2em 0.2em"><a href="/en/Queen_of_the_United_Kingdom" title="Queen of the United Kingdom" class="mw-redirect wl">Queen of the United Kingdom</a><br>and other <a href="/en/Commonwealth_realm" title="Commonwealth realm" class="wl">Commonwealth realms</a> <div style="display:inline;font-weight:normal" class="noprint"><i>(<a href="/en/List_of_sovereign_states_headed_by_Elizabeth_II" title="List of sovereign states headed by Elizabeth II" class="wl">list</a>)</i> </div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Reign</th><td class="infobox-data">6 February 1952<span>&nbsp;</span><span>–</span><span> </span><span class="avoidwrap" style="display:inline-block;">8 September 2022</span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/en/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Coronation of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Coronation</a></th><td class="infobox-data">2 June 1953</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Predecessor</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/George_VI" title="George VI" class="wl">George VI</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Successor</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Charles_III" title="Charles III" class="wl">Charles III</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header notheme" style="background-color: #e4dcf6;line-height:normal;padding:0.2em 0.2em"><div style="height: 4px; width:100%;"></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Born</th><td class="infobox-data">Princess Elizabeth of York<br><span style="display:none">(<span class="bday">1926-04-21</span>)</span>21 April 1926<br><a href="/en/Mayfair" title="Mayfair" class="wl">Mayfair</a>, London, England</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Died</th><td class="infobox-data">8 September 2022<span style="display:none">(2022-09-08)</span> (aged<span>&nbsp;</span>96)<br><a href="/en/Balmoral_Castle" title="Balmoral Castle" class="wl">Balmoral Castle</a>, Aberdeenshire, Scotland</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Burial</th><td class="infobox-data">19 September 2022<br><div style="display:inline" class="label"><a href="/en/King_George_VI_Memorial_Chapel" title="King George VI Memorial Chapel" class="wl">King George VI Memorial Chapel</a>, St George's Chapel, Windsor<span>&nbsp;</span>Castle</div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Spouse</th><td class="infobox-data"><div style="display:inline;white-space:nowrap;"><div style="display:inline-block;line-height:normal;margin-top:1px;white-space:normal;"><a href="/en/Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh" title="Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh" class="wl">Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh</a></div>
   <div style="line-height:0;margin-bottom:-2px;"><span>​</span></div><span> </span><div style="display:inline-block;margin-bottom:1px;"><span>​</span></div><span>(</span><abbr about="#mwt33" typeof="mw:ExpandedAttrs" data-mw="{&quot;attribs&quot;:[[{&quot;txt&quot;:&quot;title&quot;},{&quot;html&quot;:&quot;<span typeof=\&quot;mw:Nowiki\&quot; data-parsoid=\&quot;{}\&quot;>married</span>&quot;}]]}">m.</abbr><span>&nbsp;</span><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1038841319" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}</style><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip  ">1947</span><span>;</span><span> </span>died<span>&nbsp;</span><span class="rt-commentedText tooltip  ">2021</span><span>)</span><wbr><span>​</span></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Issue<br><span style="font-weight:normal"><i><a href="#Issue" target="_blank">Detail</a></i></span></th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409" typeof="mw:Extension/templatestyles">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist ">
<ul><li><a href="/en/Charles_III" title="Charles III" class="wl">Charles III</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Anne,_Princess_Royal" title="Anne, Princess Royal" class="wl">Anne, Princess Royal</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Prince_Andrew,_Duke_of_York" title="Prince Andrew, Duke of York" class="wl">Prince Andrew, Duke of York</a></li>
<li><a href="/en/Prince_Edward,_Duke_of_Edinburgh" title="Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh" class="wl">Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh</a></li></ul>

</div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><table class="infobox" style="border-collapse:collapse; border-spacing:0px; border:none; width:100%; margin:0px; font-size:100%; clear:none; float:none"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header" style="text-align:left">Names</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data nickname" style="text-align:left; padding-left:0.7em;">Elizabeth Alexandra Mary</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/en/Dynasty" title="Dynasty" class="wl">House</a></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/House_of_Windsor" title="House of Windsor" class="wl">Windsor</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Father</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/George_VI" title="George VI" class="wl">George VI</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Mother</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Elizabeth_Bowes-Lyon" title="Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon" class="mw-redirect wl">Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Religion</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/en/Protestant" title="Protestant" class="mw-redirect wl">Protestant</a><span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-religion_1-0"><a href="#cite_note-religion-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;" data-mw-group="lower-alpha"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[lower-alpha 1]</span></a></span></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Signature</th><td class="infobox-data"><span class="notpageimage"><a href="/en/File:Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" title="Elizabeth II's signature" data-hash="File:Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg"><img loading="lazy"alt="Elizabeth's signature in black ink" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg/125px-Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="830" data-file-height="270" data-file-type="drawing" height="41" width="125" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg/188px-Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/91/Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg/250px-Elizabeth_II_signature_1952.svg.png 2x"></a></span></td></tr></tbody></table> <footer class='mobile-collapse-footer mobile-collapse-btn'><b>Close</b> <span class='arrow'>▲</span></footer></div>

