Elizabeth II has been the Queen of the United Kingdom and the head of the Commonwealth for more than 60 years.
She was born on April 21, 1926, in London, England. Her parents were The Duke and Duchess of York. In 1936, her father became king and she became Princess Elizabeth. When her father died, she would become queen.
To prepare to be queen, Princess Elizabeth studied history and law. She also learned about the duties of a queen and how she must act in public.
In 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten. He then became Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. They had a son, Charles, in 1948, and a daughter, Anne, in 1950.
Her father, King George VI, died suddenly in 1952 and she became the queen. But she was not formally crowned as queen until June 2, 1953. People all over the world listened to her coronation ceremony on radio or watched it on TV.
The Queen and her husband had two more children, Andrew and Edward. They now have several grandchildren.
One of the Queen’s duties is to visit her subjects in other countries and to visit countries that belong to the Commonwealth. These are countries that used to be ruled by Britain. She and Prince Philip have traveled to many countries over the years. Canada, New Zealand, and Nigeria are just a few of them.
When she is at home, the Queen meets every week with the British prime minister to learn what is happening in Britain. She also makes sure she knows about important events in other parts of the world.
When she is not carrying out her royal duties, Queen Elizabeth is often seen with her dogs or her horses. She has several of them.
In 2012, there were huge celebrations in Britain because she had been queen for 60 years. When Queen Elizabeth dies or decides to step down, her oldest son, Prince Charles, will become king. But many people think she will be queen for many more years.
