Queen Elizabeth II (left) in 1927 when she was Princess Elizabeth,aged one year.AP
August 21,1930: The second child of the Duke and Duchess of York,Princess Margaret Rose,is born.
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret playing with tent ropes at a fair in Scotland in 1933.Central Press/Getty
1934: Princess Elizabeth meets Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark at the wedding of Philip’s cousin Princess Marina and Prince George,Duke of Kent and paternal uncle of Elizabeth.
January 20,1936: Princess Elizabeth’s grandfather,King George V,dies of throat cancer. Her uncle,King Edward VIII,ascends the throne.
Londoners read the evening news about Edward VIII’s abdication,December 11,1936.Topical Press
December 11,1936: King Edward VIII abdicates after the governments of the UK and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth object to his decision to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth’s father,George VI,is proclaimed King. She becomes the heir presumptive aged 10.
May 12,1937: King George VI ascends the throne three days before his 41st birthday. His coronation is the first to be filmed and the first to be broadcast on radio.
Princess Elizabeth,now the 10-year-old heir to the throne,on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with the royal family after her father George VI’s coronation.AP
October 13,1940: Princess Elizabeth,aged 14,makes her first public speech to the children of the Commonwealth affected by the war,with assistance from Princess Margaret. Read the full speech
April 21,1942: Princess Elizabeth has her first public engagement on her 16th birthday. She inspects the soldiers of the Grenadier Guards.
Princess Elizabeth with her script for her first radio broadcast,aged 14,on October 13,1940. On the left is her younger sister,Princess Margaret.Official photographer
May 8,1945: Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret go incognito among their subjects to celebrate victory in Europe aged 19 and 14. In 1985,the Queen referred to the adventure as “one of the most memorable nights of my life”.
November 20,1946:Philip asks King George VI for his daughter’s hand in marriage. The request is granted on the condition the couple wait until Elizabeth’s 21st birthday for the formal announcement.
April 21,1947: Princess Elizabeth turns 21 on a family tour of South Africa. In a radio speech broadcast from Cape Town,the Princess dedicates her life to the service of the Commonwealth,“I declare before you all that my whole life,whether it be long or short,shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” Read the full speech.
Princess Elizabeth at a Girl Guide parade in Maseru,South Africa,during her 1947 tour.Fairfax archives
July 9,1947: Princess Elizabeth and Philip announce their engagement. Princess Elizabeth’s ring features a three-carat,round-cut diamond centre stone,and 10 smaller diamonds set in platinum. The diamonds from Princess Elizabeth’s ring were created from a tiara belonging to Philip’s mother,Princess Alice of Battenberg.
HRH Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in their engagement photo.Fairfax archives
November 20,1947: Princess Elizabeth marries Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey. This marriage would become the longest of any British sovereign.
HRH Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip with the infant Prince Charles at his christening at Buckingham Palace,15 December 1948.Fairfax archives
November 14,1948: Princess Elizabeth gives birth to Charles,her first child and heir,via caesarean at Buckingham Palace. She is 22.
1949-1951: Princess Elizabeth moves to Malta,where Prince Philip serves as a Royal Navy officer.
August 15,1950: Princess Anne is born at Clarence House. She is Elizabeth’s second child and only daughter.
February 6,1952: King George VI dies from coronary thrombosis at Sandringham House,aged 56. Princess Elizabeth,25,is in Kenya when she learns of her father’s death. She is asked to lead immediately,becoming Queen Elizabeth II.
June 2,1953: A year after her father’s death,Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey. She is 27. She and Philip are driven from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach,pulled by eight grey gelding horses.
The Queen rides to her coronation in her golden coach.Fairfax archives
1953: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip embark on a six-month world tour.
February 3,1954: As part of their tour,Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip sail into Sydney Harbour. She becomes the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia.
After a reign lasting 70 years,Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at age 96.
December 25,1957: Her majesty delivers the first televised Christmas message from her home at Sandringham,Norfolk. Before 1957,the Christmas message was broadcast to the Commonwealth via radio.
February 19,1960: Prince Andrew is born at Buckingham Palace. He is the first child born to a reigning British monarch in nearly a century.
(L-R) Princess Anne,Queen Elizabeth II,Prince Charles,Prince Philip,Prince Andrew and baby Prince Edward on the grounds of Windsor Castle.AP
March 10,1964: Prince Edward is born at Buckingham Palace. Prince Philip was present during the birth,upon the Queen’s request,making him the first royal father to witness the arrival of one of his children in modern history.
June 21,1969: The documentaryRoyal Family is broadcast on British television. Produced by the BBC,it followed the royal family for a year to celebrate the investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales.
June 7,1977: The Queen marks 25 years on the throne,known as the Silver Jubilee.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their wedding day on July 29,1981.AP
July 29,1981: Prince Charles marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral. Diana becomes the Princess of Wales.
June 21,1982: A new heir to the throne arrives with the birth of William,who is second in line after his father,Prince Charles.
Diana,Princess of Wales,holds baby Prince William as she sits with the Queen and the Queen Mother after William’s christening on August 4,1982.Getty
April 21,1986: The Queen celebrates her 60th birthday.
November 20,1992: Fire rips through Windsor Castle. Part of the Queen’s home is destroyed. She makes a famous speech at Guildhall to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession days later. In it,she refers to the fire and recent global turmoil as part of an “annus horribilis”. Read the full speech
Queen Elizabeth II gives her “annus horribilis” speech at the Guildhall on November 24,reflecting on the breakdown of the marriages of her sons and the fire at her Windsor Castle home.Getty
August 28,1996: Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce. Diana relinquishes the title of “Her Royal Highness” but remains “Princess of Wales”. She retains her apartments at Kensington Palace.