<p>Elizabeth was born in <a href="/en/Mayfair" title="Mayfair" class="wl">Mayfair</a>, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later <a href="/en/King_George_VI" title="King George VI" class="mw-redirect wl">King George&nbsp;VI</a> and <a href="/en/Queen_Elizabeth_The_Queen_Mother" title="Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother" class="wl">Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother</a>). Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon <a href="/en/Abdication_of_Edward_VIII" title="Abdication of Edward VIII" class="wl">the abdication</a> of his brother <a href="/en/Edward_VIII" title="Edward VIII" class="wl">Edward&nbsp;VIII</a>, making the ten-year-old Princess Elizabeth the <a href="/en/Heir_presumptive" title="Heir presumptive" class="wl">heir presumptive</a>. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the <a href="/en/Auxiliary_Territorial_Service" title="Auxiliary Territorial Service" class="wl">Auxiliary Territorial Service</a>. In November 1947, she <a href="/en/Wedding_of_Princess_Elizabeth_and_Philip_Mountbatten" title="Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten" class="wl">married</a> <a href="/en/Philip_Mountbatten" title="Philip Mountbatten" class="mw-redirect wl">Philip Mountbatten</a>, a former <a href="/en/Prince_of_Greece_and_Denmark" title="Prince of Greece and Denmark" class="mw-redirect wl">prince of Greece and Denmark</a>, and their marriage lasted 73 years until <a href="/en/Death_and_funeral_of_Prince_Philip,_Duke_of_Edinburgh" title="Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh" class="wl">his death in 2021</a>. They had four children: <a href="/en/Charles_III" title="Charles III" class="wl">Charles</a>, <a href="/en/Anne,_Princess_Royal" title="Anne, Princess Royal" class="wl">Anne</a>, <a href="/en/Prince_Andrew,_Duke_of_York" title="Prince Andrew, Duke of York" class="wl">Andrew</a>, and <a href="/en/Prince_Edward,_Duke_of_Edinburgh" title="Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh" class="wl">Edward</a>.</p>

<p>When <a href="/en/Death_and_state_funeral_of_George_VI" title="Death and state funeral of George VI" class="wl">her father died</a> in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, <a href="/en/Union_of_South_Africa" title="Union of South Africa" class="wl">South Africa</a>, <a href="/en/Dominion_of_Pakistan" title="Dominion of Pakistan" class="wl">Pakistan</a>, and <a href="/en/Dominion_of_Ceylon" title="Dominion of Ceylon" class="wl">Ceylon</a> (known today as Sri Lanka), as well as <a href="/en/Head_of_the_Commonwealth" title="Head of the Commonwealth" class="wl">head of the Commonwealth</a>. Elizabeth reigned as a <a href="/en/Constitutional_monarch" title="Constitutional monarch" class="mw-redirect wl">constitutional monarch</a> through major political changes such as <a href="/en/The_Troubles" title="The Troubles" class="wl">the Troubles</a> in Northern Ireland, <a href="/en/Devolution_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Devolution in the United Kingdom" class="wl">devolution in the United Kingdom</a>, the <a href="/en/Decolonisation_of_Africa" title="Decolonisation of Africa" class="wl">decolonisation of Africa</a>, and the <a href="/en/United_Kingdom's_accession_to_the_European_Communities" title="United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities" class="mw-redirect wl">United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities</a> and <a href="/en/Brexit" title="Brexit" class="wl">withdrawal from the European Union</a>. The number of her realms varied over time as territories gained independence and some realms <a href="/en/Republics_in_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations" title="Republics in the Commonwealth of Nations" class="wl">became republics</a>. As queen, Elizabeth was served by <a href="/en/List_of_prime_ministers_of_Elizabeth_II" title="List of prime ministers of Elizabeth II" class="wl">more than 170 prime ministers</a> across her realms. Her many historic visits and meetings included <a href="/en/List_of_state_visits_made_by_Elizabeth_II" title="List of state visits made by Elizabeth II" class="wl">state visits</a> to China in 1986, <a href="/en/State_visit_by_Elizabeth_II_to_Russia" title="State visit by Elizabeth II to Russia" class="wl">to Russia</a> in 1994, and <a href="/en/State_visit_by_Elizabeth_II_to_the_Republic_of_Ireland" title="State visit by Elizabeth II to the Republic of Ireland" class="wl">to the Republic of Ireland</a> in 2011, and meetings with five <a href="/en/Popes" title="Popes" class="mw-redirect wl">popes</a>.</p>

<p>Significant events included <a href="/en/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Coronation of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Elizabeth's coronation</a> in 1953 and the celebrations of her <a href="/en/Silver_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Silver</a>, <a href="/en/Golden_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Golden</a>, <a href="/en/Diamond_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Diamond</a>, and <a href="/en/Platinum_Jubilee_of_Elizabeth_II" title="Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II" class="wl">Platinum</a> <a href="/en/Jubilee" title="Jubilee" class="wl">jubilees</a> in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively. Although she faced occasional <a href="/en/Republicanism_in_the_United_Kingdom" title="Republicanism in the United Kingdom" class="wl">republican</a> sentiment and media criticism of her family—particularly after the breakdowns of her children's marriages, her <span><i lang="la"><a href="/en/Annus_horribilis#Elizabeth_II" title="Annus horribilis" class="wl">annus horribilis</a></i></span> in 1992, and <a href="/en/Death_of_Diana,_Princess_of_Wales" title="Death of Diana, Princess of Wales" class="wl">the death</a> in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law <a href="/en/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales" title="Diana, Princess of Wales" class="wl">Diana</a>—support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom remained consistently high throughout her lifetime, as did her personal popularity. Elizabeth died at <a href="/en/Balmoral_Castle" title="Balmoral Castle" class="wl">Balmoral Castle</a>, Aberdeenshire, in 2022 at the age of 96 and was succeeded by her eldest son, Charles<span>&nbsp;</span>III.</p>



Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was head of state of 15 realms at the time of her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days was the longest of any British monarch and the longest verified reign of any female monarch in history. Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York . 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, and their marriage lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. 