The two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford. Įlizabeth's only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930. 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 during his serious illness in 1929 her regular visits were credited in the popular press and by later biographers with raising his spirits and aiding his recovery. She was baptised by the Anglican Archbishop of York, Cosmo Gordon Lang, in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace on 29 May, and 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 delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfather's London house: 17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Her mother, the Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. Her father, the Duke of York (later King George VI), was the second son of the King. However, support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom has been and remains consistently high, as does her personal popularity.Įlizabeth was born at 02:40 ( GMT) on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather, King George V. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiment and press criticism of the royal family, particularly after the breakdown of her children's marriages, her annus horribilis in 1992, and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales. Elizabeth is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, the longest-serving female head of state in history, the oldest living and longest-reigning current monarch, and the oldest and longest-serving incumbent head of state. Significant events have included the Queen's coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 20 respectively.
Her many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 and visits to or from five popes. The number of her realms has varied over time as territories have gained independence, and as some realms have become republics. Elizabeth has 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 and withdrawal from the European Union. When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth-then 25 years old-became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon, as well as Head of the Commonwealth.
They had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales Anne, Princess Royal Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, and their marriage lasted 73 years until Philip's death in 2021. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service.
Her father acceded to the throne in 1936 upon the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, making Elizabeth the heir presumptive. Įlizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary born 21 April 1926) is Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms.