Queen

Queen Elizabeth II, was born on 21st April 1926 in

Mayfair, London.

She was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen’s birthday is officially celebrated in Britain on the second Saturday of June each year. This special day is referred to as ‘The Trooping of the Colour’.

The Queen is also known as the British Sovereign.

throne.

Elizabeth’s father was crowned King George VI. Her mother became

Queen Elizabeth and Elizabeth and her sister Margaret were now princesses (all in the photo below).

She studied art and music and enjoyed drama and swimming.

When she was 11, she joined the Girl Guides.

Elizabeth undertook her first public engagement on her 16th birthday, when she inspected the soldiers of the Grenadier Guards.
During the Second World War, Elizabeth served in the army as a mechanic.
Picture: Elizabeth in her army uniform, 19451

November 1947, when she was 21 years old.

Her husband Prince

Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece.

In 1948, the Queen's first child, Prince Charles, was born.
Two years later, Princess Anne was born. Elizabeth would go on to have two more children: Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964.

father, King George VI, died.
Elizabeth was in Kenya when

she heard the sad news. She immediately returned home and it was decided that Elizabeth would be queen.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation took place in 1953 at Westminster Cathedral in London.
The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee, 50 years since her accession to the throne, in 2002 and her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years since her accession, in 2012.

country. However, she does carry out many important tasks on

behalf of the nation.

The Queen is Head of the Church of England. She appoints Bishops and Archbishops on the advice of the Prime Minister.

The Queen is Head of the Armed Forces, and is the only person who can declare and end war with other countries.

The Queen must remain impartial in matters of Government and is not allowed to vote. However, she meets weekly with the Prime Minister and opens Parliament, amongst other duties.

on official state visits. She also invites other Heads of

State from around the world to visit the U.K.

The Queen represents the country at times of celebration or sorrow. One of her most important duties is on Remembrance Sunday, when the Queen lays a wreath at the Cenotaph in London to remember members of the armed forces who have died fighting for their country.

53 countries, almost all of which were formerly under British

rule as part of the British Empire.

After becoming independent, many countries decided that they still wanted to remain within the Commonwealth. The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth and, during her reign, has made more than 200 trips abroad to visit Commonwealth countries.

The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event which involves athletes from Commonwealth Countries. The Queen often attends the games to open or close them.

also spends lots of time at Windsor Castle.
The Royal Family

chose the name ‘Windsor’ as their surname after Windsor Castle.

Castle (below, left). Her official residence in Scotland is The

Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh.

The Queen also enjoys spending time at Sandringham House (above, right) in Norfolk, which she inherited from her father.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Yeates (@Flickr.com) and Elwyn Thomas Roddick (@Wikipedia.com) granted under creative commons licence: attribution

She had been Queen for 60 years! There were celebrations

and parties across the country, all focused around a central weekend of events.

The Diamond Jubilee Pageant took place on the Thames and included 1,000 boats assembled from across the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh travelled in the Royal Barge which formed the centrepiece of the flotilla.

A huge concert performed outside Buckingham
Palace and a service at St Paul’s Cathedral
rounded off the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
celebrations.

under creative commons licence: attribution

67 years. On 9th September 2015, she became the longest-reigning

British monarch, surpassing her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and seven months.

In the words of the National Anthem, the Queen certainly is “long to reign over us”.

first performed in London in 1745. Today, it is known

as the National Anthem.

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

Princess Diana is killed in a road accident.
1982 Prince Andrew

came back safely from the Falklands War.
1973 The Queen opens the spectacular Sydney Opera House.
1953 Elizabeth is crowned Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
2012 The Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.

1936
Elizabeth’s father becomes King.

1964
The Queen’s youngest child is born.

1992
A fire destroys part of Windsor Castle.

2015
The Queen became the longest serving Monarch.

1926
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary is born.

1952
King George VI dies and Elizabeth becomes Queen.

1977
The Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

2002
Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother die.

Buckingham Palace!
In 1954, I became the first serving monarch to

circumnavigate the globe on a six month round-the-world tour with my husband.

For my 6th birthday, I was given a miniature Welsh cottage.

I send cards to congratulate people who reach the age of 100.

I was the first, and so far the only, female member of the Royal Family to serve in the armed forces.

Corgis are my favourite dogs. I have owned more than 30 corgis during my reign. I also like Dorgis; a cross between a Corgi and a Dachshund.

I have ‘sat’ for my portrait to be painted over 130 times!

I am 5'4" (160cm) tall.