August 31,1997: Princess Diana is killed in a car accident in France. The Queen does not address the public for five days,rather choosing to remain in Balmoral,Scotland,with princes William and Harry in an effort to shield them from the media circus. The royal family is criticised for being aloof as the nation mourns Diana’s death.
(L-R) Prince Harry,Prince William,Prince Phillip,Peter Phillips,Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II look at flowers and cards laid at the gates of Balmoral on September 4,1997.AP
February 9,2002: Princess Margaret,who is understood to be the Queen’s biggest confidante,dies aged 71 from cardiac complications related to a stroke she had the day before.
March 30,2002: The Queen Mother dies aged 101.
(L-R) Queen Elizabeth II,Prince Philip,Prince William,Prince Andrew,Princess Anne,Prince Charles and Peter Phillips stand in front of the Queen Mother’s coffin on April 9,2002.AP
June 7,2002: The Queen celebrates 50 years on the throne,her Golden Jubilee.
April 9,2005: Prince Charles marries Camilla Parker-Bowles. Camilla becomes Duchess of Cornwall.
Prince Charles and Camilla,Duchess of Cornwall,leave St George’s Chapel in Windsor on April 9,2005.AP
April 21,2006: The Queen celebrates her 80th birthday.
October 21,2011: Her majesty attends a reception in her honour held at Parliament House in Canberra as part of her third tour of Australia. At the reception,then-prime minister Julia Gillard refers to the Queen as “a vital constitutional part of Australian democracy”.
Queen Elizabeth II with then-prime minister Julia Gillard at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting banquet in Perth on October 28,2011.Andrew Meares
June 4,2012: The Queen celebrates 60 years on the throne,her Diamond Jubilee.
James Bond actor Daniel Craig escorts Queen Elizabeth II through the corridors of Buckingham Palace in a short film created for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.AFP
July 27,2012: The Queen opens the London Olympic Games.
July 22,2013: Prince George,the first child of Prince William and Catherine,Duchess of Cambridge,is born,third in line to the throne. He is the third of the Queen’s 12 great-grandchildren.
September 9,2015: Queen Elizabeth becomes the longest-reigning British monarch,at 23,266 days,16 hours and 30 minutes,surpassing the reign of Queen Victoria,her great-great-grandmother.
April 21,2016: The Queen turns 90.
Prince William,Prince George,Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles prepare Christmas puddings in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace in December 2019.Buckingham Palace/Getty
February 6,2017: The Queen celebrates reigning for 65 years,her Sapphire Jubilee.
November 20,2019: The Queen’s third child,Prince Andrew,suspends his public duties following a BBC program that dealt with allegations involving his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He permanently resigns from his duties in May 2020.
January 8,2020: The Queen’s grandson,Prince Harry,and his wife,Meghan,the Duchess of Sussex,announce on Instagram that they will step back from their roles as senior royals and move to North America. On February 19,2021,Buckingham Palace confirms that the couple will not return as working members of the royal family. On June 4,2021,their second child,a daughter,is born and named Lilibet,which was the Queen’s nickname when she was a child.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with the Queen at the Queen’s Young Leaders Awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London in 2018.AP
April 11,2020:The Queen records the first-ever Easter message of her reign,offering comfort to Britons at the height of the first surge of the coronavirus pandemic. “We know that coronavirus will not overcome us. As dark as death can be – particularly for those suffering with grief – light and life are greater,” she said. “May the living flame of the Easter hope be a steady guide as we face the future. I wish everyone of all faiths and denominations a blessed Easter.”
The Queen has delivered her first ever Easter message in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
April 9,2021: Prince Philip dies. Buckingham Palace releases a statement saying the prince has “passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle”. He was 99.
April 17,2021: A photo of the Queen sitting alone in her pew before being joined by her family for Prince Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle touches hearts around the world. On her 95th birthday,a week later,she releases a message:“My family and I would like to thank you all for the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched,and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
Queen Elizabeth II sitting alone in St George’s Chapel before the funeral of Prince Philip,who had been by her side for 73 years.PA
June 12,2021: The Queen holds court at the G7 summit in Cornwall,joking ahead of the group photo:“Are you supposed to be looking as if you’re enjoying yourselves?” During the summit,she meets US President Joe Biden and then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison.
Queen Elizabeth II,back in public duty in person at G7,was all smiles.Getty Images
February 6,2022: The Queen marks the eve of her Platinum Jubilee with a request that her daughter-in-law,Camilla,Duchess of Cornwall,be known as queen consort when Charles succeeds her as king.
February 20,2022: The Queen tests positive to COVID-19. The palace says she has mild,cold-like symptoms,which causes her to cancel her online meetings but allows her to continue “light” duties.
April 21,2022: The Queen turns 96,an occasion marked by the release of a Barbie doll in her likeness to commemorate her 70th year on the throne.
The Mall road was closed to traffic for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.AP
May 10,2022: Prince Charles is required to read the Queen’s speech at the opening of British parliament for the first time after the Queen is forced to miss the ceremony due to difficulties with her mobility.
June 2-5,2022: The UK celebrates the Queen becoming the first British monarch to spend 70 years on the throne with a four-day Platinum Jubilee extravaganza.
The Queen meets Liz Truss,the 15th British prime minister of her reign.Getty
September 6,2022: The Queen swears in the 15th prime minister of her reign,Liz Truss,who travelled to Balmoral in a break with tradition. Pictures of dark bruises on the Queen’s hand prompt speculations about her health.
September 7,2022: A virtual Privy Council is cancelled after her doctors order her to rest.
September 8,2022: Buckingham Palace announces the Queen has been placed under medical supervision as her family travels to be with her.
September 8,2022:The Queen dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96.
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