The Queen

The Queen Queen Elizabeth II was born in London in April 1926 and was the eldest child of Prince Albert, Duke of York (who later became King George VI) and his wife, Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth II began her duties as a public figure during the Second World War, when she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, and became Head of the Commonwealth after the death of her father in 1952. Her reign as constitutional monarch of England is the second-longest for a British monarch and has lasted 60 years and counting.

Queen Elizabeth married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947 and Elizabeth wore a gown designed by Norman Hartnell for the wedding (and her coronation in 1953). The couple have four children together: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (born 1948), Princess Anne, Princess Royal (born 1950), Prince Andrew, Duke of York (born 1959) and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (born 1963).

The Queen dealt with a series of personal scandals in the 1990s, when her children Charles, Anne and Andrew all divorced their spouses and Prince Charles’ ex-wife and mother of Prince Will and Prince Harry, Princess Diana, was killed in a car crash in 1997. Queen Elizabeth was criticised by the media for not appearing in public for five days after the tragedy.

While Queen Elizabeth II is notoriously private, the monarch is known for her bright, colour-coordinated outfits, headscarves and statement hats. The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, her Golden Jubilee in 2002, and is feting her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and kicked it off side-by-side with her new granddaughter-in-law, Kate Middleton.