Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II was the queen of the United Kingdom from 1952 until her death in 2022. She lived from 1926 to 2022. Her reign lasted 70 years and 7 months, the longest of any British monarch in history. She was also the head of state for more than a dozen other countries, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Elizabeth was born in London on April 21, 1926. Her full name was Elizabeth Alexandra Mary. As a child, she was not expected to become queen. Her uncle was supposed to inherit the throne. But in 1936, her uncle gave up the crown to marry an American woman named Wallis Simpson. That made Elizabeth's father king, and Elizabeth became next in line at age 10.

She was a teenager during World War II. German bombs fell on London, but the royal family stayed in the country to share the danger with everyone else. At 18, Elizabeth joined a women's branch of the British Army. She trained as a driver and learned how to fix trucks. She was the first female royal to serve in the armed forces.

In 1947, she married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. They had four children: Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward. Her father died in 1952 while she was on a trip to Kenya. She was 25 years old when she found out she was queen. Her coronation took place the next year at Westminster Abbey, and it was the first one ever shown on television. About 27 million people in Britain watched it.

A British monarch today does not really run the government. That job belongs to the prime minister and Parliament. The queen's role was mostly to represent the country at ceremonies, host visiting leaders, and serve as a symbol of unity. During her reign, Elizabeth worked with 15 different prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill.

Her reign saw enormous change. The British Empire shrank as dozens of former colonies became independent countries. Television, computers, and the internet transformed daily life. Through it all, she rarely shared her personal opinions in public. Some people admired her steady silence. Others wished she had spoken up more, especially on hard questions about Britain's colonial past.

Elizabeth died at her castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, at age 96. Her son became King Charles III. About 4 billion people around the world were estimated to have watched some part of her funeral, making it one of the most watched events in human history.