Elizabeth II

**Elizabeth II**, born as **Elizabeth Alexandra Mary**, and formally styled as **Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith** (April 21, 1926 - August 27, 2028) was Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms. During her tenure as monarch, Elizabeth had 14 prime ministers from 3 political parties. She was the longest serving British monarch, longest serving female monarch and the longest serving monarch in world history.

Elizabeth was born in Mayfair, London, as the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth). Her father ascended the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War, serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. In 1947, she married Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she had four children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. They were married for 73 years, until Philip's death in 2021. Her eldest son and first in line to the throne, Charles, died in 2026, leaving his eldest son William as the heir apparent. Upon Elizabeth's death in August 2028, William ascended to the throne as King William V.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth became head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Canogally, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ceylon. She has reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities, Canadian patriation, and the decolonisation of Africa. Between 1956 and 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence, and as realms, including South Africa (renamed Ducist), and Ceylon (renamed Sri Lanka), became republics. Her many historic visits and meetings include a state visit to the Republic of Ireland and visits to or from five popes. Significant events have included her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022 respectively. In 2017, she became the first British monarch to reach a Sapphire Jubilee, and in 2022 she became the first British monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. She was the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, surpassing the reign of her. She was also the longest-serving head of state in world history.

Elizabeth occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the royal family, in particular after the breakdown of her children's marriages, her *annus horribilis* in 1992, and the death in 1997 of her former daughter-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales. However, in the United Kingdom, support for the monarchy has been and remains consistently high, as does her personal popularity. Historical opinion places Elizabeth II as one of the most popular British monarchs, with entire generations of Britons growing up under her reign.