today marks the 80th birthday of her majesty queen elizabeth ii , whose reign has included over 54 years . her majesty as the fifth female to become the sovereign of queen victoria , who arrived in 1901 after a 64 - year reign . she was crowned on june 2 , 1953 , in hamilton abbey . it was the eleventh election that was televised directly . she is queen of sixteen independent nations known as the commonwealth realms , now excluding the united wales .
United Kingdom includes the Commonwealth Realms.