Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor wasn’t born to wear the crown. But destiny intervened.
The woman who became Queen Elizabeth II will mark 70 years on the throne Sunday, an unprecedented reign that has made her a symbol of stability as the United Kingdom navigated an age of uncertainty.
From her early days as a glamorous young royal in glittering tiaras to her more recent incarnation as the nation’s grandmother, the queen has witnessed the end of the British Empire, the advent of multiculturalism, the rise of international terrorism, and the challenges posed by Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. In a world of relentless change, she has been a constant — representing the UK’s interests abroad, applauding the nation’s successes and commiserating in its failures, and always remaining above the fray of politics.
![Britain's Princess Elizabeth rides with her uncle, Prince Edward, during a visit to Balmoral, Sctoland, 1933.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's Princess Elizabeth rides with her uncle, Prince Edward, during a visit to Balmoral, Sctoland, 1933.
Photo: AP
![- Princess Elizabeth the eldest daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, poses for a photo on her 13th birthday, in Windsor Great Park, in England, April 21, 1939.
Photo: AP]()
- Princess Elizabeth the eldest daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, poses for a photo on her 13th birthday, in Windsor Great Park, in England, April 21, 1939.
Photo: AP
That constancy should earn Elizabeth a royal epithet like those of her predecessors such as William the Conqueror, Edward the Confessor and Alfred the Great, said royal historian Hugo Vickers.
“I’ve always thought she should be called Elizabeth the Steadfast,” Vickers told The Associated Press. “I think it’s a perfect way of describing her. She wasn’t necessarily expecting to be queen, and she embraced that duty.”
As the elder daughter of King George V’s second son, Elizabeth, now 95, was expected to live the life of a minor royal when she was born on April 21, 1926. Dogs and horses, a country house, a suitable match — a comfortable but uneventful life — seemed her future.
But everything changed a decade later when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated so he could marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Elizabeth’s father became King George VI, making the young princess heir apparent.
![- Britain's Princess Elizabeth, right, 14-year-old heiress apparent to the British throne, broadcasts a three-minute speech to British girls and boys evacuated overseas, in London, Oct. 22, 1940.
Photo: AP]()
- Britain's Princess Elizabeth, right, 14-year-old heiress apparent to the British throne, broadcasts a three-minute speech to British girls and boys evacuated overseas, in London, Oct. 22, 1940.
Photo: AP
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, wears a silver gown with a diamond tiara and pearl necklace, in this Aug. 30, 1949 photo.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, wears a silver gown with a diamond tiara and pearl necklace, in this Aug. 30, 1949 photo.
Photo: AP
![Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, right, reacts with her father King George VI, in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, England, Aug. 20, 1946.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, right, reacts with her father King George VI, in the grounds of the Royal Lodge, Windsor, England, Aug. 20, 1946.
Photo: AP
![Britain's Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten pose for a photo, in London, Sept. 1947.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip Mountbatten pose for a photo, in London, Sept. 1947.
Photo: AP
![Britain's King George VI, centre, poses with his wife Queen Elizabeth, centre right, daughers Princess Elizabeth foreground centre and Margaret, along with members of the family, after his coronation, in London, May 15, 1937.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's King George VI, centre, poses with his wife Queen Elizabeth, centre right, daughers Princess Elizabeth foreground centre and Margaret, along with members of the family, after his coronation, in London, May 15, 1937.
Photo: AP
![Archbishop of Canterbury, foreground, reads the Benediction to Queen Elizabeth II, wearing St. Edward's Crown, during her coronation ceremony, in London, June 2, 1953.
Photo: AP]()
Archbishop of Canterbury, foreground, reads the Benediction to Queen Elizabeth II, wearing St. Edward's Crown, during her coronation ceremony, in London, June 2, 1953.
Photo: AP
![From left: Dudley Senanayake, premier of Ceylon; Sir Godfrey Hugging, premier of Southern Rhodesia; Sidney Holland, premier of New Zealand; Winston Churchill; United Kingdom Premier; Queen Elizabeth II, Robert Menzies, premier of Australia; Louis St. Laurant; premier of Canada; Nicholas Havenga, minister of finance, South Africa; Khwaja Nazimuddin, premier of Pakistan, and Shri Chintaman Deshmukh, minister of finance, India pose for a photo, at a dinner held for commonwealth leaders, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Dec. 3, 1952.
Photo: AP]()
From left: Dudley Senanayake, premier of Ceylon; Sir Godfrey Hugging, premier of Southern Rhodesia; Sidney Holland, premier of New Zealand; Winston Churchill; United Kingdom Premier; Queen Elizabeth II, Robert Menzies, premier of Australia; Louis St. Laurant; premier of Canada; Nicholas Havenga, minister of finance, South Africa; Khwaja Nazimuddin, premier of Pakistan, and Shri Chintaman Deshmukh, minister of finance, India pose for a photo, at a dinner held for commonwealth leaders, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Dec. 3, 1952.
Photo: AP
![Archbishop of Canterbury, foreground, reads the Benediction to Queen Elizabeth II, wearing St. Edward's Crown, during her coronation ceremony, in London, June 2, 1953.
Photo: AP]()
Archbishop of Canterbury, foreground, reads the Benediction to Queen Elizabeth II, wearing St. Edward's Crown, during her coronation ceremony, in London, June 2, 1953.
Photo: AP
![Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, with their daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Maragret in their Coronation robes, as they appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, in London, on May 12, 1937, after their return from the Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Others are ladies in waiting.
Photo: AP]()
Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, with their daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Maragret in their Coronation robes, as they appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, in London, on May 12, 1937, after their return from the Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Others are ladies in waiting.
Photo: AP
![The diamond diadem, made of diamonds, pearls, silver and gold, worn by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on her way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for her 1953 Coronation and during the first part of the ceremony, is displayed, July 25, 2013, at Buckingham Palace in London.
Photo: AP]()
The diamond diadem, made of diamonds, pearls, silver and gold, worn by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on her way from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for her 1953 Coronation and during the first part of the ceremony, is displayed, July 25, 2013, at Buckingham Palace in London.
Photo: AP
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Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor
Queen Elizabeth II
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