Background
The present British sovereign is Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth is one of the Windsors. The dynasty inherited the Crown in 1917.
Elizabeth was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in the chapel at Buckingham Palace.
Princess Elizabeth was educated at home with Princess Margaret, her younger sister. After her father succeeded to the throne in 1936 and she became heir presumptive, she started to study constitutional history and law. She also studied art and music; learned to ride (she has been a keen horsewoman since early childhood); and enjoyed amateur theatricals and swimming.
With the outbreak of war in 1939, there was some suggestion that the Queen and her daughters should evacuate to North America, but throughout the Second World War the Queen and the Princesses shared the dangers and difficulties of the rest of the nation. They were in Buckingham Palace when it was bombed in September 1940. The Queen and the King visited badly damaged areas throughout the country after the air-raids, and toured Britain visiting hospitals, factories and troops.
In early 1945 Princess Elizabeth was made a juniour officer in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). By the end of the war she had reached the rank of Juniour Commander, having completed her course at No. 1 Mechanical training centre of ATS and passed out as a fully qualified driver.
Marriage and family
In 1947 the Princess's engagement to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was announced. The couple, who had known each other for many years, were married in Wstminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. Lieutenant Mountbatten, now His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and a great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.
The Royal couple had four children, and so far have six grandchildren. Prince Charles, now the Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the throne, was born in 1948, and his sister, Princess Anne, now the Princess Royal, two years later.
After Princess Elizabeth became Queen, their third child, Prince Andrew, arrived in 1960 and the fourth, Prince Edward, in 1964. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were the first children to be born to a reigning monarch since Queen Victoria had her family.
Their grandchildren are Peter and Zara Phillips (b. 1977 and 1984); and Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York (b. 1988 and 1990).
Accession and coronation
After her marriage Princess Elizabeth paid formal visits with the Duke of Edinburgh to different countries. In 1948 her parents - the King and Queen - celebrated their Silver Wedding. Sadly, the King's health was getting worse. The last major public occasion that he and the Queen attended together was the opening of the Festival of Britain in May 1951. In
1952, King George VI's illness forced him to abandon his proposed visit to Australia and New Zealand. The Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his place. On 6 February 1952, during their journey in Kenya, she received the news of her father's death at Sandringham and her own accession to the throne.
Her Majesty's coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953. Representatives of the peers, the Commons, the Prime Minister and leading citizens of the other Commonwealth countries, and representatives of foreign states were present. The ceremony was broadcast on radio around the world and, at the Queen's request, on television. The coronation was followed
by drives through every part of London, and by visits to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Work as monarch
The Queen and Prince Philip make visits to other countries at the invitation of foreign Heads of State. Since her coronation, the Queen has also visited nearly every county in Britain, seeing new developments and achievements in industry, agriculture, education, the arts, medicine and sport and many other aspects of national life.
As Head of State, the Queen keeps up close contact with the Prime Minister, with whom she has a weekly audience when she is in London, and with other Ministers of the Crown. She sees all Cabinet papers and the records of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings. She receives important Foreign Office telegrams and a daily summary of events in Parliament.
Her Majesty acts as host to the Heads of State of Commonwealth and other countries when they visit Britain, and receives other notable visitors from overseas.
During her visits to other Commonwealth countries she presents honours to people who have distinguished themselves in public life.
As Sovereign, Her Majesty is head of the Navy, Army and Air Force of Britain. On becoming Queen she succeeded her father as Colonel-in-Chief of all the Guards Regiments and the Corps of Royal Engineers and as Captain-General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Honourable Artillery Company. The Queen is also the head of the Commonwealth countries.
The Queen is Patron or President of over 700 organisations.
Her interests
Her Majesty takes a keen and highly knowledgeable interest in horses. She attends the Derby at Epsom, one of the classic flat races in Britain, and the Summer Race Meeting at Ascot, which has been a Royal occasion since 1911. As an owner and breeder of thoroughbreds, she often visits other race meetings to watch her horses run.