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Key milestones in Queen Elizabeth II's life

She became the monarch upon the death of her father George VI in 1952

Published: Thu 8 Sep 2022, 10:49 PM

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Key milestones in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96 after serving more than seven decades on the throne.

  • April 21, 1926: Born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary in Mayfair, London, the first child of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, later called the Queen Mother.
  • Dec. 10, 1936: Elizabeth becomes heir-apparent to the throne after her uncle King Edward VIII abdicates and her father becomes king.
  • Oct. 13, 1940: Elizabeth makes first public speech at age 14 on the BBC Children’s Hour to reassure children who had been separated from their parents during the Blitz.
  • 1945: Elizabeth is made a Subaltern in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, serving for Britain during World War II.
  • Nov. 20, 1947: Elizabeth marries Prince Philip Mountbatten of Greece and Denmark at Westminster Abbey.
  • Nov. 14, 1948: Prince Charles, now Prince of Wales, heir-apparent to the throne, is born.
  • Aug. 15, 1950: Elizabeth’s second child and only daughter, Anne, the Princess Royal, is born.
  • Feb. 6, 1952: Elizabeth becomes queen upon the death of her father George VI.
  • June 2, 1953: Crowned in a grand coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. She sets out on a tour of the Commonwealth, visiting places including Bermuda, Fiji, Tonga, Australia, and Gibraltar.
  • Feb. 19, 1960: Elizabeth’s third child, Prince Andrew, is born.
  • March 10, 1964: Elizabeth’s fourth child, Prince Edward, is born.
  • May 1965: Elizabeth makes a historic visit to West Germany, the first German visit by a British monarch in 52 years.
  • 1977: Elizabeth celebrates her Silver Jubilee, which marks 25 years on the throne.
  • 1992: Elizabeth has what she describes as an “annus horribilis,” or a “horrible year.” The year sees marriages for three of her four children end. Also that year, a fire damages Windsor Castle. Public outcry over the cost of repairs amid a recession prompts the queen to volunteer to pay income taxes.
  • Aug. 31, 1997: Princess Diana dies in a car crash in Paris. Under public pressure to demonstrate her grief, Elizabeth makes an unprecedented television broadcast in tribute to Diana’s memory.
  • 2002: Elizabeth marks 50 years of reign with her Golden Jubilee. The year also sees the deaths of Elizabeth’s mother and her sister, Margaret.
  • Dec. 20, 2007: Elizabeth becomes the longest-living British monarch, overtaking Victoria.
  • May 2011: Elizabeth makes a historic visit to Ireland — the first visit by a British monarch since Irish independence.
  • 2012: Elizabeth marks 60 years of her reign with a Diamond Jubilee.
  • Sept. 9, 2015: Elizabeth surpasses Queen Victoria and becomes the longest-serving monarch in British history.
  • June 11, 2016: Britain celebrates Elizabeth’s official 90th birthday with three days of national festivities.
  • Feb. 6, 2017: Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne.
  • March 2020: Elizabeth and Philip move from Buckingham Palace in London to Windsor Castle at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
  • April 9, 2021: Prince Philip, Elizabeth’s husband of 73 years, dies at age 99.
  • Oct. 20, 2021: Elizabeth spends a night in a London hospital undergoing health tests. She cancels major engagements in subsequent months, on doctors’ orders to only undertake light duties.
  • Feb. 6, 2022: Elizabeth becomes first British monarch to reach a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as sovereign.
  • June 2022: Elizabeth makes limited public appearances during a four-day holiday weekend celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.
  • Sept. 6, 2022: Elizabeth meets Boris Johnson and Liz Truss at her summer holiday home in Scotland to oversee the handover of power from the outgoing prime minster to his successor. The ceremonies, traditionally held at Buckingham Palace in London, were moved to Balmoral for the first time in the queen’s reign in light of her mobility problems.
  • Sept. 8, 2022: Elizabeth dies at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at age 96.

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